The world’s oldest cup competition is at the fifth-round stage, with the FA Cup continuing to produce memorable moments as the path to Wembley becomes clearer.
Earlier in the competition, Macclesfield defeated holders Crystal Palace 2-1 in a magical cup tie that saw the sixth-tier side make the fourth round in a true upset for the ages.
The Silkmen produced another credible performance as Brentford squeezed past them in the fourth round, while Mansfield Town continue to defy the odds, defeating top-flight Burnley at Turf Moor to reach the last 16 for the first time since 1975.
Following the fifth-round draw, Mansfield and Port Vale are the only sides remaining outside the top two divisions, with 11 Premier League sides left.
Last year’s final saw Palace secure their first major honour by upsetting Manchester City, as Eberechi Eze’s first-half strike proved to be the winner on a magical day for the Eagles, but there will be a different name on the trophy this year.
QUICK LINKS
- FA Cup format & history
- FA Cup fixture dates
- FA Cup fifth round draw
- FA Cup results
- FA Cup prize money
- How to watch the FA Cup on UK TV
- Champions League 2025/26: Fixtures, results, standings & how to watch
FA Cup format & history
The success and longevity of the FA Cup lies within its simplicity. The knockout format has produced some magical moments over the years, with the competition becoming known for producing plenty of David and Goliath stories.
Despite this, the bigger clubs have won the majority of titles, with Arsenal (14), Manchester United (13), Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur (all 8) the most frequent winners.
There has been the odd shock winner, perhaps most notably Wimbledon in 1988 and Wigan Athletic in 2013 in more modern times.
Meanwhile, no team outside of the top flight of English football has won the trophy since West Ham United did so in 1980.
Historically, drawn matches were followed by replays, though these were scrapped by the Football Association from the first round onwards in 2024 in a bid to ease fixture congestion.
Rather understandably, clubs from lower down the football pyramid vehemently opposed the decision, which was seen as an agreement that went over the heads of clubs from the EFL and below.
| Club | FA Cup titles | Last FA Cup win |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 14 | 2020 |
| Man Utd | 13 | 2024 |
| Chelsea | 8 | 2018 |
| Liverpool | 8 | 2022 |
| Spurs | 8 | 1991 |
| Aston Villa | 7 | 1957 |
| Man City | 7 | 2023 |
| Blackburn | 6 | 1928 |
| Newcastle | 6 | 1955 |
FA Cup fixture dates
The weekends for FA Cup fixtures in the 2025/26 season have been set, though actual fixture dates are subject to change as TV selections are made.
This season’s third round takes place in the second week of January, while this year’s final takes place a week before the end of the Premier League season, which is followed by the Champions League final a week later.
Draws typically take place on the same weekends as the previous round, often tied in with television coverage.
| Round | Fixture date |
|---|---|
| First Round | 1st November 2025 |
| Second Round | 6th December 2025 |
| Third Round | 10th January 2026 |
| Fourth Round | 14th February 2026 |
| Fifth Round | 7th March 2026 |
| Quarter-final | 4th April 2026 |
| Semi-final | 25th April 2026 |
| Final | 16th May 2026 |
FA Cup fifth round draw
Premier League high-flyers Arsenal will take on Mansfield Town at One Call Stadium for a place in the quarter-finals, while Manchester City face the much more daunting task of a trip to Newcastle United.
Wrexham will host Chelsea in another appetising fifth-round tie, while Liverpool travel to Wolves in one of three all-Premier League matchups.
All ties are due to be played on the weekend of 7th March 2026.
| Date | Fixture | Kick-off |
|---|---|---|
| 6th Mar | Wolves v Liverpool | 8pm |
| 7th Mar | Mansfield v Arsenal | 12.15pm |
| 7th Mar | Wrexham v Chelsea | 5.45pm |
| 7th Mar | Newcastle v Man City | 8pm |
| 8th Mar | Fulham v Southampton | 12pm |
| 8th Mar | Port Vale or Bristol City v Sunderland | 1.30pm |
| 8th Mar | Leeds v Norwich | 4.30pm |
| 9th Mar | West Ham v Brentford | 7.30pm |
FA Cup results
First Round
There were plenty of stories from the first round proper, with Brackley Town’s shootout win over Notts County perhaps the pick of the non-league heroics.
Macclesfield Town played out a nine-goal thriller with AFC Totton, while Buxton secured a dramatic late win over Chatham Town to secure their passage to the second round.
Elsewhere, Luton Town were given a scare by Forest Green Rovers before prevailing 4-3, and Wigan Athletic survived an almighty upset after squeezing past sixth-tier Hemel Hempstead Town on penalties.
| Luton | 4-3 | Forest Green |
| Chelmsford | 4-1 | Braintree |
| AFC Wimbledon | 0-2 | Gateshead |
| Barnsley | 3-2 | York |
| Blackpool | 1-0 | Scunthorpe |
| Bolton | 2-1 | Huddersfield |
| Boreham Wood | 3-0 | Crawley |
| Bromley | 1-2 | Bristol Rovers |
| Burton | 6-0 | St Albans |
| Buxton | 2-1 (aet) | Chatham |
| Cambridge | 3-0 | Chester |
| Cheltenham | 1-0 | Bradford |
| Colchester | 2-3 | MK Dons |
| Crewe | 1-2 | Doncaster |
| FC Halifax | 0-2 | Exeter |
| Fleetwood | 2-1 | Barnet |
| Grimsby | 3-1 | Ebbsfleet |
| Macclesfield | 6-3 | Totton |
| Mansfield | 3-2 | Harrogate |
| Newport | 2-2 (4-3 pens) | Gillingham |
| Oldham | 3-1 | Northampton |
| Peterborough | 1-0 | Cardiff |
| Reading | 2-3 (aet) | Carlisle |
| Rotherham | 1-2 (aet) | Swindon |
| Salford | 1-1 (4-2 pens) | Lincoln |
| Slough Town | 2-1 | Altrincham |
| Spennymoor | 0-2 | Barrow |
| Stevenage | 0-1 | Chesterfield |
| Sutton | 2-1 | Telford |
| Tranmere | 1-3 | Stockport |
| Wealdstone | 1-0 | Southend |
| Weston-super-mare | 2-1 (aet) | Aldershot |
| Wigan | 1-1 (5-3 pens) | Hemel Hempstead |
| Wycombe | 2-0 | Plymouth |
| Brackley | 2-2 (4-3 pens) | Notts County |
| South Shields | 1-3 | Shrewsbury |
| Eastleigh | 0-3 | Walsall |
| Port Vale | 5-1 | Maldon & Tiptree |
| Gainsborough | 1-2 (aet) | Accrington |
| Tamworth | 0-1 | Leyton Orient |
Second round
There wasn’t too much by way of giantkillings in the second round, with only one EFL side failing to beat non-league opponents as Newport County were beaten 3-0 at Boreham Wood.
The two all-sixth-tier clashes went the way of the away sides, as Weston-super-Mare saw off Chelmsford City, and Macclesfield edged Slough Town in extra time.
There were still upsets to be had, with League One’s Luton Town beaten on penalties by League Two outfit Fleetwood Town, while Leyton Orient were smashed away at Salford City, with the fourth-tier side prevailing 4-0.
Elsewhere, Wigan needed penalties to see off Barrow, while Bolton Wanderers and Stockport County were both beaten by League Two opponents.
| Salford | 4-0 | Leyton Orient |
| Accrington | 2-2 (1-3 pens) | Mansfield |
| Chelmsford | 0-2 | Weston-super-Mare |
| Cheltenham | 6-2 | Buxton |
| Exeter | 4-0 | Wycombe |
| Fleetwood | 2-2 (4-2 pens) | Luton |
| Grimsby | 4-0 | Wealdstone |
| MK Dons | 3-1 | Oldham |
| Peterborough | 0-1 | Barnsley |
| Port Vale | 1-0 | Bristol Rovers |
| Stockport | 0-0 (4-5 pens) | Cambridge |
| Swindon | 4-0 | Bolton |
| Wigan | 2-2 (4-3 pens) | Barrow |
| Sutton | 1-2 (aet) | Shrewsbury |
| Chesterfield | 1-2 | Doncaster |
| Slough Town | 1-3 (aet) | Macclesfield |
| Boreham Wood | 3-0 | Newport |
| Gateshead | 0-2 | Walsall |
| Blackpool | 4-1 | Carlisle |
| Brackley | 1-3 | Burton Albion |
Third round results
Macclesfield’s win over Crystal Palace was undoubtedly the story of the round, which capped an incredible story for the Moss Rose side, who were forced to form a new club in 2020 following Macclesfield Town’s winding-up order.
Elsewhere, Man City made headlines after hitting Exeter City for 10, while neighbours Man Utd were knocked out by Brighton at Old Trafford.
Other upsets from the third round included Wrexham’s shootout victory over Nottingham Forest and Mansfield Town’s 4-3 success against Sheffield United.
| MK Dons | 1-1 (3-4 pens) | Oxford |
| Port Vale | 1-0 | Fleetwood |
| Preston | 0-1 | Wigan |
| Wrexham | 3-3 (4-3 pens) | Nott’m Forest |
| Cheltenham | 0-2 | Leicester |
| Everton | 1-1 (0-3 pens) | Sunderland |
| Macclesfield | 2-1 | Crystal Palace |
| Wolves | 6-1 | Shrewsbury |
| Boreham Wood | 0-5 | Burton Albion |
| Burnley | 5-1 | Millwall |
| Doncaster | 2-3 | Southampton |
| Fulham | 3-1 | Middlesbrough |
| Ipswich | 2-1 | Blackpool |
| Man City | 10-1 | Exeter |
| Newcastle | 3-3 (7-6 pens) | Bournemouth |
| Sheff Wed | 0-2 | Brentford |
| Stoke | 1-0 | Coventry |
| Bristol City | 5-1 | Watford |
| Cambridge | 2-3 | Birmingham |
| Grimsby | 3-2 | Weston-super-mare |
| Tottenham | 1-2 | Aston Villa |
| Charlton | 1-5 | Chelsea |
| Derby | 1-3 | Leeds |
| Portsmouth | 1-4 | Arsenal |
| Hull | 0-0 (4-3 pens) | Blackburn |
| Norwich | 5-1 | Walsall |
| Sheff Utd | 3-4 | Mansfield |
| Swansea | 2-2 (5-6 pens) | West Brom |
| West Ham | 2-1 (aet) | QPR |
| Man Utd | 1-2 | Brighton |
| Liverpool | 4-1 | Barnsley |
| Salford | 3-2 | Swindon |
Fourth round results
One of the ties of the round saw Newcastle United overcome 10-player Aston Villa and a number of questionable decisions to record a 3-1 success at Villa Park.
Leeds saw off a stubborn Birmingham City in a tense game that went to penalties, while Brentford could only record a single-goal victory over sixth-tier Macclesfield, who were unable to repeat their third-round heroics.
Elsewhere, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City all recorded comfortable home victories, with Chelsea doing the same on the road, while Fulham and Sunderland survived scares from lower-league opposition.
The shock of the round was undoubtedly at Turf Moor, where Nigel Clough’s Mansfield Town came from behind to beat Burnley thanks to Louis Reed’s winner.
| Hull | 0-4 | Chelsea |
| Wrexham | 1-0 | Ipswich |
| Burton Albion | 0-1 (aet) | West Ham |
| Burnley | 1-2 | Mansfield |
| Man City | 2-0 | Salford |
| Norwich | 3-1 | West Brom |
| Southampton | 2-1 (aet) | Leicester |
| Aston Villa | 1-3 | Newcastle |
| Liverpool | 3-0 | Brighton |
| Birmingham | 1-1 (2-4 pens) | Leeds |
| Grimsby | 0-1 | Wolves |
| Oxford | 0-1 | Sunderland |
| Stoke | 1-2 | Fulham |
| Arsenal | 4-0 | Wigan |
| Macclesfield | 0-1 | Brentford |
| Port Vale | v | Bristol City |
FA Cup prize money
The FA will hand out just under £23.5m in prize money to teams participating in the FA Cup this season. How much each team gets is determined by how far they go, with prize money increasing by each round.
Teams that make it through to the third round will be £127,250 better off – even more if they also came through qualifying.
There are also fees for losing teams up until the third round, with every club in the first round guaranteed to receive £15,800.
A Premier League or Championship team going all the way will pocket a cool £4.14m, while winning the semi-final alone is almost as lucrative as a side advancing through each of the 12 preceding rounds.
| Round | Payments per team | Teams | Total given |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra Prel. Round W | £1,125 | 223 | £250,875 |
| Extra Prel. Round L | £375 | 223 | £83,625 |
| Prel. Round W | £1,444 | 136 | £196,384 |
| Prel. Round L | £481 | 136 | £65,416 |
| Qual. R1 W | £2,250 | 112 | £252,000 |
| Qual. R1 L | £750 | 112 | £84,000 |
| Qual. R2 W | £3,375 | 80 | £270,000 |
| Qual. R2 L | £1,125 | 80 | £90,000 |
| Qual. R3 W | £5,625 | 40 | £225,000 |
| Qual. R3 L | £1,875 | 40 | £75,000 |
| Qual. R4 W | £9,375 | 32 | £300,000 |
| Qual. R4 L | £3,125 | 32 | £100,000 |
| First Round winners | £47,750 | 40 | £1,910,000 |
| First Round losers | £15,800 | 40 | £632,000 |
| Second Round winners | £79,500 | 20 | £1,590,000 |
| Second Round losers | £21,200 | 20 | £424,000 |
| Third Round winners | £121,500 | 32 | £3,888,000 |
| Third Round losers | £26,500 | 32 | £848,000 |
| Fourth Round winners | £127,000 | 16 | £2,032,000 |
| Fifth Round winners | £238,500 | 8 | £1,908,000 |
| Quarter-final winners | £477,000 | 4 | £1,908,000 |
| Semi-final winners | £1,060,000 | 2 | £2,120,000 |
| Semi-final losers | £530,000 | 2 | £1,060,000 |
| Runners-up | £1,060,000 | 1 | £1,060,000 |
| FA Cup winners | £2,120,000 | 1 | £2,120,000 |
How to watch the FA Cup on UK TV
This year’s television coverage sees rights split between the BBC and TNT Sports. The latter has the majority of the coverage, including all non-3pm Saturday matches from the third round onwards.
TNT Sports will also share broadcasting duties for all matches selected for BBC broadcast.
The BBC has rights to two matches per round up until the quarter-finals, while it will show one semi-final and the final.
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