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107-641: Matches were played between the winners of the English FA Cup and the Scottish Cup from October 1876, when Wanderers lost to Queen's Park at The Oval in London ; press reports from the time made little mention of the fact that both were holders of the principal trophy of their country, and the fixture was a repeat of an arrangement from the previous year. It appears that a return match in Glasgow

214-671: A few weeks earlier than normal as an experiment; 2010–11 and 2012–13 when the FA Cup Final was played before the Premier League season had finished, to allow Wembley Stadium to be ready for the UEFA Champions League final, as well as in 2011–12 to allow England time to prepare for that summer's European Championships ; 2019–20 when the final was delayed until August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in

321-612: A freak result as the Charterhouse School alumni restricted Vale of Leven to a 2–1 defeat a day later). with no return match known to have taken place. All of these matches were reported in some detail by newspapers, but no mention was given to a formal championship, either of 'Great Britain' or 'The World'. That situation changed somewhat in September 1883, when Dumbarton 's match against Blackburn Olympic in Scotland

428-406: A ground not being suitable to host popular teams. However, since 2003 , clubs cannot move grounds to the away side's for capacity or financial reasons. If any move has to be made, it has to be to a neutral venue and any additional monies earned by the move goes into the central pot. In the event of a draw , the replay is played at the ground of the team who originally played away from home . In

535-521: A larger number of teams playing in Level 7–9. Consequently, for the FA Cup, entries equal the number in tiers 1–9 and is cut off to those below. Though still able to apply, Level 10 clubs are used as alternatives "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). The total number of entries in

642-432: 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 tin idol", was 18 inches high and made by Martin, Hall & Co. It was stolen in 1895 and never recovered, and so was replaced by an exact replica, used until 1910. The FA decided to change the design after the 1909 winners , Manchester United, made their own replica, leading

749-607: A match between league champions. FA Cup 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

856-563: A new world record for a piece of football memorabilia , surpassing the £254,000 paid for the Jules Rimet World Cup Trophy in 1997. The successful bidder was David Gold , the then joint chairman 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. Accordingly, Gold presented

963-524: A replacement presented in 1988). Both clubs had lost matches on their tours, and any claim by Celtic to some kind of wider honour could have been challenged by Irish Cup holders Glentoran of Belfast who had won the Vienna Cup , a similar contemporaneous event in Austria. According to all known fixtures between eligible clubs. Winners marked in bold . (C) denotes a match between cup winners, (L)

1070-622: A replay was the 1875 final , between the Royal Engineers and the Old Etonians . The initial tie finished 1–1 but the Royal Engineers won the replay 2–0 in normal time. The last replayed 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 extra time. The last quarter-final to go to a replay was Manchester United vs West Ham United in

1177-531: A small pewter trophy – the only known physical prize from any of these matches – was commissioned (today displayed at the Scottish Football Museum ) and a "Champions of the World" sign was erected at their Tontine Park ground (which did not survive its demolition in the 1920s). Renton's reign was ended at the semi-final stage of the 1888–89 Scottish Cup by 3rd Lanark R.V. , who went on to lift

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1284-505: A stadium suitable for the competition and The Association may reject applications at its discretion. 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

1391-449: A tie are replayed once only (from the 2024–25 campaign, this will be prior to the first round proper). The first six rounds are qualifiers, with the draws organised on a regional basis. The next six rounds are the "proper" rounds where all clubs are in one draw. All entrants from Level 9 begin the competition in the extra preliminary round, as well as any Level 10 team filling in for a vacancy. Teams from Level 8 are ranked on their PPG in

1498-613: A time before national football leagues were considered the best side of each country, with The Sportsman describing them as " powerful clubs ". Aston Villa won the match 3–0 and were regarded by many as the best footballing side in the United Kingdom in 1887, being described as having the " right and claim to be the champions of the football world for the year " by the Preston Herald in May 1887. The advert Villa placed in

1605-571: Is not clear if the matches were to be seen as home-and-away legs, a rematch or two unconnected encounters. Almost as soon as these rescheduled finals did take place, the respective league champions Hearts and Sunderland met in Edinburgh on 27 April 1895, in a match about which the Sunderland Daily Echo commented In Edinburgh the match was billed as for "The championship of the world"! However that may be there can be no doubt that it

1712-492: 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 –

1819-667: 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

1926-407: Is saved by engraving the year on during the match, and sketching the presumed winner. During the final, the trophy is decorated with ribbons in the colours of both finalists, with the loser's ribbons being removed at the end of the game. The tradition of tying ribbons started after Tottenham Hotspur won the 1901 FA Cup Final and the wife of a Spurs director decided to tie blue and white ribbons to

2033-564: The 1882 final ; after the first final in 1872 the trophy was not presented to the winners, Wanderers, until a reception held four weeks later in the Pall Mall Restaurant in London. Under the original rules, the trophy was to be permanently presented to any club which won the competition three times, although when inaugural winners Wanderers achieved this feat by the 1876 final , the rules were changed by FA Secretary CW Alcock (who

2140-665: The 1886–87 FA Cup , the Lilywhites had lost in the semi-finals to West Bromwich Albion , who had lost to Aston Villa, who had beaten Hibs. The 1886–87 FA Cup was also the last edition in which Scottish clubs would take part, with Rangers reaching the semi-finals. With the cross-border matches at official level having ended, much attention was given in the press to the meeting of 1887–88 Scottish Cup winners Renton and 1887–88 FA Cup winners West Bromwich Albion in May 1888, with it being noted that unlike many English clubs, West Brom had only English players in their team, and therefore

2247-414: The 1939–40 season were cancelled for the duration of the war. Portsmouth's manager 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 primary strategic military target for German Luftwaffe bombing , the FA Cup trophy was actually taken ten miles to the north of Portsmouth, to

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2354-480: The 2013–14 season the first Channel Island club entered the competition when Guernsey F.C. competed. 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

2461-547: The 2015–16 FA Cup . The original game at Old Trafford ended in a 1–1 draw, while Manchester United won the replay at the Boleyn Ground , 2–1. It was also the last FA Cup game ever played at the Boleyn Ground. The last fifth round replay saw Tottenham Hotspur defeat Rochdale 6–1 at Wembley in the 2017–18 FA Cup after the first match at Spotland Stadium ended in a 2–2 draw. The FA Cup winners qualify for

2568-407: The 2024–25 competition, replays have been scrapped from the first round onwards. The decision to scrap replays received criticism from a number of lower-tier clubs and government officials. Until 1990–91 , further replays would be played until one team was victorious. In 1971–72 , a fourth qualifying round game between Alvechurch and Oxford City was played six times until Alvechurch won in

2675-683: The Birmingham Daily Mail in their 7 April 1887 edition described the game as a great international match ; however, the Scottish newspapers The Glasgow Herald and The Scotsman reported on it in similar detail to several other cross-border challenge matches of that weekend, though they did acknowledge the participants' cup-winning statuses. and other newspapers covered other matches on Hibernians' tour of England (which saw them beaten by Stoke and Wolverhampton Wanderers ) in similar fashion. The Dundee Evening Telegraph noted that

2782-680: The Bonhams auction house. 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 loan to the National Football Museum. The redesigned trophy first used in 1911 was larger at 61.5 cm (24.2 inches) high, and was designed and manufactured by Fattorini & Sons of Bradford, coincidentally being won by Bradford City in its first outing. On

2889-466: 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. 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 . However, since 2021–22, The FA has cut off automatic eligibility to the 10th tier (to appear only subject to availability) and instead set

2996-641: The Scottish Referee as "The Championship of the World". Once again the English side came out on top, this time by a 3–2 scoreline. A few weeks later the cup winners also faced off, the first time the holders of both trophies had been brought together in the wake of their wins, with Rangers overcoming Notts County 3–1. Those teams met again almost a year later (Notts County won 1–0), at which point they were technically still holders with both 1895 domestic cup finals having been moved to later dates, though it

3103-459: 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

3210-548: The semi-final and final matches in 2000, from the quarter-finals in 2016–17, the fifth round in 2019–20 and the first round onwards from 2024 to 2025. 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. An application window

3317-522: The 'British/World Championship' matches, discerning what may be considered the latest instalment of such an event was made more complicated by the introduction of the English national league competition, although Preston's 1888–89 double triumph meant there would be one more year where it was not a consideration. As the 1889–90 season concluded, the potential English participants were Preston again (Football League) and Blackburn Rovers (FA Cup); however, neither played against Scottish Cup holders Queen's Park at

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3424-485: The 27 March 2016 episode of the BBC television programme Antiques Roadshow , this trophy was valued at £1 million by expert Alastair Dickenson , although he suggested that, due to the design featuring depictions of grapes and vines, it may not have been specifically produced for the FA, but was instead an off-the-shelf design originally meant to be a wine or champagne cooler. This was later disproved when Thomas Fattorini

3531-511: The 92 professional clubs. This followed approval two years previously for their use in the qualifying rounds only – if a team with a 3G pitch progressed to the competition proper, they had to switch their tie to the ground of another eligible entrant with a natural grass pitch. Having been strong proponents of the surface, the first match in the proper rounds to be played on a 3G surface was a televised first round replay at Maidstone United 's Gallagher Stadium on 20 November 2014. The winners of

3638-486: The Celtic v Villa match, the 'Scottish Referee' reported its view that "We think that more importance should be attached to the honour of the international League championship. It means a big effort on the part of the clubs engage, and given such brilliant football as that seen on Monday evening at Celtic Park, is worthy of three times the attendance that graced the meeting that evening." Despite this apparent enthusiasm for

3745-538: 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. 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 . After some confusion over the rules in its first competition,

3852-717: The English league champions, while Heart of Midlothian won the Scottish Cup and Blackburn retained the English equivalent. Blackburn and Hearts had played each other in Edinburgh a few months before their cup wins and also in 1890, but did not do so again while holders. The only relevant meeting was between Rangers and Everton, who initially played at the first Ibrox Park in October 1891, the Toffees winning 4–1. A return match scheduled for Boxing Day did not take place, and it

3959-509: 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. 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

4066-511: 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

4173-542: 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

4280-411: The FA decided that any drawn match would lead to a replay , with teams competing in further replays until a game was eventually won. Alvechurch and Oxford City contested the most replayed tie in the 1971–72 qualification , in a tie which went to 6 matches. Multiple replays were scrapped for the competition proper in 1991–92, and the qualifying rounds in 1997–98. Replays were removed altogether from

4387-419: The FA to realise they did not own the copyright. This new, larger design was by Fattorini and Sons , and was used from 1911. In order to preserve this original, from 1992 it was replaced by an exact replica, although this had to be replaced after just over two decades, after showing wear and tear from being handled more than in previous eras. This third replica, first used in 2014, was built heavier to withstand

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4494-425: The Premier League who has not yet qualified for a European Competition. The FA Cup winners also qualify for the following season's single-match FA Community Shield , the traditional season opener played against the previous season's Premier League champions (or the Premier League runners-up if the FA Cup winners also won the league – the double ). Fixtures in the 12 rounds of the competition are usually played at

4601-646: The SFL title and Sheffield Wednesday won the Football League, while Rangers the Scottish Cup and Bury the FA Cup. Rangers and Bury met over two matches, with both the first fixture on Christmas Day 1903 and the return on 4 January 1904 won 2–1 by the Shakers . From the reports available, it appears Bury v Rangers was the final match between Scottish and English trophy holders in the early 20th century; by that point leagues had already expanded to fill more dates in

4708-431: The Scottish Cup but there is no record of them meeting 1902 FA Cup Final victors Sheffield United, nor any fixture between league winners Sunderland and Rangers. At the end of that season, the four-team British League Cup – a fundraising tournament following the 1902 Ibrox disaster – was held, with the league winners and runners-up of both countries involved; however, the champions never played another. In 1903 Hibs took

4815-533: The United Kingdom , and the 2021-22 when the final was held a week before the end of the league. The 2025 Final is also scheduled to take place the week before the end of the league. The draws for the Extra Preliminary, Preliminary, and first qualifying rounds used to all occur at the same time. Thereafter, the draw for each subsequent round is not made until after the scheduled dates for

4922-714: The championship", suggesting that an honour of some kind was being contested, but The Scotsman made no mention of any prize as such, although stating that the teams were strong and the match keenly contested. At the end of the 1900–01 season there was no sign of league champions Rangers and Liverpool meeting, but the cup winners Hearts and Tottenham Hotspur (members of the Southern Football League ) faced off in September 1901 (0–0 in London) and January 1902 (3–1 to Hearts in Edinburgh). City rivals Hibernian took

5029-418: The competition receive the FA Cup. It is only 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. Traditionally, the holders had the Cup until the following year's presentation, although more recently the trophy has been taken on publicity tours by the FA in between finals. The trophy comes in three parts – the cup itself, plus

5136-803: The competition, the Kennington Oval was used as the semi-final venue. In the period between this first decade and the reopening of Wembley, semi-finals were played at high-capacity neutral venues around England; usually the home grounds of teams not involved in that semi-final, chosen to be roughly 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

5243-419: The cup winners. Again there was only one fixture which could make any claim to be a cross-border championship, this being Sunderland v Celtic which took place in September 1892 (1–0 to Sunderland) followed quickly by a reverse fixture a month later (3–0 to Sunderland). The Wearsiders kept their league title and Celtic won the Scottish league, but there was no re-match between them the following season. Instead it

5350-409: The days when multiple replays were possible, the second replay (and any further replays) were played at neutral grounds. The clubs involved could alternatively agree to toss for home advantage in the second replay. The semi-finals have been played exclusively at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium since 2008 , one year after it opened and after it had already hosted a final (in 2007). For the first decade of

5457-525: The draw. In rounds up to and including the fourth round proper, fixtures resulting in a draw (after normal time) go to a replay , played at the venue of the away team, at a later date; if that replay is still tied, the winner is settled by a period of extra time , and if still necessary, a penalty shootout . 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 also settled by extra time and penalties. Beginning with

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5564-403: The end of that season (Queen's Park played an under-strength Blackburn in the weeks between the Scottish final and the English final) or during the next. The Scottish Football League began in the 1890–91 season , which introduced a fourth possible participant into the mix – and uniquely a fifth after its first edition, when Rangers and Dumbarton shared the title after a play-off. Everton were

5671-457: The entry list or later withdrew. Beginning in August, the competition proceeds as a knockout tournament throughout, consisting of twelve rounds, a semi-final and then a final, in May. A system of byes ensures clubs above Level 9 enter the competition at later stages. There is no seeding , the fixtures in each round being determined by a random draw. Prior to the fifth round, fixtures ending in

5778-511: The fifth replay. In their 1975 campaign , Fulham played 12 games over six rounds, which remains the most games played by a team to reach a final. Replays were traditionally played three or four days after the original game, but from 1991–92 they were staged at least 10 days later on police advice for the rounds proper. This led to penalty shoot-outs being introduced, the first of which came on 26 November 1991 when Rotherham United eliminated Scunthorpe United . From 1980–81 to 1998–99 ,

5885-486: 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

5992-672: The fixture had a genuinely international aspect. Renton, whose players all originated from their small community in Dunbartonshire , won 4–1 in the midst of a thunderstorm at the second Hampden Park in Glasgow; a re-match in the Black Country under more clement conditions never materialised, although Renton demonstrated their credentials further with a victory over Preston a month later, followed by wins against Sunderland (twice) and Aston Villa during their year as 'holders'.

6099-520: The fixture in some quarters, there was no match known to have taken place between double winners Aston Villa opposing either Rangers (Scottish Cup) or Hearts (SFL) in the 1896–97 period, but conversely in March 1898 Sheffield United and Celtic met at Bramall Lane , before the Yorkshire men (who won 1–0 on the day) were even confirmed as champions of England. The Blades did go on to take the title, and

6206-498: The following season's UEFA Europa League (formerly named the UEFA Cup; from its launch in 1960 until 1998 , they entered the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup instead). This European place applies even if the team is relegated or is not in the English top flight. In the past, if the FA Cup winning team also qualified for the following season's Champions League or Europa League through their league or European performance, then

6313-579: 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. 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

6420-465: The handles of the cup. Traditionally, at Wembley finals, the presentation is made at the Royal Box, with players, led by the captain , mounting a staircase to a gangway in front of the box and returning by a second staircase on the other side of the box. At Cardiff the presentation was made on a podium on the pitch. The tradition of presenting the trophy immediately after the game did not start until

6527-410: The home ground of one of the two teams. The semi-finals and final are played at a neutral venue – the rebuilt Wembley Stadium . In the matches for the 12 competition rounds, the team who plays at home is decided when the fixtures are drawn – simply the first team drawn out for each fixture. Occasionally games may have to be moved to other grounds due to other events taking place, security reasons or

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6634-486: The idea of there being two separate paths to the trophies: a prime example of this came only a week afterwards, when Blackburn Olympic played Queen's Park in the semi-final of the 1883–84 FA Cup in Nottingham . The Scots (who had by then been awarded the Scottish Cup when Vale of Leven refused to play on the scheduled date) progressed to the 1884 FA Cup Final where they lost 2–1 to Blackburn Rovers , another side from

6741-405: The increased handling. Of the four surviving trophies, only the 1895 replica has entered private ownership. The name of the winning team is engraved on the silver band around the base as soon as the final has finished, in order to be ready in time for the presentation ceremony. This means the engraver has just five minutes to perform a task which would take 20 under normal conditions, although time

6848-467: The league, began earlier, at the play-off or third qualifying round stage. From the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League season, however, UEFA does not allow the runners-up to qualify for the Europa League through the competition. If the winner of the FA Cup has already qualified for a European Competition through their Premier League position, the FA Cup berth is then given to the highest placed team in

6955-582: The losing FA Cup finalists were given the European berth of the League Cup winners and the League Cup winners would be given the league berth instead (in the Cup Winners' Cup era, teams qualifying for the UEFA Cup via other competitions would be promoted to the Cup Winners' Cup instead). FA Cup winners enter the Europa League at the group stage. Losing finalists, if they had not qualified for Europe via

7062-472: The makeshift teams well beaten home and away as a consequence). The 1886 FA Cup winners were Blackburn Rovers for a third successive time while Queen's Park reclaimed the Scottish version, but once again these familiar opponents did not arrange to face each other over the next season; Rovers this time did play Renton. A match was played in April 1887 at Perry Barr , Birmingham between the teams who had just won

7169-437: The match was " the most important " of the Scottish clubs' 1887 tour of England as it was between the cup holders and again re-affirmed the matches billing as a " great international match " that " caused immense excitement at Perry Bar[sic], some 10,000 persons looking on ". Later in 1887, Hibernian won a friendly against 1887 FA Cup semi-finalists Preston North End that was billed as ' The Association Football Championship of

7276-551: 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

7383-559: The move to Empire Stadium); and the University of Oxford's Lillie Bridge in Fulham for the second ever final, in 1873 . The other venues used sparingly in this period were all outside of London, as follows: The FA permitted artificial turf (3G) pitches in all rounds of the competition from the 2014–15 edition and beyond. Under the 2015–16 rules, the pitch must be of FIFA One Star quality, or Two Star for ties if they involve one of

7490-434: The national side the following year. By April 1896, Sunderland had lost their title to Aston Villa, the FA Cup winners being The [Sheffield] Wednesday , while Hearts had been replaced as league winners by Celtic but had claimed the Scottish Cup. both combinations met in the closing weeks of that 1895–96 season, with Celtic hosting Villa and running out winners by 3–2, and Hearts defeating Wednesday 3–0 at Tynecastle Park . On

7597-535: The nearby Hampshire village of Lovedean , and there it resided in a quaint thatched roof country pub called The Bird in Hand for the seven years of the war. After the conclusion of World War II, the FA Cup trophy was presented back to the Football Association by the club in time for the 1946 FA Cup Final . The first trophy, the 'little tin idol', was made by Martin, Hall & Co at a cost of £20. It

7704-632: The next match in December 1879 when they defeated Old Etonians at the first Hampden Park , the first such match to take place in Scotland and in difficult weather conditions. In May 1880, Queen's Park beat Clapham Rovers in Glasgow (with proceeds from the match going to a memorial fund for SFA secretary William Dick who had recently died) then repeated this in London the following February. The Spiders then routed Old Carthusians 8–0 in January 1882 at Hampden (again in very bad weather, and something of

7811-450: The outcome of the rematch a month later was a 1–1 draw. The four trophy winners in 1898–99 were familiar names: Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Celtic and Rangers, but it appears no match was arranged between them. As in previous years, when the next league season concluded, its champions – Aston Villa and Rangers – played in Glasgow at the earliest opportunity, resulting in a goalless draw; the Scottish Referee reported "neither club can claim

7918-427: The participants' status only in passing. Having lost this match, Hibernian are said to have advertised their August 1887 friendly against Preston North End (which they won 2–1) as 'The Association Football Championship of the World' and thus claimed the honour; however, while Preston were emerging as one of the leading sides of the period and had beaten strong Scottish opposition in the form of Queen's Park and Renton in

8025-417: The prestige away from a Wembley final. In defending the move, the FA has also cited the extra capacity Wembley offers, although the 2013 fixture between Millwall and Wigan Athletic led to the unprecedented step of placing 6,000 tickets on sale to neutral fans after the game failed to sell out. A fan poll by The Guardian in 2013 found 86% opposition to Wembley semi-finals. The final has been played at

8132-551: The previous 'world championship' match and did not appear to regard the follow-ups as any kind of continuing series. The demonstrable ability and coaching of the Scottish professionals in Sunderland's team and others, combined with a series of poor results in the annual fixture against England , prompted the Scottish Association to finally change their selection policy and invite English-based players to play for

8239-409: The previous round, meaning that in the case of replays, clubs will often know their future opponents in advance. The draw for each of the proper rounds is broadcast live on television, usually taking place at the conclusion of live coverage of one of the games of the previous round. Public interest is particularly high during the draw for the third round, which is where the top-ranked teams are added to

8346-645: The previous season, except newly promoted teams automatically ranked towards the bottom and newly relegated teams ranked to the top; teams are then split between entering at either the Extra-Preliminary or preliminary round so as to ensure the right balance of fixtures throughout the competition. From there, clubs from higher levels are added in later rounds, as per the table below. The months in which rounds are played are traditional, with exact dates subject to each calendar. The number of new entries, winners from previous rounds, and division of Level 8 teams in

8453-468: The rebuilt Wembley Stadium since it opened, in 2007. 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 originally named the Empire Stadium). One exception to this 78-year series of Empire Stadium finals (including five replays)

8560-460: The regular season calendar along with other commitments, while foreign travel was becoming more accessible in the close season for the leading clubs. With interest in the sport and skill levels rising across Europe and the Americas, it was no longer convincing to describe an exclusively British event as a 'World Championship'. The changing football landscape leading up to the outbreak of World War I

8667-426: The respective cups, Hibernian and Aston Villa , with the home side winning 3–0 . Local newspapers are said to have reported this as a de facto world championship game, however, the Scottish publications The Glasgow Herald and The Scotsman reported on it in no grander terms or greater detail than several other cross-border challenge matches of that weekend and the similar meetings of previous years, acknowledging

8774-459: The same Lancashire town as the previous winners. Although both clubs played several other cross-border friendlies over the next year, they did not meet each other again until the 1885 FA Cup Final , by which time Queen's Park's status as Scottish Cup holders had been ended (they were eliminated as early as October in a shock defeat to Battlefield , while Renton won the title in February). Thus

8881-449: The second Anglo-Scottish FA Cup final on 4 April 1885 – again won by Blackburn Rovers – could also not be considered a true meeting of the English and Scottish reigning champions. Over the next season Rovers never met Renton, but did challenge Queen's Park twice in that period (the matches noteworthy for the rule laid down by staunchly amateur Scottish Football Association that any professionals employed by Blackburn could not take part, with

8988-443: The semi-finals went to extra time on the day if the score after 90 minutes was a draw. If the score 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 rivals Arsenal 2–1 after extra time, following a 0–0 draw in the original match. The first FA Cup Final to go to extra time and

9095-608: The size of the draw to match the more stable number of teams in Level 1–9. This means that the competition may now see a standardised number of entries from one year to the next. 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 West with the existing Western League . 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

9202-622: The team. Manchester United are the current holders, having defeated local rivals Manchester City 2–1 in the 2024 final . 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

9309-447: The theft, 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 . Kinnaird died in 1923, and his family kept it in their possession, out of view, until putting it up for auction in 2005. It was sold at Christie's auction house on 19 May 2005 for £ 420,000 (£478,400 including auction fees and taxes). The sale price set

9416-544: The theft, confessing to a newspaper, with the story being published in the Sunday Pictorial newspaper on 23 February 1958. He claimed to have carried out the robbery with two other men, although when discrepancies with a contemporaneous report 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

9523-607: 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. In

9630-473: The travel costs for smaller non-league sides. The first and second proper rounds were also previously split into Northern and Southern sections, but this practice was ended after the 1997–98 competition . The final is normally held the Saturday after the Premier League season finishes in May. The only seasons in recent times when this pattern was not followed were: 1999–2000 , when most rounds were played

9737-567: The trophy and faced off against 'The Invincibles' of Preston North End, who had won both the FA Cup and the inaugural 1888–89 title of the Football League without losing a match; a 3–3 draw was the outcome, although local press reports made little of the status of the fixture despite the grandiose label attached to the previous year's match and the fame of Preston's (mostly Scottish) side and their achievement of that season. With no formal name, date or other consistent factor to denote

9844-535: The trophy to the National Football Museum in Preston on 20 April 2006, where it went on immediate public display. It later moved with the museum to its new location in Manchester. In November 2012, it was ceremonially presented to Royal Engineers , after they beat Wanderers 7–1 in a charity replay of the first FA Cup final . In September 2020, Gold sold the replica trophy for £760,000 through

9951-459: The two preliminary rounds are based on an entry list of 732 modelled on the English league system as of 2022–23. From 2023 to 2024, the entry list could rise to 746 in line with sixteen additional clubs at Level 9 meaning that the extra preliminary round will have 444 teams with only 50 Level 8 clubs entering at the preliminary round. previous round Level 9 clubs Level 8 clubs (96 lowest ranked) The qualifying rounds are regionalised to reduce

10058-656: Was 1893 Scottish Cup winners Queen's Park who took on Sunderland, with the April 1893 match described somewhat imprecisely in the Glasgow Herald as a "holiday match between the English and Scottish champions". Sunderland again prevailed 4–2, two days after their second championship was sealed mathematically. Queen's Park then took on the new FA Cup winners Wolverhampton Wanderers in Glasgow a fortnight later and won comprehensively 5–0, As soon as new 1893–94 league champions were declared – Aston Villa and Celtic respectively – they met in Birmingham on 9 April 1894, headlined by

10165-607: Was a return match from a friendly played between the sides in January 1887. The match was advertised in the Birmingham Daily Mail in their 7 April 1887 edition as a "Great International Match". Aston Villa won the match 3–0. On 9 April 1887, Scottish Cup holders Hibernian, from Edinburgh , took on FA Cup winners Aston Villa in an exhibition match at the Birmingham club's Perry Barr ground. The sides had both recently won their respective national cups at

10272-458: Was also captain of Wanderers in their first victory). Portsmouth have the distinction of being the football club which has held the FA Cup trophy for the longest uninterrupted 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

10379-509: Was also used seven times for semi-final, between 1991 and 2000 (the last held there), but not always for fixtures featuring London teams . In 2005, both were held at the Millennium Stadium. In 2003 the FA decided to permanently use the new Wembley for semi-finals to recoup debts in financing the new stadium. This was controversial, with the move seen as both unfair to fans of teams located far from London, as well as taking some of

10486-452: Was an important event, because Sunderland and the Hearts are respectively champions of the English and Scottish Leagues, so that their encounter was of an international character. Sunderland, at that time known as the 'Team of all Talents' , formed almost entirely of Scottish players, won 5–3. They also played twice more during the following six months, but newspaper reports made no mention of

10593-464: Was beginning to be established by the 1888–89 season , when qualifying rounds were introduced. Following the 1914–15 edition, the competition was suspended in mid air 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

10700-479: Was invited to the Antiques Roadshow to "ambush" Alastair Dickenson with the competition winning design by Fattorini & Sons. The show was filmed at Baddesley Clinton and subsequently aired on 23 October 2016. 1887 World Championship (football) The match between Aston Villa and Hibernian was an exhibition football match that took place in the city of Birmingham in April 1887. It

10807-567: 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 racecourse, 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 further imprisoned in 1957 for seven years for theft from cars. Released in 1961, he died in 1964. After

10914-427: Was not until April 1892 that Rangers gained some revenge with a 2–0 win at Goodison Park ; press reports clearly regarded the matches as a pair, but again there was little mention of any additional honour being at stake. By the time of the delayed second match, both clubs had lost their champion status, Dumbarton claiming the Scottish title outright and Sunderland displacing Everton; West Bromwich Albion and Celtic were

11021-440: Was planned during the 1876–77 season (as had occurred in 1875–76), but there are no records of this taking place due to a dispute over expenses. The next meeting between the cup winners was in April 1878 between Wanderers and Vale of Leven (both of whom had just retained the respective trophies), again taking place in London, won by the Scottish side and with no great fanfare over its significance. Vale of Leven were also involved in

11128-464: Was referred to in multiple publications as the "Championship of the United Kingdom". This resulted in a convincing win for Dumbarton; it is unclear whether a return match in February 1884 (won more narrowly by Blackburn Olympic) was considered a second leg of the same tie. The situation at that time was complicated somewhat by the fact that Scottish teams could and did enter the FA Cup, somewhat negating

11235-467: Was shown in the summer of 1914, when the English and Scottish cup holders – Burnley and Celtic respectively – were both on tour in central Europe, and a match between them was arranged in Hungary, with the 'Budapest Cup' trophy on offer. A fiercely-contested match ended in a draw; Celtic later won a replay at Turf Moor three months later, with the war by now underway (the trophy was never presented, with

11342-419: Was stolen from a Birmingham shoe shop window 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 care, the FA fined Villa £25 to pay for a replacement. Just over 60 years later, 80 year old career criminal Henry (Harry) James Burge claimed to have committed

11449-692: Was the 1970 replay between Leeds United and Chelsea , held at Old Trafford in Manchester. In the 51 years prior to the Empire Stadium opening, the final (including 8 replays) was held in a variety of locations, predominantly in London, and mainly at the Kennington Oval and then Crystal Palace . It was played 22 times at The Oval (the inaugural 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

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