The 2025–26 FA Cup is the 145th season of the Football Association Challenge Cup. It is sponsored by Emirates and known as the Emirates FA Cup. The competition began with qualifiers on August 1, 2025, while the main tournament started on November 1, 2025. The final is scheduled for May 16, 2026, at Wembley Stadium, London.
The FA Cup is England’s oldest domestic football tournament, first played in the 1871–72 season. Crystal Palace are the defending champions this season. Teams compete in knockout rounds, with draws determining fixtures and results. Winners earn a spot in the 2026–27 UEFA Europa League.
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An overview of the 2025-2026 FA Cup
| Category | Information |
| Organiser(s) | The Football Association |
| Founded | 1871 (154 years ago) |
| Region | England, Wales |
| Teams | 747 (2025–26) |
| Qualifier for | UEFA Europa League, FA Community Shield |
| Current champions | Crystal Palace (1st title) |
| Most championships | Arsenal (14 titles) |
| Broadcaster(s) | TNT Sports, BBC Sport |
| Website | thefa.com |
| Season | 2025–26 FA Cup |
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FA Cup league draws
| Round | Date |
| Extra Preliminary Round | Saturday, August 2, 2025 |
| Preliminary Round | Saturday, August 16, 2025 |
| First Round Qualifying | Saturday, August 30, 2025 |
| Second Round Qualifying | Saturday, September 13, 2025 |
| Third Round Qualifying | Saturday, September 27, 2025 |
| Fourth Round Qualifying | Saturday, October 11, 2025 |
| First Round Proper | Saturday, November 1, 2025 |
| Second Round Proper | Saturday, December 6, 2025 |
| Third Round Proper | Saturday, January 10, 2026 |
| Fourth Round Proper | Saturday, February 14, 2026 |
| Fifth Round Proper | Saturday, March 7, 2026 |
| Quarter-final | Saturday, April 4, 2026 |
| Semi-final | Saturday, April 25, 2026 |
| The Final | Saturday, May 16, 2026 |
Recent FA Cup results
| Date | Match | Result |
| 03.11.2025 | Tamworth vs Leyton Orient | 0–1 |
| 03.11.2025 | Gainsborough vs Accrington Stanley | 1–2 AET |
| 02.11.2025 | Port Vale vs Maldon & Tiptree | 5–1 |
| 02.11.2025 | Eastleigh vs Walsall | 0–3 |
| 02.11.2025 | South Shields vs Shrewsbury Town | 1–3 |
| 02.11.2025 | Brackley Town vs Notts County | 2–2 (3–2 pens) |
| 01.11.2025 | AFC Wimbledon vs Gateshead | 0–2 |
| 01.11.2025 | Barnsley vs York City | 3–2 |
| 01.11.2025 | Blackpool vs Scunthorpe | 1–0 |
| 01.11.2025 | Bolton vs Huddersfield | 2–1 |
| 01.11.2025 | Boreham Wood vs Crawley Town | 3–0 |
| 01.11.2025 | Bromley vs Bristol Rovers | 1–2 |
| 01.11.2025 | Burton vs St Albans | 6–0 |
| 01.11.2025 | Buxton vs Chatham | 2–1 AET |
| 01.11.2025 | Cambridge Utd vs Chester | 3–0 |
| 01.11.2025 | Cheltenham vs Bradford City | 1–0 |
| 01.11.2025 | Colchester vs MK Dons | 2–3 |
| 01.11.2025 | Crewe vs Doncaster | 1–2 |
| 01.11.2025 | FC Halifax vs Exeter | 0–2 |
| 01.11.2025 | Fleetwood vs Barnet | 2–1 |
| 01.11.2025 | Grimsby vs Ebbsfleet | 3–1 |
| 01.11.2025 | Macclesfield vs AFC Totton | 6–3 |
| 01.11.2025 | Mansfield vs Harrogate | 3–2 |
| 01.11.2025 | Newport vs Gillingham | 1–1 (4–3 pens) |
| 01.11.2025 | Oldham vs Northampton | 3–1 |
| 01.11.2025 | Peterborough vs Cardiff | 1–0 |
| 01.11.2025 | Reading vs Carlisle | 2–3 AET |
| 01.11.2025 | Rotherham vs Swindon | 1–2 AET |
| 01.11.2025 | Salford vs Lincoln | 1–1 (4–2 pens) |
| 01.11.2025 | Slough vs Altrincham | 2–1 |
| 01.11.2025 | Spennymoor vs Barrow | 0–2 |
| 01.11.2025 | Stevenage vs Chesterfield | 0–1 |
| 01.11.2025 | Sutton vs AFC Telford | 2–1 |
| 01.11.2025 | Tranmere vs Stockport County | 1–3 |
Upcoming FA Cup fixtures
| Round | Date | Time | Match |
| 1/64-finals | 05.12.2025 | 22:30 | Salford vs Leyton Orient |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Accrington vs Mansfield |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Chelmsford vs Weston-super-Mare |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Cheltenham vs Buxton |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Exeter vs Wycombe |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Fleetwood vs Luton |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Grimsby vs Wealdstone |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | MK Dons vs Oldham |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Peterborough vs Barnsley |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Port Vale vs Bristol Rovers |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Stockport County vs Cambridge Utd |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Swindon vs Bolton |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 18:00 | Wigan vs Barrow |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 20:15 | Sutton vs Shrewsbury |
| 1/64-finals | 06.12.2025 | 22:30 | Chesterfield vs Doncaster |
| 1/64-finals | 07.12.2025 | 15:30 | Slough vs Macclesfield |
| 1/64-finals | 07.12.2025 | 17:30 | Boreham Wood vs Newport |
| 1/64-finals | 07.12.2025 | 18:30 | Gateshead vs Walsall |
| 1/64-finals | 07.12.2025 | 20:30 | Blackpool vs Carlisle |
| 1/64-finals | 08.12.2025 | 22:30 | Brackley Town vs Burton |
| 1/32-finals | 10.01.2026 | 18:00 | TBD |
Current FA league stats
| Tournament | Detail |
| Country | England, Wales |
| Dates | 31 October 2025 – 16 May 2026 |
| Total Teams | 747 |
| Qualifying Teams | 655 |
| Main Competition Teams | 124 (including 32 qualifiers) |
| Defending Champions | Crystal Palace |
| Matches Played | 40 |
| Goals Scored | 134 (3.35 per match) |
| Attendance | 127,128 (3,178 per match) |
| Top Scorers | Danny Elliott (Macclesfield), Regan Linney (Carlisle United), Michael Mellon (Oldham Athletic) – 3 goals each |
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All-time FA Cup winners
| Club | Wins | First Final Won | Last Final Won | Runners-up | Last Final Lost | Total Final Appearances |
| Arsenal | 14 | 1930 | 2020 | 7 | 2001 | 21 |
| Manchester United | 13 | 1909 | 2024 | 9 | 2023 | 22 |
| Chelsea | 8 | 1970 | 2018 | 8 | 2022 | 16 |
| Liverpool | 8 | 1965 | 2022 | 7 | 2012 | 15 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 1901 | 1991 | 1 | 1987 | 9 |
| Manchester City | 7 | 1904 | 2023 | 7 | 2025 | 14 |
| Aston Villa | 7 | 1887 | 1957 | 4 | 2015 | 11 |
| Newcastle United | 6 | 1910 | 1955 | 7 | 1999 | 13 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 6 | 1884 | 1928 | 2 | 1960 | 8 |
| Everton | 5 | 1906 | 1995 | 8 | 2009 | 13 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 5 | 1888 | 1968 | 5 | 1935 | 10 |
| Wanderers | 5 | 1872 | 1878 | 0 | — | 5 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 4 | 1893 | 1960 | 4 | 1939 | 8 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 4 | 1923 | 1958 | 3 | 1953 | 7 |
| Sheffield United | 4 | 1899 | 1925 | 2 | 1936 | 6 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 3 | 1896 | 1935 | 3 | 1993 | 6 |
| West Ham United | 3 | 1964 | 1980 | 2 | 2006 | 5 |
| Preston North End | 2 | 1889 | 1938 | 5 | 1964 | 7 |
| Old Etonians | 2 | 1879 | 1882 | 4 | 1883 | 6 |
| Portsmouth | 2 | 1939 | 2008 | 3 | 2010 | 5 |
| Sunderland | 2 | 1937 | 1973 | 2 | 1992 | 4 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2 | 1898 | 1959 | 1 | 1991 | 3 |
| Bury | 2 | 1900 | 1903 | 0 | — | 2 |
| Huddersfield Town | 1 | 1922 | — | 4 | 1938 | 5 |
| Leicester City | 1 | 2021 | — | 4 | 1969 | 5 |
| Oxford University | 1 | 1874 | — | 3 | 1880 | 4 |
| Royal Engineers | 1 | 1875 | — | 3 | 1878 | 4 |
| Derby County | 1 | 1946 | — | 3 | 1903 | 4 |
| Leeds United | 1 | 1972 | — | 3 | 1973 | 4 |
| Southampton | 1 | 1976 | — | 3 | 2003 | 4 |
| Burnley | 1 | 1914 | — | 2 | 1962 | 3 |
| Cardiff City | 1 | 1927 | — | 2 | 2008 | 3 |
| Blackpool | 1 | 1953 | — | 2 | 1951 | 3 |
| Crystal Palace | 1 | 2025 | — | 2 | 2016 | 3 |
| Clapham Rovers | 1 | 1880 | — | 1 | 1879 | 2 |
| Notts County | 1 | 1894 | — | 1 | 1891 | 2 |
| Barnsley | 1 | 1912 | — | 1 | 1910 | 2 |
| Charlton Athletic | 1 | 1947 | — | 1 | 1946 | 2 |
| Old Carthusians | 1 | 1881 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| Blackburn Olympic | 1 | 1883 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| Bradford City | 1 | 1911 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| Ipswich Town | 1 | 1978 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| Coventry City | 1 | 1987 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| Wimbledon | 1 | 1988 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| Wigan Athletic | 1 | 2013 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| Queen’s Park | 0 | — | — | 2 | 1885 | 2 |
| Birmingham City | 0 | — | — | 2 | 1956 | 2 |
| Watford | 0 | — | — | 2 | 2019 | 2 |
| Bristol City | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1909 | 1 |
| Luton Town | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1959 | 1 |
| Fulham | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1975 | 1 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1982 | 1 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1983 | 1 |
| Middlesbrough | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1997 | 1 |
| Millwall | 0 | — | — | 1 | 2004 | 1 |
| Stoke City | 0 | — | — | 1 | 2011 | 1 |
| Hull City | 0 | — | — | 1 | 2014 | 1 |
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Latest news
SportPesa is your best platform to find all the latest news updates about the FA Cup. Check the updated FA Cup schedule, stats, and the FA Cup prize money winner here. You can also get real information on all football leagues and teams.
FAQs about the FA Cup
How much is the FA Cup prize money?
The FA Cup prize money for this season is £23.5 million for the men’s competition and £6.14 million for the women’s competition.
What happens if Man City wins the FA Cup?
If Man City wins the FA Cup and already qualifies for Europe, the eighth-placed team gets the Conference League spot. If Chelsea wins the Conference League but finishes outside the top five, no extra English team qualifies.
What date is the FA Cup semi-final?
The FA Cup semi-finals are scheduled on 25 April 2026.
Is there a 6th round in the FA Cup?
Yes, the first six rounds of the FA Cup are referred to as the Qualifying Competition. They feature clubs from levels 5 to 10 of the English football league. These are mostly non-league teams.
Conclusion
The next FA Cup match is scheduled for 5 December 2025, when Salford City vs Leyton Orient kicks off at 19:30 BST. You can track complete fixture lists, latest results, and comprehensive stats on SportPesa. Stay updated to catch draws, tables, and key storylines as the Emirates FA Cup unfolds this season.
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