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FA Cup

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This article is about the English annual men's association football competition. For other uses, see FA Cup (disambiguation).
For the most recently completed season, see 2022–23 FA Cup.
"Emirates FA Cup" redirects here. For the pre-season invitational tournament, see Emirates Cup.

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FA Cup
File:FA Cup 2020.png
Organising bodyThe Football Association
Founded1871; 153 years ago (1871)
Region
  • England
  • Wales
Number of teams729 (2023–24)
Qualifier forUEFA Europa League
Domestic cup(s)FA Community Shield
Current championsManchester City
(7th title)
Most successful club(s)Arsenal (14 titles)
Television broadcastersBBC
ITV Sport
List of international broadcasters
Websitethefa.com
File:Soccerball current event.svg 2023–24 FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competition in the world.[1] It is organised by and named after The Football Association (The FA). Since 2015, it has been known as The Emirates FA Cup after its headline sponsor. A concurrent Women's FA Cup has been held since 1970.

The competition is open to all eligible clubs down to Level 9 of the English football league system with Level 10 clubs acting as stand-ins in the event of non-entries from above. [2] A record 763 clubs competed in 2011–12. The tournament consists of 12 randomly drawn rounds followed by the semi-finals and the final. Entrants are not seeded, although a system of byes based on league level ensures higher ranked teams enter in later rounds – the minimum number of games needed to win, depending on which round a team enters the competition, ranges from six to fourteen.

The first six rounds are the Qualifying Competition, and are contested by clubs in the National League System, levels 5 to 10 of the English football system, more commonly called non-league. 32 of these teams progress to the first round of the Competition Proper, meeting the first of the 48 professional teams from Leagues One and Two. The last entrants are the 20 Premier League and 24 Championship clubs, into the draw for the third round proper.[2] In the modern era, only one non-League team has ever reached the quarter-finals, and teams below Level 2 have never reached the final.[note 1] As a result, significant focus is given to the smaller teams who progress furthest, especially if they achieve an unlikely "giant-killing" victory.

Winners receive the FA Cup trophy, of which there have been two designs and five actual cups; the latest is a 2014 replica of the second design, introduced in 1911. Winners also qualify for the UEFA Europa League and a place in the upcoming FA Community Shield. Arsenal are the most successful club with fourteen titles, most lately in 2020, and their former manager Arsène Wenger is the competition's most successful, having won seven finals with the team. Manchester City are the current champions, having defeated local rivals Manchester United in the 2023 final.

History[]

See also: History of the FA Cup
File:FACupFinal1905NewcastleVilla.jpg

Harry Hampton scores one of his two goals in the 1905 FA Cup final, when Aston Villa defeated Newcastle United

In 1863, the newly founded Football Association (the FA) published the Laws of the Game of Association Football, unifying the various different rules in use before then. On 20 July 1871, in the offices of The Sportsman newspaper, the FA Secretary C. W. Alcock proposed to the FA committee that "it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete". The inaugural FA Cup tournament kicked off in November 1871. After thirteen games in all, Wanderers were crowned the winners in the final, on 16 March 1872. Wanderers retained the trophy the following year. The modern cup was beginning to be established by the 1888–89 season, when qualifying rounds were introduced.[3]

Following the 1914–15 edition, the competition was suspended due to the First World War, and did not resume until 1919–20. The 1923 FA Cup Final, commonly known as the "White Horse Final", was the first final to be played in the newly opened Wembley Stadium (known at the time as the Empire Stadium). The 1927 final saw "Abide with Me" being sung for the first time at the Cup final, which has become a pre-match tradition.[4] Due to the outbreak of World War II, the competition was not played between the 1938–39 and 1945–46 editions. Due to the wartime breaks, the competition did not celebrate its centenary year until 1980–81; fittingly the final featured a goal by Ricky Villa which was later voted the greatest goal ever scored in an FA Cup Final, but has since been replaced by Steven Gerrard.[5]

After some confusion over the rules in its first competition, the FA decided that any drawn match would lead to a replay, with teams competing in further replays until a game was eventually won.[6] Alvechurch and Oxford City contested the most replayed tie in the 1971-72 qualification, in a tie which went to 6 matches. [6] Multiple replays were scrapped for the competition proper in 1991-92, and the qualifying rounds in 1997-98. [6] Replays were removed altogether from the semi-final and final matches in 2000, from the quarter-finals in 2016-17 and the fifth round in 2019-20. [6]

Redevelopment of Wembley saw the final played outside of England for the first time, the 2001–2006 finals being played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The final returned to Wembley in 2007, followed by the semi-finals from 2008.

Eligibility[]

See also: Non-English football clubs in the FA Cup and List of Scottish football clubs in the FA Cup

An application window is open to clubs before entry lists, round byes and scheduling are announced in July. All clubs in the top four levels (the Premier League and the three divisions of the English Football League) are automatically eligible. Clubs from Level 5–9 (non-league football) are also eligible provided they play in either the FA Trophy or FA Vase competitions in the current season. All participating clubs must also have a stadium suitable for the competition and The Association may reject applications at its discretion.[2]

Previously, Level 10 clubs were a prominent feature in early qualifying rounds. The gradual remodelling of the National League System to a 'perfect' 1–2–4–8–16 system, with a first phase in 2018–19, a final phase in 2021–22 (which included the promotion of 107 clubs), and played to a full quota in 2022–23 has resulted in a larger number of teams playing in Level 7–9.[7][8][9] Consequently for the FA Cup, entries equal the number in tiers 1–9 and is cut off to those below.[2] Though still able to apply, Level 10 clubs are used as alternates "subject to availability" in the event of a non/rejected applicant (with vacancies filled by Level 10 applicants with the best PPG in the previous league season).[2]

The total number of entries in the FA Cup has changed as Non-League football has gradually been expanded and reorganised over time. In the 2004–05 season, 660 clubs entered the competition, beating the long-standing record of 656 from the 1921–22 season. In 2005–06 this increased to 674 entrants, in 2006–07 to 687, in 2007–08 to 731 clubs, in 2008–09 and 2009–10 to 762.[10] The total number of entries has also varied naturally from year-to-year as new clubs form and others dissolve at unequal rates. Though most leagues in the National League System maintain the same number of teams via reprieves, inevitably entry-level divisions (typically at tier 10) have to be impacted when a club leaves the pyramid.[11] Therefore, for example, 759 teams entered in 2010–11, a record 763 in 2011–12, 758 in 2012–13, 737 in 2013–14 and 736 in 2014–15.[10] However, since 2021–22, The FA has cut off automatic eligibility to the 10th tier (to appear only subject to availability) and instead set the size of the draw to match the more stable number of teams in Level 1–9.[12] This means that the competition may now see a standardised number of entries from one year to the next.[13] This number is currently 732 but could rise to 748 for 2023–24 with plans for a new SWPL 9th tier division to share the South East with the existing Western League.[14]

It is very rare for top clubs to miss the competition, although it can happen in exceptional circumstances. Manchester United did not defend their title in 1999–2000, as they were already in the inaugural Club World Championship. The club stated that entering both tournaments would overload their fixture schedule and make it more difficult to defend their Champions League and Premier League titles. The club claimed that they did not want to devalue the FA Cup by fielding a weaker side. The move benefited United as they received a two-week break and won the 1999–2000 league title by an 18-point margin, although they did not progress past the group stage of the Club World Championship. The withdrawal from the FA Cup, however, drew considerable criticism as this weakened the tournament's prestige and Sir Alex Ferguson later admitted his regret regarding their handling of the situation.[15][16][17]

Welsh sides that play in English leagues are eligible, although since the creation of the League of Wales there are only five clubs remaining: Cardiff City (the only non-English team to win the tournament, in 1927), Swansea City, Newport County, Wrexham, and Merthyr Town. In the early years other teams from Wales, Ireland and Scotland also took part in the competition, with Glasgow side Queen's Park losing the final to Blackburn Rovers in 1884 and 1885 before being barred from entering by the Scottish Football Association.

Entries from clubs affiliated to "offshore" associations are also eligible subject to consideration on an annual basis, with special provisions that may apply.[2] In the 2013–14 season the first Channel Island club entered the competition when Guernsey F.C. competed.[18] The first game played in the Channel Islands – and thus the southernmost FA Cup tie played – took place on 7 August 2021 between Jersey Bulls and Horsham YMCA. A third club, F.C. Isle of Man, was also eligible to play in 2022–23, but in the end all Crown Dependency teams either did not appear on the entry list or later withdrew.[19][20]

References[]

  1. ↑ "Oldest football cup 'not for sale'". BBC News. 14 October 2014. Archived from the original on 5 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Faulkner, Bryan (13 July 2022). "Rules of the FA Challenge Cup 2022–23". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Collett, Mike (2003). The Complete Record of The FA Cup. p. 878. ISBN 1-899807-19-5.
  4. ↑ "Cup final competition for fans". Reading FC. 26 January 2015. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "FA Cup final: The greatest goal from the last 50 years voted by you". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "A Brief History of FA Cup Replays". FA Cup Factfile. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Promotion & Relegation 2018–19". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  8. ↑ "NLS allocation 2021–22". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "NLS club allocation 2022–23". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Everyone's Up For The Cup". www.thefa.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  11. ↑ "National League System Regulations". The FA Handbook. The Football Association (2022–23). para. 5:5–5:6. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  12. ↑ "CLUB LINE-UP AND PRIZE FUND DETAILS FOR THE EMIRATES FA CUP 2021–22 SEASON REVEALED". thefa.com. 2 July 2021. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "732 – FA plan to become the permanent number of entries each season". 2 August 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  14. ↑ "PROJECT SOUTH WEST APPROVED BY FA LEAGUES COMMITTEE". 22 July 2022. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  15. ↑ "Man Utd's FA Cup catastrophe". BBC News. 27 July 2000. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  16. ↑ "I regret Manchester United's FA Cup pull-out: Fergie". The Belfast Telegraph. 3 December 2009. Archived from the original on 6 December 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  17. ↑ Staniforth, Tommy (29 October 1999). "United underline Cup withdrawal". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  18. ↑ "Lions in FA Cup". www.thisisguernsy.com. Guernsey Press. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  19. ↑ "History made as FA Cup returns". Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  20. ↑ "Jersey Bulls Withdraw". 6 July 2022. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.

Notes[]

  1. ↑ Since the formation of the Football League in 1888, the only non-League club to win the FA Cup is Tottenham Hotspur in 1901. Since 1914, when Queens Park Rangers reached the fourth round proper (the last eight/quarter-final stage), the only non-League club to have reached that stage is Lincoln City in 2017. Both Tottenham and QPR achieved their feats whilst members of the Southern Football League, which ran parallel to the Football League until 1920, when the Football League expanded and absorbed the top division of the Southern League. Since then, the Southern League became part of the English league pyramid, below the Football League.

External links[]

Template:FA Cup Template:Football in England table cells Template:Football in the United Kingdom Template:National football Cups (UEFA region)

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