annual English football contest
This article is about the english annual men ‘s association football competition. For other uses, see FA Cup ( disambiguation ) “ Emirates FA Cup ” redirects hera. For the pre-season invitational tournament, see Emirates Cup

Football tournament
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more normally known as the FA Cup, is an annual hard football contest in men ‘s domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest home football competition in the universe. [ 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 presenter. A coincident women ‘s tournament is besides held, the Women ‘s FA Cup. The contest is loose to any eligible club down to Level 10 of the English football league system – all 92 professional clubs in the Premier League ( level 1 ) and the English Football League ( levels 2 to 4 ), and several hundred non-League teams in steps 1 to 6 of the National League System ( levels 5 to 10 ). [ 2 ] A criminal record 763 clubs competed in 2011–12. The tournament consists of 12 randomly drawn rounds followed by the semi-finals and the concluding. Entrants are not seeded, although a system of byes based on league level ensures higher graded teams enter in later rounds – the minimum number of games needed to win, depending on which round of golf a team enters the competition, ranges from six to fourteen. The first six rounds are the Qualifying Competition, from which 32 teams build up to the beginning turn of the Competition Proper, meeting the first base of the 48 professional teams from Leagues One and Two. The last entrants are the Premier League and Championship clubs, into the tie for the Third Round Proper. [ 2 ] In the advanced earned run average, alone one non-League team has always reached the quarter-finals, and teams below Level 2 have never reached the final. [ note 1 ] As a result, significant stress is given to the smaller teams who progress furthest, particularly if they achieve an improbable “ giant-killing ” victory. Winners receive the FA Cup trophy, of which there have been two designs and five actual cup ; the latest is a 2014 replica of the second blueprint, introduced in 1911. Winners besides qualify for the UEFA Europa League and a set in the approaching FA Community Shield. Arsenal are the most successful clubhouse with fourteen titles and Arsène Wenger is the most successful coach in the history of the competition, having won seven finals as Arsenal ‘s coach. Leicester City are the current holders, having beaten Chelsea 1–0 in the 2021 final .

history [edit ]

In 1863, the newly founded Football Association ( the FA ) published the Laws of the Game of Association Football, unifying the versatile 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 address FA Cup tournament kicked off in November 1871. After thirteen games in all, Wanderers were crowned the winners in the final examination, on 16 March 1872. Wanderers retained the trophy the following class. 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 contest was suspended due to the First World War, and did not resume until 1919–20. The 1923 FA Cup Final, normally known as the “ White Horse Final ”, was the beginning final to be played in the newly opened Wembley Stadium ( known at the clock time as the Empire Stadium ). The 1927 final examine “ Abide with Me “ being sing for the first time at the Cup final examination, which has become a pre-match custom. [ 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 centennial year until 1980–81 ; appropriately 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 ] Having previously featured replays, the modern day exercise of ensuring the semi-final and final examination matches finish on the day was introduced in 2000. renovation of Wembley saw the final act outside of England for the first fourth dimension, the 2001–2006 finals being played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The concluding returned to Wembley in 2007, followed by the semi-finals from 2008 .

eligibility [edit ]

The competition is open to any club down to Level 10 of the English football league system which meets the eligibility criteria. All clubs in the acme four levels ( the Premier League and the three divisions of the Football League ) are mechanically eligible. Clubs in the following six levels ( non-league football ) are besides eligible provided they have played in either the FA Cup, FA Trophy or FA Vase competitions in the former temper. newly formed clubs, such as F.C. United of Manchester in 2005–06 and besides 2006–07, may not therefore play in the FA Cup in their first season. All participating clubs must besides have a stadium suitable for the rival. It is very rare for acme clubs to miss the contest, although it can happen in especial circumstances. Manchester United did not defend their title in 1999–2000, as they were already in the inauguration Club World Championship. The club stated that entering both tournaments would overload their repair schedule and make it more difficult to defend their Champions League and Premier League titles. The golf 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 coitus interruptus from the FA Cup, however, drew considerable criticism as this weakened the tournament ‘s prestige and Sir Alex Ferguson late admitted his repent regarding their wield of the situation. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] 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 alone 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 besides took depart 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. In the 2013–14 season the first Channel Island baseball club entered the contest when Guernsey F.C. competed. [ 9 ] The first game played in the Channel Islands – and thus the southernmost FA Cup bind played – took topographic point on 7 August 2021 between Jersey Bulls F.C. and Horsham YMCA F.C. . The number of entrants has increased greatly in holocene years. 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, and for the 2008–09 and 2009–10 competitions it reached 762. [ 10 ] The total has varied slightly but remained roughly stable since then, with 759 clubs participating in 2010–11, a record 763 in 2011–12, 758 for 2012–13, 737 for 2013–14 and 736 for 2014–15. By comparison, the other major English domestic cup, the League Cup, involves only the 92 members of the Premier League and Football League .

contest format [edit ]

overview [edit ]

Beginning in August, the contest proceeds as a knockout tournament throughout, consisting of twelve rounds, a semi-final and then a concluding, in May. A organization of adieu ensures clubs above Level 9 and 10 insert the competition at late stages. There is no seed, the fixtures in each round being determined by a random disembowel. Prior to the fifth round, fixtures ending in a connect are replayed once only. [ 11 ] The first six rounds are qualifiers, with the draws organised on a regional basis. The adjacent six rounds are the “ proper ” rounds where all clubs are in one draw .

schedule [edit ]

Entrants from the bottom two levels ( 9 and 10 ) begin the competition in the Extra Preliminary Round. Clubs from higher levels are then added in late rounds, as per the table below. The months in which rounds are played are traditional, with accurate dates subject to each year ‘s calendar .

Round[2] New entrants at this round[2] Month No. of matches
Qualifying Competition[2]
Extra-Preliminary Round Level 9 and 10 clubs August 184
Preliminary Round Level 8 clubs 160
First Round Level 7 clubs September 116
Second Round Level 6 clubs 80
Third Round none October 40
Fourth Round Level 5 clubs 32
Competition Proper[2]
First Round Level 3 and 4 clubs November 40
Second Round none December 20
Third Round Level 1 and 2 clubs January 32
Fourth Round none 16
Fifth Round February 8
Quarter-finals March 4
Semi-Finals April 2
Final May 1

The qualify rounds are regionalised to reduce the travel costs for smaller non-league sides. The inaugural and moment proper rounds were besides previously split into Northern and Southern sections, but this practice was ended after the 1997–98 competition. [ citation needed ] The final is normally held the Saturday after the Premier League season finishes in May. The alone seasons in holocene times when this traffic pattern was not followed were : 1999–2000, when most rounds were played a few weeks early than convention as an experiment ; 2010–11 and 2012–13 when the FA Cup Final was played before the Premier League temper had finished, to allow Wembley Stadium to be ready for the UEFA Champions League final, [ 12 ] american samoa well as in 2011–12 to allow England time to prepare for that summer ‘s european Championships ; [ 13 ] and 2019–20 when the final was delayed until August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. [ 14 ] [ 15 ]

The absorb [edit ]

The draw for the Extra-Preliminary, Preliminary, and First Qualifying Rounds used to all occur at the like prison term. thereafter, the trace for each subsequent round off is not made until after the schedule dates for the previous round, meaning that in the case of replays, clubs will much know their future opponents in advance. The tie for each of the proper rounds is broadcast exist on television, normally taking place at the decision of live coverage of one of the games of the previous round. populace matter to is particularly high during the tie for the third gear round, which is where the top-ranked teams are added to the draw .

Tiebreaking [edit ]

In rounds up to and including the Fourth Round Proper, fixtures resulting in a draw ( after convention clock time ) go to a replay, played at the venue of the away team, at a late date ; if that replay is still tied, the winner is settled by a period of extra time, and if still necessary, a punishment gunfight. Since 2016–17, ties have been settled on the day from the quarter-finals onwards, using extra time and penalties. From 2018–19, Fifth Round ties are besides settled by extra prison term and penalties. Until 1990–91, farther replays would be played until one team was victorious. Some ties took equally many as six matches to settle ; in their 1975 campaign, Fulham played 12 games over six rounds, which remains the most games played by a team to reach a final. [ 16 ] Replays were traditionally played three or four days after the original game, but from 1991–92 they were staged at least 10 days late on police advice for the rounds proper. This led to penalty shoot-outs being introduced, the inaugural of which came on 26 November 1991 when Rotherham United eliminated Scunthorpe United. [ 17 ] From 1980–81 to 1998–99, the semi-finals went to extra time on the day if the score after 90 minutes was a draw. If the sexual conquest was still level after extra time, the match would go to a replay. Replays for the semi-finals were scrapped for 1999–2000, the last semi-final to go into a replay was in 1998–99 when Manchester United beat Arsenal 2–1 after extra clock. The first game had ended in a 0–0 draw. The beginning FA Cup Final to go to extra prison term and a replay was the 1875 concluding, between the Royal Engineers and the Old Etonians. The initial necktie finished 1–1 but the Royal Engineers won the replay 2–0 in convention time. The stopping point replay final was the 1993 FA Cup Final, when Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday fought a 1–1 draw. The replay saw Arsenal win the FA Cup, 2–1 after supernumerary time. The last quarter-final to go to a play back was Manchester United volt West Ham United in the 2015–16 FA Cup. The original crippled at Old Trafford ended in a 1–1 withdraw, while Manchester United won the replay at the Boleyn Ground, 2–1. It was besides the last FA Cup game ever played at the Boleyn Ground. [ 18 ] The last one-fifth beat play back saw Tottenham Hotspur defeat Rochdale 6–1 at Wembley in the 2017–18 FA Cup after the inaugural meet at Spotland Stadium ended in a 2–2 draw. [ 19 ]

qualification for subsequent competitions [edit ]

The FA Cup winners qualify for the following temper ‘s UEFA Europa League ( once named the UEFA Cup ; from its launch in 1960 until 1998, they entered the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners ‘ Cup alternatively ). This european position applies even if the team is relegated or is not in the English top flight. In the by, if the FA Cup winning team besides qualified for the following season ‘s Champions League or Europa League through their league or european performance, then the losing FA Cup finalist were given the European moor of the League Cup winners and the League Cup winners would be given the league moor rather ( in the Cup Winners ‘ Cup earned run average, teams qualifying for the UEFA Cup via other competitions would be promoted to the Cup Winners ‘ Cup rather ). FA Cup winners enter the Europa League at the group stage. Losing finalists, if they had not qualified for Europe via the league, began earlier, at the play-off or third qualifying round phase. [ 20 ] From the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League season, however, UEFA does not allow the runner-up to qualify for the Europa League through the competition. [ 21 ] If the achiever — and until 2015, the runner-up — has already qualified for Europe through their league put ( with the exception of the UEFA Cup until 1998 ), the FA Cup berth is then given to the highest-place team in the league who has not yet qualified .

FA Community Shield [edit ]

The FA Cup winners besides qualify for the postdate season ‘s single-match FA Community Shield, the traditional season undoer played against the previous season ‘s Premier League champions ( or the Premier League runner-up if the FA Cup winners besides won the league – the doubling ) .

Venues [edit ]

Fixtures in the 12 rounds of the contest are normally played at the home prime of one of the two teams. The semi-finals and final are played at a neutral venue – the rebuild Wembley Stadium ( since 2008 and 2007 respectively ) .

contest rounds [edit ]

In the matches for the twelve competition rounds, the team who plays at home is decided when the fixtures are drawn – merely the first team draw out for each regular. occasionally games may have to be moved to other grounds due to early events taking place, security reasons or a ground not being desirable to host popular teams. however, since 2003, clubs can not move grounds to the away side ‘s for capability or fiscal reasons. If any move has to be made, it has to be to a neutral venue and any extra monies earned by the move goes into the cardinal pot. [ 22 ] In the consequence of a draw, the replay is played at the ground of the team who originally played away from home. In the days when multiple replays were possible, the second replay ( and any far replays ) were played at neutral grounds. The clubs involved could alternatively agree to toss for home advantage in the irregular replay .
The semi-finals have been played entirely at the rebuild Wembley Stadium since 2008, one year after it opened and after it had already hosted a final examination ( in 2007 ). For the foremost decade of the contest, the Kennington Oval was used as the semi-final venue. In the period between this first decade and the reopen of Wembley, semi-finals were played at high-capacity impersonal venues around England ; normally the home grounds of teams not involved in that semi-final, chosen to be approximately equidistant between the two teams for fairness of travel. The top three most used venues in this period were Villa Park in Birmingham ( 55 times ), Hillsborough in Sheffield ( 34 times ) and Old Trafford in Manchester ( 23 times ). The original Wembley Stadium was besides used seven times for semi-final, between 1991 and 2000 ( the survive have there ), but not always for fixtures featuring London teams. In 2005, both were held at the Millennium Stadium. In 2003 the FA took the decision to permanently use the new Wembley for semi-finals to recoup debts in financing the new stadium. [ 23 ] This was controversial, with the move seen as both unfair to fans of teams located army for the liberation of rwanda from London, equally well as taking some of the prestige away from a Wembley final. [ 24 ] In defending the move, the FA has besides cited the extra capacity Wembley offers, although the 2013 fastness between Millwall and Wigan led to the unprecedented pace of placing 6,000 tickets on sale to neutral fans after the plot failed to sell out. [ 25 ] A fan poll by The Guardian in 2013 found 86 % opposition to Wembley semi-finals. [ 25 ]

final examination [edit ]

The final examination has been played at the rebuild Wembley Stadium since it opened, in 2007. [ 26 ] The rebuilding process meant that between 2001 and 2006 they were hosted at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in Wales. Prior to rebuilding, the final was hosted by the original Wembley Stadium since it opened in 1923 ( being primitively named the Empire Stadium ). One exception to this 78 class series of Empire Stadium finals ( including five replays ) was the 1970 replay between Leeds and Chelsea, held at Old Trafford in Manchester. In the 51 years anterior to the Empire Stadium opening, the final ( including 8 replays ) was held in a kind of locations, predominantly in London, and chiefly at the Kennington Oval and then Crystal Palace. It was played 22 times at The Oval ( the inaugural address competition in 1872, and then all but two times until 1892 ). After The Oval, Crystal Palace hosted 21 finals from 1895 to 1914, broken up by four replays elsewhere. The other London venues were Stamford Bridge from 1920 to 1922 ( the last three finals before the move to Empire Stadium ) ; and the University of Oxford ‘s Lillie Bridge in Fulham for the second base ever final, in 1873. The other venues used meagerly in this period were all outside of London, as follows :

artificial turf [edit ]

The FA permitted artificial turf ( 3G ) pitches in all rounds of the contest from the 2014–15 version and beyond. [ 27 ] Under the 2015–16 rules, the gear must be of FIFA One Star quality, or Two star for ties if they involve one of the 92 professional clubs. [ 2 ] This followed approval two years previously for their manipulation in the qualify rounds only – if a team with a 3G pitch progressed to the rival proper, they had to switch their necktie to the ground of another eligible newcomer with a natural grass pitch. [ 28 ] Having been strong proponents of the surface, the beginning match in the proper rounds to be played on a 3G coat was a televised first round replay at Maidstone United ‘s Gallagher Stadium on 20 November 2014. [ 29 ]

trophy [edit ]

The eventual winners of the competition receive the FA Cup ; it is alone loaned to the club by the FA, under the current ( 2015–16 ) rules it must be returned by 1 March, or earlier if given seven days ‘ notice. [ 2 ] Traditionally, the holders had the Cup until the be year ‘s presentation, although more recently the trophy has been taken on promotion tours by the FA in between finals. [ 30 ]
The trophy comes in three parts – the cup itself, plus a lid and a base. There have been two designs of trophy in use, but five physical trophies have been presented. The original trophy, known as the “ little can idol ”, was 18 inches high and made by Martin, Hall & Co. It was stolen in 1895 and never recovered, and thus was replaced by an demand replica, used until 1910. The FA decided to change the design after the 1909 winners, Manchester United, made their own replica, leading the FA to realise they did not own the copyright. [ 31 ] This modern, larger design was by Fattorini and Sons, and was used from 1911. [ 31 ] In holy order to preserve this original, from 1992 it was replaced by an demand replica, although this had to be replaced after just over two decades, after showing wear and pluck from being handled more than in previous eras. This third replica, first used in 2014, was built heavier to withstand the increased handle. [ 30 ] Of the four surviving trophies, entirely the 1895 replica has entered individual possession. [ 32 ] The identify of the gain team is engraved on the silver ring around the base deoxyadenosine monophosphate soon as the final has finished, in regulate to be ready in time for the presentation ceremony. [ 30 ] This means the engraver has just five minutes to perform a task which would take 20 under normal conditions, although time is saved by engraving the year on during the catch, and sketching the presume winner. [ 33 ] During the final, the trophy is decorated with ribbons in the colors of both finalists, with the loser ‘s ribbons being removed at the end of the game. [ 34 ] The custom of tying ribbons started after Tottenham Hotspur won the 1901 FA Cup Final and the wife of a Spurs conductor decided to tie blue sky and white ribbons to the handles of the cup. [ 35 ] Traditionally, at Wembley finals, the presentation is made at the Royal Box, with players, led by the captain, mounting a stairway to a gangway in front of the box and returning by a second stairway on the other side of the box. At Cardiff the presentation was made on a dais on the sales talk. The tradition of presenting the trophy immediately after the game did not start until the 1882 final ; after the first final in 1872 the trophy was not presented to the winners, Wanderers, until a reception held four weeks late in the Pall Mall Restaurant in London. [ 36 ] Under the original rules, the trophy was to be permanently presented to any club which won the competition three times, although when inaugural address winners Wanderers achieved this feat by the 1876 concluding, the rules were changed by FA Secretary CW Alcock ( who was besides captain of Wanderers in their first victory ). [ 37 ] Portsmouth have the distinction of being the football club which has held the FA Cup trophy for the longest continuous period – seven years. Portsmouth had defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–1 in the 1939 FA Cup Final and were awarded the trophy as 1938–39 FA Cup winners. But with the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the regular Football League and FA Cup competitions for the 1939–40 season were cancelled for the duration of the war. Portsmouth ‘s coach Jack Tinn was rumoured to have kept the FA Cup trophy ‘safe under his bed ‘ throughout the duration of the war, but this is an urban myth. Because the naval city of Portsmouth was a elementary strategic military target for german Luftwaffe bombard, the FA Cup trophy was actually taken ten miles to the north of Portsmouth, to the nearby Hampshire greenwich village of Lovedean, and there it resided in a quaint thatched roof state public house called The Bird in Hand for the seven years of the war. [ 38 ] After the termination of World War II, the FA Cup trophy was presented back to the Football Association by the golf club in time for the 1946 FA Cup Final .

original design from 1871 [edit ]

1871 master [edit ]

The first trophy, the ‘little tin idol ‘, was made by Martin, Hall & Co at a monetary value of £20. [ 39 ] It was stolen from a Birmingham brake shoe shop windowpane belonging to William Shillcock while held by Aston Villa on 11 September 1895 and was never seen again. Despite a £10 reward for information, the crime was never solved. As it happened while it was in their caution, the FA fined Villa £25 to pay for a substitution. just over 60 years late, 80 year old career criminal Henry ( Harry ) James Burge claimed to have committed the larceny, confessing to a newspaper, with the report being published in the Sunday Pictorial newspaper on 23 February 1958. He claimed to have carried out the looting with two other men, although when discrepancies with a coetaneous composition in the Birmingham Post newspaper ( the crime pre-dated written police reports ) in his account of the means of entry and other items stolen, detectives decided there was no realistic possibility of a conviction and the case was closed. Burge claimed the cup had been melted down to make counterfeit half-crown coins, which matched known intelligence of the time, in which stolen silver was being used to forge coins which were then laundered through betting shops at a local racetrack, although Burge had no history of forgery in a record of 42 previous convictions for which he had spent 42 years in prison. He had been foster imprisoned in 1957 for seven years for larceny from cars. Released in 1961, he died in 1964. [ 40 ]

1895 replica [edit ]

The second FA Cup trophy, used between 1896 and 1910. After the larceny, a replica of the trophy was made, which was used until a redesign of the trophy in 1911. The 1895 replica was then presented to the FA ‘s long-serving president Lord Kinnaird. [ 31 ] Kinnaird died in 1923, and his kin kept it in their possession, out of see, until putting it up for auction in 2005. [ 41 ] It was sold at Christie ‘s auction house on 19 May 2005 for £ 420,000 ( £478,400 including auction fees and taxes ). [ 31 ] The sale price set a fresh world criminal record for a piece of football memorabilia, surpassing the £254,000 paid for the Jules Rimet World Cup Trophy in 1997. [ 32 ] The successful bidder was David Gold, the then joint chair of Birmingham City ; claiming the FA and government were doing nothing proactive to ensure the trophy remained in the country, Gold stated his purchase was motivated by wanting to save it for the nation. [ 32 ] Accordingly, Gold presented the trophy to the National Football Museum in Preston on 20 April 2006, where it went on immediate public expose. [ 41 ] It late moved with the museum to its new localization in Manchester. [ 31 ] In November 2012, it was ceremonially presented to Royal Engineers, after they beat Wanderers 7–1 in a charity replay of the first base FA Cup final. In September 2020, Gold sold the replica trophy for £760,000 through the Bonhams auction firm. [ 42 ] In January 2021, it was revealed that the trophy had been purchased by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the owner of Manchester City, who stated that it would be returned on loanword to the National Football Museum. [ 43 ]

stream design from 1911 [edit ]

1911 original [edit ]

FA Cup trophy design by Fattorini & Sons, 1911 The redesign trophy first used in 1911 was larger at 61.5 curium ( 24.2 inches ) high, and was designed and manufactured by Fattorini ‘s of Bradford, coincidentally being won by Bradford City in its first excursion. [ 30 ] [ 31 ]

On the 27 March 2016 sequence of the BBC television program Antiques Roadshow, this trophy was valued at £1 million by technical Alastair Dickenson, although he suggested that, due to the blueprint featuring depictions of grapes and vines, it may not have been specifically produced for the FA, but was alternatively an off-the-rack design in the first place meant to be a wine or champagne cooler. [ 31 ] This was later disproved when Thomas Fattorini was invited to the Antiques Roadshow to “ ambush ” Alastair Dickenson with the competition winning design by Fattorini & Sons. The testify was filmed at Baddesley Clinton and subsequentially aired on 23 October 2016. A smaller, but otherwise identical, replica was besides made by Thomas Fattorini, the North Wales Coast FA Cup trophy, and is contested per annum by members of that regional Association. [ 44 ]

1992 replica [edit ]

The current design of the FA Cup ( 1992 replica pictured ) The 1992 replica was made by Toye, Kenning and Spencer. [ 45 ] A copy of this trophy was besides produced, in case anything happened to the basal trophy. [ 46 ]

2014 replica [edit ]

The 2014 replica was made by Thomas Lyte, handcrafted in greatest 925 flatware over 250 hours. A system of weights increase for greater lastingness has taken it to 6.3 kilograms ( 14 pound ). [ 30 ]

Medals [edit ]

Each club in the final receives 40 winners ‘ or runners’-up medals to be distributed among players, staff and officials. The traditional styles of gold cased medals, the winners ‘ decoration which had remain largely unaltered since the 1890s, and runner-up medals which were last updated in 1946, were replaced for the 2021 Final by new designs of gold winners ‘ medals and silver runner-up medals suspended on a ribbon. [ 47 ]
Since the get down of the 1994–95 temper, the FA Cup has been sponsored. however, to protect the identity of the contest, the sponsored name has always included ‘The FA Cup ‘ in accession to the presenter ‘s name, unlike sponsorship deals for the League Cup where the password ‘cup ‘ is preceded by alone the patron ‘s name. sponsorship deals run for four years, though – as in the event of E.ON – annual extensions may be agreed. Emirates Airline is the presenter from 2015 to 2018, renaming the rival as ‘The Emirates FA Cup ‘, unlike previous editions, which included ‘The FA Cup in association with E.ON ‘ and ‘The FA Cup with Budweiser ‘. [ 48 ] This was late extended until 2021. [ 49 ]

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[50]
1998–99 to 2001–02 AXA The AXA sponsored FA Cup[51](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[52][53]
2011–12 to 2013–14 Budweiser The FA Cup with Budweiser[54]
2014–15 No main sponsor The FA Cup
2015–16 to present Emirates The Emirates FA Cup (2015–2020)[48]
Emirates FA Cup (2020–present)

From 2006 to 2013, Umbro supplied catch balls for all FA Cup matches. They were replaced at the start of the 2013–14 temper by Nike, who produced the contest ‘s official match testis for five seasons. Mitre took over for the 2018–19 season, beginning a three-year partnership with the FA. [ 55 ]

Records and statistics [edit ]

final [edit ]

team [edit ]

individual [edit ]

Ian Rush, the former Liverpool striker and record goalscorer in FA Cup final history

All rounds [edit ]

Cup runs and colossus killings [edit ]

The possibility of improbable victories in the earlier rounds of the competition, where lower ranked teams beat higher placed opposition in what is known as a “ colossus kill ”, is a lot anticipated by the public. such upsets are considered an built-in separate of the custom and prestige of the competition, and the attention gained by giant-killing teams can be american samoa great as that for winners of the cup. [ 63 ] Almost every club in the League Pyramid has a fondly remembered giant-killing act in its history. [ 64 ] It is considered peculiarly newsworthy when a top Premier League team suffers an overturned frustration, or where the giant-killer is a non-league club, i.e. from outside The Football League. One analysis of four years of FA Cup results showed that it was 99.85 per penny probable that at least one team would beat one from its future higher division in a given year. The probability drops to 48.8 per cent for a two-division gap, and 39.28 per cent for a three-division gap. [ 64 ]

early years [edit ]

The Football League was founded in 1888, 16 years after the first FA Cup competition. Since the creation of the Football League, Tottenham Hotspur is the only non-League side to win the Cup, taking the 1901 FA Cup with a victory over reigning League runner-up Sheffield United. At that time, the Football League consisted of two divisions with a aggregate full of 36 clubs, by and large teams from Northern England and the Midlands, following a gradual increase on the original sum of 12 Football League clubs on its formation in 1888. Spurs competed in the Southern Football League, which ran parallel to the Football League, and were champions. lone two other non-League clubs have even reached the final since the initiation of the League : Sheffield Wednesday in 1890 ( champions of the Football Alliance, a rival league which was already effectively the tier below the League, which it formally became in 1892 upon constitution of the Second Division — Wednesday being let straight into the First Division ) and the Southern League ‘s Southampton in 1900 and 1902. Upon the Football League ‘s expansion and universe of the Third Division for 1920–21, all the clubs in the Southern League First Division clubs transferred over and it has been since placed below the League in the English football league system, with the National League sandwiching the two since 1979–80 .

Non-League giant killings [edit ]

The most recent examples of a non-league team ( Levels 5 to 10 ) beating a Level 1 adversary are National League side Lincoln City ‘s away victory over Premier League side Burnley in the 2016–17 FA Cup and Conference Premier side Luton Town ‘s away victory over Level 1 Premier League ‘s Norwich City in the 2012–13 Fourth Round Proper. This was the beginning kill of a top flight team by non-league opposition since 1989, when Sutton United claimed a 2–1 victory at family over Coventry City, who had won the FA Cup two seasons earlier and finished that season one-seventh in the First Division. [ 65 ] In the 1971–72 FA Cup, a non-league side achieved a Level 1 giant killing that was voted “ best FA Cup tie always ” in a 2007 poll by The Observer newspaper. [ 66 ] Non-league Hereford United were trailing First Division Newcastle United 0–1 with less than seven minutes left in the Third Round Proper replay, when Hereford ‘s Ronnie Radford scored the equalizer – a finish still shown regularly when FA Cup fixtures are broadcast. Hereford finished the shocking comeback by defeating Newcastle 2–1 in the equal. They finished that season as runner-up of the Southern League, behind Chelmsford City, and were voted into the Football League at the expense of Barrow. Some small clubs gain a reputation for being “ cup specialists ” after two or more giant kill feats within a few years. [ 64 ] Yeovil Town hold the record for the most victories over league enemy as a non-league team, having recorded 20 wins through the years before they achieved promotion into The Football League in 2003. [ 67 ] The record for a club which has never entered the Football League is held by Altrincham, with 17 wins against league teams .

Non-League cup runs [edit ]

For non-League teams, reaching the Third Round Proper – where all Level 1 sides now enter – is considered a major accomplishment. In the 2008–09 FA Cup, a record eight non-League teams achieved this feat. [ 68 ] As of the 2016–17 season, merely nine non-League teams have reached the Fifth Round Proper ( final 16 ) since 1945, [ 69 ] and only Lincoln City have progressed to the Sixth Round ( concluding 8 ), during the 2016–17 edition of the tournament. [ 70 ] Chasetown, while playing at Level 8 of English football during the 2007–08 competition, were the lowest-ranked team to always play in the Third Round Proper ( final 64, of 731 teams entered that temper ). Chasetown was then a member of the Southern League Division One Midlands ( a lower level within the Southern Football League ), when they lost to Football League Championship ( Level 2 ) team Cardiff City, the eventual FA Cup runner-up that class. [ 71 ] Their success earned the lowly arrangement over £60,000 in choice money. Marine F.C. matched this in the 2020–21 competition as a member of the Northern Premier League Division One North West, and were drawn against Premier League ( Level 1 ) team Tottenham Hotspur, whom they lost to 5–0 .

elephantine killings between League clubs [edit ]

In games between League sides, one of the most luminary results was the 1992 victory by Wrexham, bottom of the previous season ‘s League ( avoiding delegating due to expansion of The Football League ), over reigning champions Arsenal. Another exchangeable traumatize was when Shrewsbury Town beat Everton 2–1 in 2003. Everton finished one-seventh in the Premier League and Shrewsbury Town were relegated to the Football Conference that lapp season. Most recently, Wigan Athletic pulled off a shock, beating Manchester City 1–0 in the final in 2013. Following a defeat to Arsenal 3 days later, Wigan failed to avoid relegation from the Premier League, becoming the beginning team to win the Cup and yield to delegating in the lapp temper .

Winners and finalists [edit ]

Results by team [edit ]

Since its establishment, the FA Cup has been won by 44 different teams. Teams shown in italics are no longer in universe. additionally, Queen ‘s Park ceased to be eligible to enter the FA Cup after a Scottish Football Association regnant in 1887. [ 72 ]

back-to-back winners [edit ]

Four clubs have won straight FA Cups on more than one affair : Wanderers ( 1872, 1873 and 1876, 1877, 1878 ), Blackburn Rovers ( 1884, 1885, 1886 and 1890, 1891 ), Tottenham Hotspur ( 1961, 1962 and 1981, 1982 ) and Arsenal ( 2002, 2003 and 2014, 2015 ) .

Winning managers [edit ]

The record for most titles for a director is held by Arsène Wenger, who won the FA Cup with Arsenal seven times ( 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2017 ). Wenger is besides the alone coach to have won the Cup at the old Wembley Stadium, the Millennium Stadium, and the newfangled Wembley Stadium .
Manchester City ( 2019 ) are the only club to have achieved a domestic treble of league, FA Cup and EFL Cup, having beaten Chelsea 4–3 on penalties in the EFL Cup Final, finished at the acme of the English Premier League, and beaten Watford 6–0 in the FA Cup Final. Seven clubs have won the FA Cup as part of a League and Cup double, namely Preston North End ( 1889 ), Aston Villa ( 1897 ), Tottenham Hotspur ( 1961 ), Arsenal ( 1971, 1998, 2002 ), Liverpool ( 1986 ), Manchester United ( 1994, 1996, 1999 ) and Chelsea ( 2010 ). In 1993, Arsenal became the first side to win both the FA Cup and the League Cup in the same season when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 in both finals. Liverpool ( in 2001 ), Chelsea ( in 2007 ) and Manchester City ( in 2019 ) have since repeated this feat. In 2012, Chelsea accomplished a different cup double consist of the FA Cup and the 2012 Champions League. In 1998–99, Manchester United added the 1999 Champions League title to their league and cup double to complete a unique Treble. Two years by and by, in 2000–01, Liverpool won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup to complete a cup soprano .

outside England [edit ]

The FA Cup has only been won by a non-English team once. Cardiff City achieved this in 1927 when they beat armory in the final examination at Wembley. They had previously made it to the concluding entirely to lose to Sheffield United in 1925 and lost another final to Portsmouth in 2008. Cardiff City is besides the entirely team to win the national cups of two different countries in the lapp temper, having besides won the Welsh Cup in 1927. The scottish team Queen ‘s Park reached and lost the final in both 1884 and 1885 .

Outside the top division [edit ]

Since the creation of the Football League in 1888, the concluding has never been contested by two teams from outside the exceed division, and there have only been eight winners who were not in the top flight : Notts County ( 1894 ) ; Tottenham Hotspur ( 1901 ) ; Wolverhampton Wanderers ( 1908 ) ; Barnsley ( 1912 ) ; West Bromwich Albion ( 1931 ) ; Sunderland ( 1973 ), Southampton ( 1976 ) and West Ham United ( 1980 ). With the exception of Tottenham, these clubs were all play in the second tier ( the honest-to-god Second Division ) – Tottenham were playing in the Southern League and were alone elected to the Football League in 1908, meaning they are the only non-League winners of the FA Cup since the League ‘s creation. early than Tottenham ‘s victory, entirely 24 finalists have come from outside English football ‘s top grade, with a record of 7 wins and 17 runner-up : and none at all from the third tier or lower, Southampton ( 1902, then in the Southern League ) being the last finalist from outside the top two tiers. Sunderland ‘s succeed in 1973 was considered a major upset, having beaten Leeds United who finished third base in the exceed flight that season, [ 74 ] as was West Ham ‘s victory over Arsenal in 1980 as the Gunners were in their third base consecutive FA Cup Final and were besides the cup holders from the previous class arsenic well as fair having finished 4th in the First Division, whereas West Ham had ended the season 7th in Division 2. This besides marked the final time ( as of 2018–19 ) a team from outside the top division won the FA Cup. uniquely, in 2008 three of the four semi-finalists ( Barnsley, Cardiff City and West Bromwich ) were from outside the top part, although the eventual winner was the death leftover top-flight team, Portsmouth. [ 75 ] West Bromwich ( 1931 ) are the only team to have won the FA Cup and earned promotion to the top flight in the like season ; whereas Wigan Athletic ( 2013 ) are the only team to have won the Cup and been relegated from the clear flight in the like season .

Media coverage [edit ]

domestic broadcasters [edit ]

The FA Cup Final is one of 10 events reserved for live broadcast on UK planetary television under the Ofcom Code on Sports and other Listed and Designated Events. In the early years of coverage the BBC had exclusive radio receiver coverage with a picture of the pitch marked in the Radio Times with count squares to help the hearer follow the peer on the radio. The first FA Cup Final on Radio was in 1926 between Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City but this was merely circulate in Manchester, the first national concluding on BBC Radio was between Arsenal and Cardiff in 1927. The first final on BBC Television was in 1937 in a match which featured Sunderland and Preston North end but this was not televised in full. The following temper ‘s final between Preston and Huddersfield was covered in full by the BBC. When ITV was formed in 1955 they shared final coverage with the BBC in one of the only club matches shown live on television receiver, during the 1970s and 1980s coverage became more elaborate with BBC and ITV trying to steal viewers from the others by starting coverage earlier and earlier some starting ampere early as 9 ante meridiem which was six hours before kick off. The sharing of rights between BBC and ITV continued from 1955 to 1988, when ITV lost coverage to the BBC. From 1988 to 1997, the BBC was the exclusive broadcaster of the competition on sublunar television receiver and covered the contest from the third round onwards, showing one exist equal per orotund alongside highlights. In 1990, BSB obtained rights to the competition, and showed a survive match from rounds 1 and 2. This continued to be the case after Sky took over BSB in 1991. From 1997 to 2001, ITV and Sky shared bouncy coverage with both having two matches per round and BBC continuing with highlights on Match of the Day. From 2002 to 2008, BBC and Sky again shared coverage with BBC having two or three matches per rung and Sky having one or two. From 2008–09 to 2013–14, FA Cup matches are shown live by ITV across England and Wales, with UTV broadcasting to Northern Ireland but STV refusing to show them. ITV shows 16 FA Cup games per temper, including the first pick of live matches from each of the first to sixth rounds of the competition, plus one semi-final entirely live. The final examination is besides shown live on ITV. Under the same 2008 contract, Setanta Sports showed three games and one replay in each round from cycle three to five, two quarter-finals, one semi-final and the final. The channel besides broadcast ITV ‘s matches entirely to Scotland, after the ITV franchise holder in Scotland, STV, decided not to broadcast FA Cup games. Setanta entered administration in June 2009 and as a result the FA terminated Setanta ‘s bargain to broadcast FA-sanctioned competitions and England internationals. [ 76 ] As a result of Setanta going out of business ITV showed the competition entirely in the 2009–10 season with between three and four matches per round, all stern finals, semi-finals and final examination exist as the FA could not find a give television broadcaster in time. ESPN bought the contest for the 2010–11 to 2012–13 season and during this fourth dimension Rebecca Lowe became the first woman to host the FA Cup Final in the UK. In October 2009, The FA announced that ITV would show an extra peer in the First and Second Rounds on ITV, with one play back match shown on ITV4. One match and one replay match from the first two rounds will broadcast on The FA web site for barren, in a alike position to the 2010 World Cup Qualifier between Ukraine and England. [ 77 ] The 2009–10 First Round equal between Oldham Athletic and Leeds United was the first FA Cup match to be streamed on-line know. [ 78 ] many [ who? ] expected BSkyB to make a wish to show some of the remaining FA Cup games for the remainder of the 2009–10 season which would include a semi-final and shared rights to the final. ESPN took over the software Setanta held for the FA Cup from the 2010–11 temper. [ 79 ] The 2011 final was besides shown live on Sky 3D in addition to ESPN ( who provided the 3D coverage for Sky 3D ) and ITV. [ 80 ] Following the sale of ESPN ‘s UK and Ireland channels to BT, ESPN ‘s rights box transferred to BT Sport from the 2013–14 season. [ 81 ] BBC Radio 5 Live and Talksport provides radio coverage including several wide live commentaries per round, with extra commentaries broadcast on BBC Local Radio. Until the 2008–09 season, the BBC and Sky Sports shared television coverage, with the BBC show three matches in the earlier rounds. Some analysts argued the decision to move away from the Sky and, in detail, the BBC undermined the FA Cup in the eyes of the public. The early rounds of the 2008–09 competition were covered for the first time by ITV ‘s on-line service, ITV Local. The first match of the competition, between Wantage Town and Brading Town, was broadcast hot on-line. Highlights of eight games of each round of golf were broadcast as catch up on ITV Local. [ 82 ] [ 83 ] Since ITV Local closed, this coverage did not continue. ITV lost the rights to the FA Cup beginning with the 2014–15 FA Cup, mundane rights returned to BBC Sport, with the final being shown on BBC One while BT Sport hold the pay television receiver rights. Under this deal, the BBC will show around the lapp total of games as ITV and still having the first pick for each rung. [ 84 ] Matches involving Welsh clubs are sometimes entirely broadcast on Welsh language impart S4C, which is besides available to view across the rest of the United Kingdom on satellite and cable television, and through the duct ‘s web site. [ 85 ] A alike agreement is shared with BBC Cymru Wales from 2014 to 2015, potentially giving the BBC an extra match per round of golf. [ 86 ] On the 23rd May 2019, it was announced that ITV would replace BT Sport in broadcasting the FA Cup from the 2021–22 season, this new bargain will see BBC and ITV become joint broadcasters of the tournament for the first clock time since 1990, this will mean for the beginning time that all FA Cup matches would be all be entirely broadcast on free-to-air television. [ 87 ]

overseas broadcasters [edit ]

The FA sells oversea rights individually from the domestic contract .

References [edit ]

Notes [edit ]

  1. ^ Since the geological formation of the Football League in 1888, the only non-League golf club to win the FA Cup is Tottenham Hotspur in 1901. Since 1914, when Queens Park Rangers reached the fourthly beat proper ( the final eight/quarter-final stage ), the only non-League baseball 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 .

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