FA Cup: The World's Oldest Football Competition
Founded in 1871, the FA Cup is the oldest national football competition on Earth — older than every domestic league, every continental tournament, and every World Cup. Over 700 clubs compete each season, from Premier League giants to Step 6 non-league sides, in a knockout format that has barely changed in 150 years.
Latest FA Cup Matches
A 150-Year History
The Football Association Challenge Cup — universally known as the FA Cup — is the oldest national football competition in the world. It was established on 16 October 1871 at a meeting in London chaired by FA secretary Charles Alcock, who modelled the format on inter-school knockout competitions he had played as a boy at Harrow. The first edition the following season featured just 15 entries and was won by Wanderers FC, a club of public school old boys.
Today the competition involves over 700 clubs from across the English football pyramid, from Premier League giants to grassroots non-league sides. No other tournament in football matches its heritage, its inclusivity, or its capacity for shocks.
Format: Straight Knockout, No Seedings
The romance of the FA Cup lies in its format: a straight knockout from start to finish. There are no seedings and no group stages. A Step 6 club from the ninth tier of English football can, in theory, draw the reigning Premier League champions. And on a cold January afternoon, on a muddy pitch with a howling wind, anything can happen.
The season begins with the Extra Preliminary Round in early August. Premier League and Championship clubs enter at the Third Round Proper in early January — historically the moment of the season when shock results arrive. Replays remain in place for early rounds but were removed from the Fifth Round onwards in 2024.
Most FA Cup Wins by Club
The all-time leader board reflects the dominance of England's biggest clubs, though several mid-sized sides have multiple wins to their name.
| # | Club | Wins | Most Recent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 14 | 2020 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 13 | 2024 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 8 | 2018 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 1991 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 8 | 2022 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 7 | 1957 |
| 7 | Manchester City | 7 | 2023 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 6 | 1955 |
| 9 | Everton | 5 | 1995 |
| 10 | The Wanderers | 5 | 1878 |
The Wembley Final
The FA Cup final has been played at Wembley Stadium since 1923, when the original "Venue of Legends" hosted Bolton Wanderers' 2–0 win over West Ham in the famous "White Horse Final" — so called because of the police horse, Billie, that helped clear an over-capacity pitch. From 2001 to 2006 the final was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff while Wembley was rebuilt, returning home to the new 90,000-seat Wembley in 2007.
The final is traditionally played in mid-May and remains one of the most-watched domestic club fixtures in world football, with peak audiences regularly exceeding eight million in the UK alone.
The Magic of the Cup: Famous Upsets
The FA Cup's identity is shaped less by its winners than by its surprises. The most celebrated giant-killings include:
- Sutton United 2–1 Coventry City (1989): A non-league side beat the FA Cup holders.
- Wigan Athletic 1–0 Manchester City (2013 final): Ben Watson headed home in the 91st minute to win it.
- Hereford United 2–1 Newcastle United (1972): Ronnie Radford's thunderbolt remains the most replayed FA Cup goal in history.
- Bradford City 4–2 Chelsea (2015): Coming back from 2–0 down at Stamford Bridge.
- Lincoln City over Burnley (2017): A non-league club reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in over a century.
2025–26 FA Cup
The 2025–26 FA Cup is the 145th staging of the competition. The third round draw places Premier League and Championship sides into the bracket alongside the surviving non-league clubs from the qualifying rounds. We cover every round from the Third Round onwards with previews, betting angles, and post-match analysis — see the table above for the latest fixtures and results.
Our FA Cup Coverage
At Planete Football, we cover the FA Cup with previews, tactical breakdowns, and features on the stories that make the competition unique. For UK and Ireland readers looking to add a financial dimension to the magic of the cup, our Top 10 UK betting sites and odds-comparison guide are both built around competitions like this — knockouts where value bets and underdog markets tend to be priced loosely.