Football Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Football Wiki
FA Cup
FA Cup logo 2021
Founded 1871
Region England England
Flag of Wales Wales
Number of teams 729 (2021–22)
Tournament information
Current champions Manchester City (7th title)
Most successful team(s) Arsenal (14 titles)
Football current event Current
Website Official website

The FA Cup, known officially as The Football Association Challenge Cup, is an annual knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The FA Cup is organised by and named after the Football Association, its current sponsored name is the Emirates FA Cup. A women's tournament is also held, known as the FA Women's Cup.

The FA Cup was first held in 1871–72. Entry is open to all teams who compete in the Premier League, the Football League and in Steps 1 to 5 of the FA National League System, as well as selected teams in Step 6. This means that clubs of all standards compete, from the largest clubs in England and Wales down to amateur village teams. The tournament has become known for the possibility for "minnows" from the lower divisions to become "giant-killers" by eliminating top clubs from the tournament and even theoretically winning the Cup, although lower division teams rarely progress beyond the early stages. The qualification rounds and a system of byes mean that the very smallest and very biggest teams almost never meet. In all games up to and including the fourth round proper, if a game is tied it is replayed at the venue of the opposition, if the replay is drawn extra-time and penalties will be used to decide the winner, from the fifth round onwards the competition is a straight knockout with no replays. The semi-finals are played at neutral venues whilst the final is played at Wembley Stadium.

Leicester City F.C. are the current holders, having beaten Chelsea 1-0 in the 2021 final with their 1st FA Cup title.

Records and statistics[]

Final[]

Team[]

Individual[]

All rounds[]

  • Biggest win: Preston North End 26–0 Hyde (First Round, 15 October 1887)
  • Biggest away win: Clapton 0–14 Nottingham Forest (First Round, 17 January 1891)
  • Highest attendance at Wembley: 126,047 (official) up to 300,000 (estimate) at the "White Horse Final" (Bolton Wanderers v. West Ham United, 28 April 1923)
  • Most clubs competing for trophy in a season: 763 (2011–12)
  • Longest tie: 660 minutes (6 matches in total), Oxford City v. Alvechurch (Fourth Qualifying Round, November 6/9/15/17/20/22 1971; Alvechurch won the sixth match 1–0)
  • Longest penalty shootout: 20 penalties each, Tunbridge Wells v. Littlehampton Town (Preliminary Round Replay, 31 August 2005; Tunbridge Wells won 16–15)
  • Most rounds played in a season: 9, for:
    • Brighton & Hove Albion (1932–33: 1st–4th Qualifying Rounds, 1st–5th Rounds)
    • New Brighton (1956–57: Preliminary, 1st–4th Qualifying Rounds, 1st–4th Rounds)
    • Blyth Spartans (1977–78: 1st–4th Qualifying Rounds, 1st–5th Rounds)
    • Harlow Town (1979–80: Preliminary, 1st–4th Qualifying Rounds, 1st–4th Rounds)
  • Most games played in a season: 13, Bideford (1973–74: one First Qualifying, two Second Qualifying, five Third Qualifying, four Fourth Qualifying and one First Round)
  • Fastest goal: 4 seconds, Gareth Morris (for Ashton United v. Skelmersdale United, 1st Qualifying Round, 17 September 2001)
  • Most consecutive games without defeat: 22, Blackburn Rovers (First Round, 1884 through Second round, replay, 1886. Won three FA Cups.)
  • Fastest hat-trick: 2 min 20 sec, Andy Locke (for Nantwich Town v. Droylsden, Preliminary Round, August 1995)
  • Most career goals: 50 Harry Cursham (for Notts County in 12 tournaments from 1877–78 to 1888–89).
  • Most goals by a player in a single FA Cup season: 19, Jimmy Ross (for Preston North End, 1887–88. Preston outscored opponents 50–5 over 7 matches, including "Biggest win" shown above.).
  • Most goals by a player in a single FA Cup game: 9, Ted MacDougall (for AFC Bournemouth in 11–0 defeat of Margate, First Round Proper, 20 November 1971)
  • Scoreline: Two examples of teams scoring 7 goals and not winning – Dulwich Hamlet 8–7 St Albans City (Fourth Qualifying Round Replay, 22 November 1922), and Dulwich Hamlet 7–7 Wealdstone (Fourth Qualifying Round, 16 November 1929).
  • Youngest player: Andy Awford, 15 years and 88 days (for Worcester City v. Boreham Wood, 3rd Qualifying Round, 10 October 1987),
  • Youngest goalscorer: Sean Cato, 16 years and 25 days (for Barrow Town v. Rothwell Town, Preliminary Round, 3 September 2011)
  • Youngest goalscorer (proper rounds): George Williams, 16 years and 66 days (for Milton Keynes Dons v. Nantwich Town, First Round Proper, 12 November 2011)

Sponsorship[]

Since the start of the 1994–95 season, the FA Cup has been sponsored. However, to protect the identity of the competition, the sponsored name has always included 'The FA Cup' in addition to the sponsor's name, unlike sponsorship deals for the League Cup where the word 'cup' is preceded by only the sponsor's name. Sponsorship deals run for four years, though – as in the case of E.ON – one-year extensions may be agreed. Emirates Airline is the sponsor from 2015 to 2018, renaming the competition as 'The Emirates FA Cup', unlike previous editions, which included 'The FA Cup in association with E.ON' and 'The FA Cup with Budweiser'. This was later extended until 2021.

Period Sponsor Name
1871–72 to 1993–94 No main sponsor The FA Cup
1994–95 to 1997–98 Littlewoods The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods
1998–99 to 2001–02 AXA The AXA sponsored FA Cup (1998–99)
The FA Cup sponsored by AXA (1999–2002)
2002–03 to 2005–06 No main sponsor The FA Cup
2006–07 to 2010–11 E.ON The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
2011–12 to 2013–14 Budweiser The FA Cup with Budweiser
2014–15 No main sponsor The FA Cup
2015–16 to present Emirates The Emirates FA Cup

From 2006 to 2013, Umbro supplied match balls for all FA Cup matches. They were replaced at the start of the 2013–14 season by Nike, who produced the competition's official match ball for five seasons. Mitre took over for the 2018–19 season, beginning a three-year partnership with the FA.

From August 2006 to 2013, Umbro supplied match balls for all FA Cup matches. Since March 2013, Nike has supplied the official match ball.

Winners and finalists[]

Results by team[]

Since its establishment, the FA Cup has been won by 44 different teams. Teams shown in italics are no longer in existence. Additionally, Queen's Park ceased to be eligible to enter the FA Cup after a Scottish Football Association ruling in 1887.

Results by team
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 12 1909 2016 8 2018 20
Chelsea 8 1970 2018 8 2022 16
Liverpool 8 1965 2022 7 2012 15
Tottenham Hotspur 8 1901 1991 1 1987 9
Aston Villa 7 1887 1957 4 2015 11
Newcastle United 6 1910 1955 7 1999 13
Manchester City 6 1904 2019 5 2013 11
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 1922 4 1938 5
Leicester City 1 2021 2021 4 1969 5
Oxford University 1 1874 1874 3 1880 4
Royal Engineers 1 1875 1875 3 1878 4
Derby County 1 1946 1946 3 1903 4
Leeds United 1 1972 1972 3 1973 4
Southampton 1 1976 1976 3 2003 4
Burnley 1 1914 1914 2 1962 3
Cardiff City 1 1927 1927 2 2008 3
Blackpool 1 1953 1953 2 1951 3
Clapham Rovers 1 1880 1880 1 1879 2
Notts County 1 1894 1894 1 1891 2
Barnsley 1 1912 1912 1 1910 2
Charlton Athletic 1 1947 1947 1 1946 2
Old Carthusians 1 1881 1881 0 1
Blackburn Olympic 1 1883 1883 0 1
Bradford City 1 1911 1911 0 1
Ipswich Town 1 1978 1978 0 1
Coventry City 1 1987 1987 0 1
Wimbledon 1 1988 1988 0 1
Wigan Athletic 1 2013 2013 0 1
Queen's Park 0 2 1885 2
Birmingham City 0 2 1956 2
Crystal Palace 0 2 2016 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

External links[]

FA Cup
FA Cup seasons

1871–72 · 1872–73 · 1873–74 · 1874–75 · 1875–76 · 1876–77 · 1877–78 · 1878–79 · 1879–80 · 1880–81 · 1881–82 · 1882–83 · 1883–84 · 1884–85 · 1885–86 · 1886–87 · 1887–88 · 1978–79 · 1979–80 · 1980–81 · 1981–82 · 1982–83 · 1983–84 · 1984–85 · 1985–86 · 1986–87 · 1987–88 · 1988–89 · 1989–90 · 1990–91 · 1991–92 · 1992–93 · 1993–94 · 1994–95 · 1995–96 · 1996–97 · 1997–98 · 1998–99 · 1999–00 · 2000–01 · 2001–02 · 2002–03 · 2003–04 · 2004–05 · 2005–06 · 2007–08 · 2007–08 · 2008–09 · 2009–10 · 2010–11 · 2011–12 · 2012–13 · 2013–14 · 2014–15 · 2015–16 · 2016–17 · 2017–18 · 2018–19 · 2019–20 · 2020–21 · 2021–22 · 2022–23 · 2023–24 ·

FA Cup finals

1872 · 1873 · 1874 · 1875 · 1876 · 1877 · 1878 · 1879 · 1880 · 1881 · 1882 · 1883 · 1884 · 1885 · 1886 · 1887 · 1888 · 1889 · 1890 · 1891 · 1892 · 1893 · 1894 · 1895 · 1896 · 1897 · 1898 · 1899 · 1900 · 1901 · 1902 · 1903 · 1904 · 1905 · 1906 · 1907 · 1908 · 1909 · 1910 · 1911 · 1912 · 1913 · 1914 · 1915 · 1920 · 1921 · 1922 · 1923 · 1924 · 1925 · 1926 · 1927 · 1928 · 1929 · 1930 · 1931 · 1932 · 1933 · 1934 · 1935 · 1936 · 1937 · 1938 · 1939 · 1946 · 1947 · 1948 · 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 ·

FA Cup winners

1872: Wanderers • 1873: Wanderers • 1874: Oxford University • 1875: Royal Engineers • 1876: Wanderers • 1877: Wanderers • 1878: Wanderers • 1879: Old Etonians • 1880: Clapham Rovers • 1881: Old Carthusians • 1882: Old Etonians • 1883: Blackburn Olympic • 1884: Blackburn Rovers • 1885: Blackburn Rovers • 1886: Blackburn Rovers • 1887: Aston Villa • 1888: West Bromwich Albion • 1889: Preston North End • 1890: Blackburn Rovers • 1891: Blackburn Rovers • 1892: West Bromwich Albion • 1893: Wolverhampton Wanderers • 1894: Notts County • 1895: Aston Villa • 1896: The Wednesday • 1897: Aston Villa • 1898: Nottingham Forest • 1899: Sheffield United • 1900: Bury • 1901: Tottenham Hotspur • 1902: Sheffield United • 1903: Bury • 1904: Manchester City • 1905: Aston Villa • 1906: Everton • 1907: The Wednesday • 1908: Wolverhampton Wanderers • 1909: Manchester United • 1910: Newcastle United • 1911: Bradford City • 1912: Barnsley • 1913: Aston Villa • 1914: Burnley • 1915: Sheffield United • 1920: Aston Villa • 1921: Tottenham Hotspur • 1922: Huddersfield Town • 1923: Bolton Wanderers • 1924: Newcastle United • 1925: Sheffield United • 1926: Bolton Wanderers • 1927: Cardiff City • 1928: Blackburn Rovers • 1929: Bolton Wanderers • 1930: Arsenal • 1931: West Bromwich Albion • 1932: Newcastle United • 1933: Everton • 1934: Manchester City • 1935: Sheffield Wednesday • 1936: Arsenal • 1937: Sunderland • 1938: Preston North End • 1939: Portsmouth • 1946: Derby County • 1947: Charlton Athletic • 1948: Manchester United • 1949: Wolverhampton Wanderers • 1950: Arsenal • 1951: Newcastle United • 1952: Newcastle United • 1953: Blackpool • 1954: West Bromwich Albion • 1955: Newcastle United • 1956: Manchester City • 1957: Aston Villa • 1958: Bolton Wanderers • 1959: Nottingham Forest • 1960: Wolverhampton Wanderers • 1961: Tottenham Hotspur • 1962: Tottenham Hotspur • 1963: Manchester United • 1964: West Ham United • 1965: Liverpool • 1966: Everton • 1967: Tottenham Hotspur • 1968: West Bromwich Albion • 1969: Manchester City • 1970: Chelsea • 1971: Arsenal • 1972: Leeds United • 1973: Sunderland • 1974: Liverpool • 1975: West Ham United • 1976: Southampton • 1977: Manchester United • 1978: Ipswich Town • 1979: Arsenal • 1980: West Ham United • 1981: Tottenham Hotspur • 1982: Tottenham Hotspur • 1983: Manchester United • 1984: Everton • 1985: Manchester United • 1986: Liverpool • 1987: Coventry City • 1988: Wimbledon • 1989: Liverpool • 1990: Tottenham Hotspur • 1991: Liverpool • 1992: Arsenal • 1993: Arsenal • 1994: Manchester United • 1995: Everton • 1996: Manchester United • 1997: Chelsea • 1998: Arsenal • 1999: Manchester United • 2000: Chelsea • 2001: Liverpool • 2002: Arsenal • 2003: Arsenal • 2004: Manchester United • 2005: Arsenal • 2006: Liverpool • 2007: Chelsea • 2008: Portsmouth • 2009: Chelsea • 2010: Chelsea • 2011: Manchester City • 2012: Chelsea • 2013: Wigan Athletic • 2014: Arsenal • 2015: Arsenal • 2016: Manchester United • 2017: Arsenal • 2018: Chelsea • 2019: Manchester City • 2020: Arsenal • 2021: Leicester City • 2022: Liverpool • 2023: Manchester City •

Cups of Europe (UEFA)
Current
Albania · Andorra · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · England · Estonia · Faroe Islands · Finland · France · Georgia · Germany · Gibraltar · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Israel · Italy · Kazakhstan · Kosovo · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Moldova · Montenegro · Netherlands · North Macedonia · Northern Ireland · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Republic of Ireland · Romania · Russia · San Marino · Scotland · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey · Ukraine · Wales
Former cups
Czechoslovakia · East Germany · Serbia and Montenegro · USSR · Yugoslavia
Advertisement