The Football Association Challenge Cup also commonly referred to as the FA Cup is a prestigious annual knockout football tournament in England. It is the oldest national football tournament in the world with the first tournament taking place in the 1871-1872 season. Since then The Football Association (The FA) has also set up a women’s FA Cup which has been held annually since 1970. The FA Cup is open to all clubs down to level 9 of the English Football League system. With clubs in level 10 able to participate as stand-ins when there are non-entries. Any number of clubs can enter the tournament with a record number of 763 clubs participating in the 2011-2012 tournament. With this diversity of clubs the FA Cup is full of upsets and “giant killing” when small clubs play exceptionally, beating much higher ranking clubs. These shocking upsets make the tournament an exciting and unpredictable tournament which makes it a spectacular event to follow throughout the season. Find out more about the FA Cup and also the fixtures to look forward to for the rest of the 2024-2025 tournament.
The History of the FA Cup
The Football Association was founded in 1863 when they published the Laws of the Game of Association Football. This was intended to unify all different rules that were in use during the time. Skip to 20th July 1871 the FA Secretary C. W. Alcock proposed to the FA for a Challenge Cup to be established in connection with the association in which all clubs belonging to the association are invited to compete. Later in November 1871 the inaugural FA Cup tournament kicked off. With a total of 13 games being played, Wanderers F.C made history as the first winners of the FA Cup in 16 March 1872. From the 1888-89 season the cup was beginning to develop into what we know today as the FA Cup with the implementation of qualifying rounds.
Since then the FA Cup has been played annually with the finals being played at the Wembley stadium. The only times the tournament was suspended for the 1914-15 to the 1919-1920 due to the First World War, 1938-39 to 1945-46 due to the Second World War. Additionally due to the redevelopment of the Wembley stadium, the 2001-06 FA Cup Finals were hosted elsewhere at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Tournament Structure
The FA Cup opens up the application windows early before July where the entry lists, round byes and scheduling are announced. Clubs in the top 4 levels, the Premier League, EFL Championship, EFL League One and EFL League Two are automatically Eligible to enter. Clubs in the leagues below are eligible to enter under the condition that they play in the FA Trophy or FA Vase football tournaments in the current season. One key condition that is required by the Association is that all participating clubs must have a suitable stadium for the competition.
Commencing in August, The FA Cup is a knockout tournament consisting of 12 rounds with a semi-final and final round. Each fixture is chosen randomly through a draw and each fixture is one match unless it ends in a tie, in which case it will be replayed. The first 6 rounds of the competition are seen as qualifying rounds which the draws are organised regionally. These Rounds are played from August to October. The final 6 rounds which are considered the “proper” tournament in which every qualifying club are put into one draw. These rounds are more spread out starting in November with the finals played in May.
The winners of the FA Cup are rewarded the qualification for the next season’s UEFA Europa League and applies to any winner even if the club is relegated or is not in the top English leagues. If the winners have already qualified for this European league then the slot is given to next highest placed non-qualified team in the Premier League.
Additionally the winner of the FA Cup also qualify to compete in the next FA Community Shield. This single match event is the traditional season opener which is played between the FA Cup winner and the previous Premier League champions.
Records and Stats
Here are some of the amazing records and statistics from the FA Cup from the formation of the tournament.
- – Most wins by club – 14, Arsenal
- – Most finals appearances – 22, Manchester United
- – Most FA Cup scored by a team – 912, Kettering Town
- – Most goals scored by a player – 49, Harry Cursham (Notts County 1877-1891)
- – The most clubs competing in one season – 763 clubs in 2011-12 tournament
- – Didier Drogba has scored in the most finals with him scoring one goal in 4 separate finals.
- – Arsene Wenger has won the most Cups as a manger with 7 wins. Also he is the only manager to have won the FA Cup at the Old Wembley Stadium, the Millenium Stadium and also the new Wembley Stadium.
- – Most wins by player – 7, Ashley Cole has 3 FA Cups with Arsenal 2002,03,05 and 4 with Chelsea 2007,09,10,12.
2024-25 Fixtures
Currently as of writing (16/1/25) the FA Cup is in full swing with the 3rd round proper having just been completed. The key match dates for the remaining 2024-25 FA Cup to look forward to are:
- – 4th Round Proper: Saturday 8th February
- – 5th Round Proper: Saturday 1st March
- – Quarter Final: Saturday 29th March
- – Semi Final: Saturday 26th April
- – Final: Saturday 17th May
There are still plenty of diversity in the levels of clubs that are still in competition for the coveted FA Cup and the possibility of upsets and “giant killings” still remains. With the 4th round draws announced there are some interesting matches to watch such as:
- – Manchester United vs Leicester City
- – Everton vs AFC Bournemouth
- – Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspurs
- – Plymouth Argyle vs Liverpool
Whether you are an avid football fan and want to support your favourite team competing in the FA Cup or you are a casual viewer, The FA Cup is an interesting Tournament that is watched internationally. It promotes spectators to watch a wide variety of different clubs of all skill levels. Who knows perhaps you may find a local club to start supporting.
Earlier this month our team was graciously invited to watch a FA Cup game, Aston Villa VS West Ham, click here to find out more about our experience. If you enjoyed reading about the FA Cup and football then perhaps you would be interested in finding out about top premier league cities to study in.