| FA Cup | ||
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| Founded | 1871 | |
| Region |  England Wales
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| Number of teams | 729 (2023–24) | |
| Tournament information | ||
| Current champions | Manchester United (13th title) | |
| Most successful team(s) | Arsenal (14 titles) | |
 Current
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| Website | Official website | |
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competition in the world. It is organised by and named after The Football Association (The FA). Since 2015, it has been known as Emirates FA Cup after its headline sponsor Emirates. 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. 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. 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. 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 recently in 2020, and their former manager Arsène Wenger is the competition's most successful, having won seven finals with the team. Manchester United are the current holders, having defeated local rivals Manchester City in the 2024 final.
Records and statistics[]
Final[]
Team[]
- Most wins: 14:
- Most consecutive wins: 3, joint record:
- Most appearances in a final: 21:
- Most Final appearances without ever winning: 4, Leicester City (1949, 1961, 1963, 1969)
- Most Final appearances without ever losing: 5, Wanderers (1872, 1873, 1876, 1877, 1878)
- Most Final appearances without losing (streak): 7, Tottenham Hotspur (1901, 1921, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1981, 1982), 7, Arsenal (2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020)
- Longest gap between wins: 69 years, Portsmouth (1939–2008)
- Biggest win: 6 goals, joint record:
- Bury 6–0 Derby County (1903)
- Manchester City 6–0 Watford (2019)
- Most goals in a final: 7:
- Blackburn Rovers 6–1 Sheffield Wednesday (1890)
- Blackpool 4–3 Bolton Wanderers (1953)
- Most goals by a losing side: 3:
- Bolton Wanderers: Lost 3–4 against Blackpool (1953)
- West Ham United: Drew 3–3 but lost in a penalty shootout against Liverpool (2006)
- Most defeats in a final: 8, joint record:
Individual[]
- Most wins by player: 7: Ashley Cole (Arsenal) (2002, 2003, 2005) & (Chelsea) (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)
- Most wins by manager: 7, Arsène Wenger (Arsenal) (1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2017)
- Most appearances: 9, Arthur Kinnaird (Wanderers) (1872–73, 1875–76, 1876–77, 1877–78) & (Old Etonians) (1874–75, 1878–79, 1880–81, 1881–82, 1882–83)
- Most goals (one final): 3:
- Billy Townley (Blackburn Rovers) (1890)
- James Logan (Notts County) (1894)
- Stan Mortensen (Blackpool) (1953)
- Most goals (all finals): 5, Ian Rush (Liverpool) (2 in 1986, 2 in 1989, 1 in 1992)
- Most finals scored in: 4, Didier Drogba (Chelsea) (1 each in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)
- Youngest FA Cup finalist: Curtis Weston (Millwall), 17 years and 119 days (2004)
- Youngest player to score in an FA Cup Final: Norman Whiteside (Manchester United), 18 years and 19 days (1983)
- Oldest player: Billy Hampson (Newcastle United), 41 years and 257 days (1924)
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.
External links[]
- The FA Cup Archive – England's official Football Association site, all results with dates, including all qualifying rounds
- The official FA Cup website
- Thomas Fattorini Ltd. makers of the 1911 FA Cup – manufacturers of the 1911 FA Cup and other sporting trophies
- FA Cup going under the hammer – BBC News story on the sale of the second trophy
- FA Supporters – Independent FA Cup Supporters Club
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| Former cups |
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