The world’s oldest cup competition is well underway once more, with non-league clubs taking centre stage as they were joined by EFL clubs in 2025/26’s first round.
The FA Cup first round also saw League One and League Two clubs enter the competition, all with hopes of a lucrative run into the latter stages and providing a memorable journey for their supporters.
32 non-league clubs joined them at the first hurdle, including the likes of last year’s giant-killers Tamworth and eighth-tier Maldon & Tiptree, who were both defeated by League One opposition.
11 teams below the EFL remain as we enter the second round, with all clubs just 90 minutes away from a potential meeting with the Premier League’s finest.
Last year’s final saw Crystal 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.
QUICK LINKS
- FA Cup format & history
- FA Cup fixture dates
- FA Cup second 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 second round draw
The second round draw has pitted National League South rivals Chelmsford City and Weston-super-mare together in one of two all-sixth-tier ties, with Slough Town taking on Macclesfield in the other.
Brackley will face a home tie against League One’s Burton Albion, while the National League North’s Buxton have been tasked with a trip to League Two Cheltenham.
There are also a couple of all-League One clashes, with Peterborough United hosting Barnsley, and Exeter City welcoming Wycombe Wanderers.
All ties are due to be played between 5th and 8th December.
| Date | Fixture | Kick-off |
|---|---|---|
| 5th Dec | Salford v Leyton Orient | 7.30pm |
| 6th Dec | Accrington v Mansfield | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Chelmsford v Weston-super-mare | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Cheltenham v Buxton | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Exeter v Wycombe | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Fleetwood v Luton | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Grimsby v Wealdstone | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | MK Dons v Oldham | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Peterborough v Barnsley | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Port Vale v Bristol Rovers | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Stockport v Cambridge | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Swindon v Bolton | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Wigan v Barrow | 3pm |
| 6th Dec | Sutton v Shrewsbury | 5.15pm |
| 6th Dec | Chesterfield v Doncaster | 7.30pm |
| 7th Dec | Slough Town v Macclesfield | 12.30pm |
| 7th Dec | Boreham Wood v Newport | 2.30pm |
| 7th Dec | Gateshead v Walsall | 3.30pm |
| 7th Dec | Blackpool v Carlisle | 5.30pm |
| 8th Dec | Brackley v Burton | 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 |
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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