164-526: The Stretford End , also known as the West Stand , is at Old Trafford , the stadium of Manchester United Football Club . It takes its name from nearby Stretford . The stand is divided into two tiers and, in common with the rest of the stadium, has a cantilever roof. Before the Taylor Report , which required all Premier League and Division One clubs to have all-seater stadia by the start of
328-933: A "Wembley of the North " on the same site, potentially being funded by the government's Levelling Up program. Old Trafford has played host to both codes of rugby football , although league is played there with greater regularity than union . Old Trafford has hosted every Rugby League Premiership Final since the 1986–87 season , in addition to the competition's successor, the Super League Grand Final from 1998. The first league match to be held at Old Trafford came in November 1958, with Salford playing against Leeds under floodlights in front of 8,000 spectators. The first rugby league Test match played at Old Trafford came in 1986, when Australia beat Great Britain 38–16 in front of 50,583 spectators in
492-565: A United league match, as 70,504 spectators watched the Red Devils lose 3–1 to Aston Villa . The ground hosted its first international football match later that decade, when England lost 1–0 to Scotland in front of 49,429 spectators on 17 April 1926. Unusually, the record attendance at Old Trafford is not for a Manchester United home game. Instead, on 25 March 1939, 76,962 people watched an FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town . In 1936, as part of
656-545: A biennial charity match initially organised by singer Robbie Williams and actor Jonathan Wilkes ; however, in 2008, the match was played at Wembley Stadium. On 27 March 2021, Old Trafford hosted its first game of the Manchester United women's team , with West Ham United as the opposition in the Women's Super League . Exactly one year on, Manchester United's women's team face Everton at Old Trafford in front of
820-412: A competitive game at Old Trafford in the post-War era was 11,968, as United beat Fulham 3–0 on 29 April 1950. However, on 7 May 1921, the ground hosted a Second Division match between Stockport County and Leicester City for which the official attendance was just 13. This figure is slightly misleading as the ground also contained many of the 10,000 spectators who had stayed behind after watching
984-415: A cost of £350,000. The architects of the new stand, Mather and Nutter (now Atherden Fuller), rearranged the organisation of the stand to have terracing at the front, a larger seated area towards the back, and the first private boxes at a British football ground. The east stand – the only remaining uncovered stand – was developed in the same style in 1973. With the first two stands converted to cantilevers,
1148-459: A crowd for the first time (the 2021 game was behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic ). A crowd of 20,241 attended the match, marking the highest home attendance of the women's team, and saw Manchester United come out with a 3–1 victory. On 6 July 2022, Old Trafford hosted the opening match of UEFA Women's Euro 2022 between England and Austria , in front of a record attendance for
1312-616: 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
1476-406: 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
1640-521: 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
1804-432: 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
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#17327655480961968-405: A new Premier League record. The record continued to be pushed upwards before reaching its current peak on 31 March 2007, when 76,098 spectators saw United beat Blackburn Rovers 4–1, meaning that just 114 seats (0.15% of the total capacity of 76,212) were left unoccupied. In 2009, a reorganisation of the seating in the stadium resulted in a reduction of the capacity by 255 to 75,957, meaning that
2132-617: A new stadium. Not one to spend money frivolously, Davies scouted around Manchester for an appropriate site, before settling on a patch of land adjacent to the Bridgewater Canal , just off the north end of the Warwick Road in Old Trafford . Designed by Scottish architect Archibald Leitch , who designed several other stadia, the ground was originally designed with a capacity of 100,000 spectators and featured seating in
2296-563: 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
2460-558: A no-score draw after extra time . Bradford won 1–0, the goal scored by Jimmy Speirs , in a match watched by 58,000 people. The ground's second FA Cup Final was the 1915 final between Sheffield United and Chelsea . Sheffield United won the match 3–0 in front of nearly 50,000 spectators, most of whom were in the military, leading to the final being nicknamed "the Khaki Cup Final". On 27 December 1920, Old Trafford played host to its largest pre-Second World War attendance for
2624-462: A panel including club statistician Cliff Butler, journalist David Meek , and former players Pat Crerand and Wilf McGuinness . At Old Trafford itself, an art competition was run for pupils from three local schools to create their own depictions of the stadium in the past, present and future. Winning paintings were put on permanent display on the concourse of the Old Trafford family stand, and
2788-646: A quarter-final and a semi-final at Euro 96 . The club purchased the Trafford Park trading estate, a 20-acre (81,000 m ) site on the other site of United Road, for £9.2 million in March 1995. Construction began in June 1995 and was completed by May 1996, with the first two of the three phases of the stand opening during the season. Designed by Atherden Fuller, with Hilstone Laurie as project and construction managers and Campbell Reith Hill as structural engineers,
2952-622: 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
3116-463: A second tier, and that meant the demolition of the megastore. The store was moved to a temporary site opposite the East Stand, before taking up a 17,000 square feet (1,600 m ) permanent residence in the ground floor of the expanded East Stand in 2000. The floor space of the megastore was owned by United's kit sponsors, Nike , who operated the store until the expiry of their sponsorship deal at
3280-505: 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
3444-480: A third level and increasing capacity to around 80,000. Replication of the corner stands on the other side of the stadium would further increase its capacity to 88,000 and increase the number of executive facilities. Housing on Railway Road and the railway line itself have previously impeded improvements to the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, but the demolition of housing and engineering advances mean that
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#17327655480963608-449: 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
3772-540: A week from November to March. In the mid-1980s, when Manchester United Football Club owned the Manchester Giants , Manchester's basketball franchise, there were plans to build a 9,000-seater indoor arena on the site of what is now Car Park E1. However, the chairman at the time, Martin Edwards , did not have the funds to take on such a project, and the basketball franchise was eventually sold. In August 2009,
3936-626: A £35,000 refurbishment, an 80-yard-long roof was added to the United Road stand (now the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand) for the first time, while roofs were added to the south corners in 1938. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War , Old Trafford was requisitioned by the military to be used as a depot. Football continued to be played at the stadium, but a German bombing raid on Trafford Park on 22 December 1940 damaged
4100-669: Is a football stadium in Old Trafford , Greater Manchester , England, and is the home of Manchester United . With a capacity of 74,310, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wembley Stadium ) in the United Kingdom, and the twelfth-largest in Europe . It is about 0.5 miles (800 m) from Old Trafford Cricket Ground and the adjacent tram stop . Nicknamed "The Theatre of Dreams" by Bobby Charlton , Old Trafford has been United's home ground since 1910, although from 1941 to 1949
4264-434: Is a strategic plan for the stadium ... It is not our intention to stand still". In March 2016 (ten years after the previous redevelopment), talk of the redevelopment of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand re-emerged. In order to meet accessibility standards at the stadium, an £11 million investment was made into upgrading its facilities, creating 118 new wheelchair positions and 158 new amenity seats in various areas around
4428-587: Is also regularly used for private functions, particularly weddings, Christmas parties and business conferences. The first wedding at the ground was held in the Premier Suite in February 1996. The highest attendance recorded at Old Trafford was 76,962 for an FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town on 25 March 1939. However, this was before the ground was converted to an all-seater stadium, allowing many more people to fit into
4592-478: Is an underground heating system, composed of 23 miles (37 km) of plastic pipes. Former club manager Alex Ferguson often requested that the pitch be relaid, most notably half-way through the 1998–99 season, when the team won the Treble , at a cost of about £250,000 each time. The grass at Old Trafford is watered regularly, though less on wet days, and mowed three times a week between April and November, and once
4756-503: Is likely to cost around £100 million, due to the proximity of the railway line that runs adjacent to the stadium, and the corresponding need to build over it and thus purchase up to 50 houses on the other side of the railway. Nevertheless, the Manchester United group property manager confirmed that expansion plans are in the pipeline – linked to profits made from the club's property holdings around Manchester – saying "There
4920-410: Is located on the east side of Sir Matt Busby Way and on the opposite side of the Bridgewater Canal from the stadium, and can accommodate up to 1,500 supporters. It opened in the summer of 2015. The venture is conducted separately from the club and was funded in part by proceeds from Neville's testimonial match. In 2009, it was reported that United continued to harbour plans to increase the capacity of
5084-492: 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 –
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5248-667: 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
5412-407: 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
5576-488: Is the most commonly referred to today. The K Stand fans were renowned for their vocal support for the club, and a large array of chants and songs, though many of them have relocated to the second tier of the Stretford End. The East Stand has a tinted glass façade, behind which the club's administrative centre is located. These offices are the home to the staff of Inside United, the official Manchester United magazine,
5740-631: Is the only remaining part of the original 1910 stadium, having survived the bombing that destroyed much of the stadium during the Second World War. On 6 February 2008, the tunnel was renamed the Munich Tunnel, as a memorial for the 50th anniversary of the 1958 Munich air disaster . The current tunnel is in the South-West corner of the ground, and doubles as an entrance for the emergency services. If large vehicles require access, then
5904-504: Is unrivalled in the world, it is an honour to Manchester and the home of a team who can do wonders when they are so disposed". Before the construction of Wembley Stadium in 1923, the FA Cup Final was hosted by a number of different grounds around England including Old Trafford. The first of these was the 1911 FA Cup Final replay between Bradford City and Newcastle United , after the original tie at Crystal Palace finished as
6068-564: 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
6232-414: 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
6396-492: The 1966 FIFA World Cup fast approaching, at which the stadium would host three group matches, this prompted the United directors to completely redesign the United Road (north) stand. The old roof pillars were replaced in 1965 with modern-style cantilevering on top of the roof, allowing every spectator a completely unobstructed view, while it was also expanded to hold 20,000 spectators (10,000 seated and 10,000 standing in front) at
6560-413: The 1994–95 season , the Stretford End was the main standing area at Old Trafford , accommodating around 20,000 fans. The very upper tier of the end did actually have form seating where generally families with younger children used to sit. The last game played in front of the terrace was the final match of the 1991–92 season, a 3–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on 2 May 1992. The terrace was demolished in
6724-707: The 2003 UEFA Champions League Final between Milan and Juventus . From 2001 to 2007, following the demolition of the old Wembley Stadium, the England national football team was forced to play its games elsewhere. During that time, the team toured the country, playing their matches at various grounds from Villa Park in Birmingham to St James' Park in Newcastle . In that period, Old Trafford hosted 14 of England's 34 home matches, more than any other stadium. The latest international to be held at Old Trafford
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6888-904: The 2012 Summer Olympics and UEFA Women's Euro 2022 . The stadium also hosted the 2003 Champions League Final . Outside football, the stadium is used occasionally for rugby league . It has been the venue for the Rugby Football League 's annual Super League Grand Final , and previously Premiership Final , since 1987. In addition, it has been a host venue for five editions of the Rugby League World Cup - 1995 , 2000 , 2013 , and 2021 (men's and women's) . Before 1902, Manchester United were known as Newton Heath, during which time they first played their football matches at North Road and then Bank Street in Clayton . However, both grounds were blighted by wretched conditions,
7052-480: 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
7216-547: 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
7380-407: 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
7544-680: 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
7708-466: 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
7872-494: The War Damage Commission granted Manchester United £4,800 to remove the debris and £17,478 to rebuild the stands. During the reconstruction of the stadium, Manchester United played their "home" games at Maine Road , the home of their cross-town rivals, Manchester City , at a cost of £5,000 a year plus a percentage of the gate receipts. The club was now £15,000 in debt, not helped by the rental of Maine Road, and
8036-459: 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
8200-547: The match , which Manchester United were unable to accommodate. The first rugby union match to be played at Old Trafford was held during the 1924–25 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and France , when a Lancashire representative side hosted the New Zealand national team , with Manchester United receiving 20 per cent of the gate receipts. Old Trafford hosted its first rugby union international in 1997, when New Zealand defeated England 25–8. A second match
8364-548: 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
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#17327655480968528-519: The 1990s saw Great Britain record their only win over Australia at the ground in 1997 in the second test of the Super League Test series in front of 40,324 fans. When the Rugby League World Cup was hosted by Great Britain, Ireland and France in 2000 , Old Trafford was chosen as the venue for the final; the match was contested by Australia and New Zealand, and resulted in a 40–12 win for Australia, watched by 44,329 spectators. Old Trafford
8692-501: The 1992 close-season and replaced with a £10 million all-seater cantilever stand by the end of the 1992–93 season , and its name officially changed to the West Stand, although it is still often referred to as the Stretford End and has white seats spelling the name out. The construction work was carried out by Birse Group . The redevelopment of the Stretford End was already being planned by 1989, when chairman Martin Edwards
8856-485: 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
9020-511: 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
9184-523: The Cheshire Lines Committee turned the proposal down. The CLC had planned to build a new station adjacent to the new stadium, with the promise of an anticipated £2,750 per annum in fares offsetting the £9,800 cost of building the station. The station – Trafford Park – was eventually built, but further down the line than originally planned. The CLC later constructed a modest station with one timber-built platform immediately adjacent to
9348-529: The East Stand. Opened in January 2000, the stadium's capacity was temporarily increased to about 61,000 until the opening of the West Stand's second tier, which added yet another 7,000 seats, bringing the capacity to 68,217. It was now not only the biggest club stadium in England but the biggest in all of the United Kingdom. Old Trafford hosted its first major European final three years later, playing host to
9512-538: 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,
9676-509: 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
9840-511: 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
10004-486: 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
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#173276554809610168-411: 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
10332-419: 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
10496-553: The Labour MP for Stoke, Ellis Smith , petitioned the Government to increase the club's compensation package, but it was in vain. Though Old Trafford was reopened, albeit without cover, in 1949, it meant that a league game had not been played at the stadium for nearly 10 years. United's first game back at Old Trafford was played on 24 August 1949, as 41,748 spectators witnessed a 3–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers . A roof
10660-489: The North Section of cricket 's Lambert & Butler Floodlit Competition was played there; in the semi-finals, Nottinghamshire defeated Derbyshire and Lancashire beat Yorkshire , before Lancashire beat Nottinghamshire by 8 runs in the final to reach the national final, played between the other regional winners at Stamford Bridge the next day. In October 1993, a WBC – WBO Super-Middleweight unification fight
10824-462: The Old Trafford pitch. With every subsequent improvement made to the ground since the Second World War, the capacity steadily declined. By the 1980s, the capacity had dropped from the original 80,000 to approximately 60,000. The capacity dropped still further in 1990, when the Taylor Report recommended, and the government demanded that all First and Second Division stadia be converted to all-seaters . This meant that £3–5 million plans to replace
10988-425: 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
11152-578: The Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, with the club's in-house television station, MUTV , in the East studio and other television stations, such as the BBC and Sky , in the West studio. The dugout is in the centre of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, raised above pitch level to give the manager and his coaches an elevated view of the game. Each team's dugout flanks the old players' tunnel, which was used until 1993. The old tunnel
11316-401: The Stretford End in 2000, many fans from the old "K Stand" moved there, and decided to hang banners and flags from the barrier at the front of the tier. So ingrained in Manchester United culture is the Stretford End, that Denis Law was given the nickname "King of the Stretford End", and there is now a statue of Law on the concourse of the stand's upper tier. The East Stand at Old Trafford was
11480-430: The Stretford End with a brand new stand with an all-standing terrace at the front and a cantilever roof to link with the rest of the ground had to be drastically altered. This forced redevelopment, including the removal of the terraces at the front of the other three stands, not only increased the cost to around £10 million, but also reduced the capacity of Old Trafford to an all-time low of around 44,000. In addition,
11644-469: 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
11808-695: The Women's European Championships of 68,871 – the second highest women's football attendance in the United Kingdom. Old Trafford was included in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland 's shortlist of stadiums to host UEFA Euro 2028 however was not included on the final list of 10. The Old Trafford pitch is surrounded by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the Sir Alex Ferguson (North), East, Sir Bobby Charlton (South) and West Stands. Each stand has at least two tiers, with
11972-414: The additional tier could now be built at reduced cost. In 2018, it was reported that plans are currently on hold due to logistical issues. The extent of the work required means that any redevelopment is likely to be a multi-season project, due to the need to locate heavy machinery in areas of the stadium currently inaccessible or occupied by fans during match days and the fact that the stand currently holds
12136-432: The building that would later become the club's merchandising office. A surge in the club's popularity in the early 1990s led to another move, this time to the forecourt of the West Stand. With this move came a great expansion and the conversion from a small shop to a "megastore". Alex Ferguson opened the new megastore on 3 December 1994. The most recent moves came in the late 1990s, as the West Stand required room to expand to
12300-486: The capacity to around 88,000. The stadium's record attendance was recorded in 1939, when 76,962 spectators watched the FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town . Old Trafford has hosted an FA Cup Final , two final replays and was regularly used as a neutral venue for the competition's semi-finals . It has also hosted England fixtures, and matches at the 1966 FIFA World Cup , UEFA Euro 1996 ,
12464-592: The car park became home to the Hublot clock tower, a 10-metre-tall (32 ft 10 in) tower in the shape of the Hublot logo, which houses four 2-metre-diameter (6 ft 7 in) clock faces, the largest ever made by the company. The east side of the stadium is also the site of Hotel Football , a football-themed hotel and fan clubhouse conceived by former Manchester United captain Gary Neville . The building
12628-407: The changing rooms, press boxes and TV studios. Club managing director Richard Arnold has said that "it isn't certain that there's a way of doing it which doesn't render us homeless." This would mean that Manchester United would have to leave Old Trafford for the duration of the works – and while Tottenham Hotspur were able to use the neutral Wembley Stadium for two seasons while their own new stadium
12792-482: The club shared Maine Road with local rivals Manchester City as a result of Second World War bomb damage. Old Trafford underwent several expansions in the 1990s and 2000s, including the addition of extra tiers to the North, West and East Stands, almost returning the stadium to its original capacity of 80,000. Future expansion is likely to involve the addition of a second tier to the South Stand, which would raise
12956-598: The club was told in 1992 that they would only receive £1.4 million of a possible £2 million from the Football Trust to be put towards work related to the Taylor Report. The club's resurgence in success and increase in popularity in the early 1990s ensured that further development would have to occur. In 1995, the 30-year-old North Stand was demolished and work quickly began on a new stand, to be ready in time for Old Trafford to host three group games,
13120-411: The club's home attendance record would stand at least until the next expansion. Old Trafford celebrated its 100th anniversary on 19 February 2010. In recognition of the occasion, Manchester United's official website ran a feature in which a memorable moment from the stadium's history was highlighted on each of the 100 days leading up to the anniversary. From these 100 moments, the top 10 were chosen by
13284-529: The club's official website, and its other administrative departments. Images and advertisements are often emblazoned on the front of the East Stand, most often advertising products and services provided by the club's sponsors, though a tribute to the Busby Babes was displayed in February 2008 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. Above the megastore is a statue of Sir Matt Busby , who
13448-423: The club's owners devised a long-term plan to do the same to the other two stands and convert the stadium into a bowl-like arena. Such an undertaking would serve to increase the atmosphere within the ground by containing the crowd's noise and focusing it onto the pitch, where the players would feel the full effects of a capacity crowd. Meanwhile, the stadium hosted its third FA Cup Final, hosting 62,078 spectators for
13612-517: The club. A 9-foot (2.7 m) statue of Ferguson, sculpted by Philip Jackson , was erected outside the stand on 23 November 2012 in recognition of his status as Manchester United's longest-serving manager. Opposite the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand is the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, formerly Old Trafford's main stand and previously known as the South Stand. Although only a single-tiered stand, the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand contains most of
13776-418: 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
13940-744: 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
14104-409: 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
14268-525: 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
14432-401: The end of July 2015, when ownership reverted to the club. The pitch at the ground measures approximately 105 metres (115 yd) long by 68 metres (74 yd) wide, with a few metres of run-off space on each side. The centre of the pitch is about nine inches higher than the edges, allowing surface water to run off more easily. As at many modern grounds, 10 inches (25 cm) under the pitch
14596-506: 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
14760-557: The exception of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, which only has one tier due to construction restrictions. The bottom tier of each stand is split into Lower and Upper sections, the Lower sections having been converted from terracing in the early 1990s. The Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, formerly known as the United Road stand and the North Stand, runs over the top of United Road. The stand is three tiers tall, and can hold about 26,000 spectators,
14924-511: 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 ,
15088-458: The first of its kind in the world, the Manchester United museum was in the south-east corner of the ground until it moved to the redeveloped North Stand in 1998. The museum was opened by Pelé on 11 April 1998, since when numbers of visitors have jumped from 192,000 in 1998 to more than 300,000 visitors in 2009. The North Stand was renamed as the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand on 5 November 2011, in honour of Alex Ferguson 's 25 years as manager of
15252-486: 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
15416-604: The first test of the 1986 Kangaroo tour . The 1989 World Club Challenge was played at Old Trafford on 4 October 1989, with 30,768 spectators watching Widnes beat the Canberra Raiders 30–18. Old Trafford also hosted the second Great Britain vs Australia Ashes tests on both the 1990 and 1994 Kangaroo Tours . The stadium also hosted the semi-final between England and Wales at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup ; England won 25–10 in front of 30,042 fans. The final rugby league international played at Old Trafford in
15580-474: The first tier of the West Stand is now partly occupied by The Red Army, a fan led group dedicated to restoring the stand’s atmosphere. The players' tunnel is located at the corner of the Stretford End and the Sir Bobby Charlton (South) stand. Strikers Denis Law (who played for United from 1962 to 1973) and Eric Cantona (1992 to 1997) were nicknamed "King of the Stretford End" by the club's fans,
15744-553: 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
15908-468: The football ground – in an attempt to persuade them to subsidise construction of the grandstand alongside the railway line. The subsidy would have come to the sum of £10,000, to be paid back at the rate of £2,000 per annum for five years or half of the gate receipts for the grandstand each year until the loan was repaid. However, despite guarantees for the loan coming from the club itself and two local breweries, both chaired by club chairman John Henry Davies,
16072-539: The football ground. 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
16236-450: The former for his prolific scoring and the latter for his charisma as well as his contribution towards the a new glory era. The Stretford End has a statue of Denis Law on the upper concourse, which was unveiled on 23 September 2002. Law was known as the "King of the Stretford End" as he was idolised by the End's faithful. Old Trafford Old Trafford ( / ˈ t r æ f ər d / )
16400-505: The game received a replica copy of the programme from the first Old Trafford match, and half-time saw relatives of the players who took part in the first game – as well as those of the club chairman John Henry Davies and stadium architect Archibald Leitch – taking part in the burial of a time capsule of Manchester United memorabilia near the centre tunnel. Only relatives of winger Billy Meredith , wing-half Dick Duckworth and club secretary Ernest Mangnall could not be found. Old Trafford
16564-474: The ground's executive suites, and also plays host to any VIPs who may come to watch the match. Members of the media are seated in the middle of the Upper South Stand to give them the best view of the match. The television gantry is also in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, so the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand is the one that gets shown on television least often. Television studios are located at either end of
16728-579: 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
16892-465: 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
17056-410: 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
17220-405: 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
17384-467: 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
17548-582: 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
17712-487: The match between Manchester United and Derby County earlier that day. The highest average attendance at Old Trafford over a league season was 75,826, set in the 2006–07 season. The greatest total attendance at Old Trafford came two seasons later, as 2,197,429 people watched Manchester United win the Premier League for the third year in a row, the League Cup , and reach the final of the UEFA Champions League and
17876-551: 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
18040-480: The most of the four stands. It can also accommodate a few fans in executive boxes and hospitality suites. It opened in its current state in 1996, having previously been a single-tiered stand. As the ground's largest stand, it houses many of the ground's more popular facilities, including the Red Café (a Manchester United theme restaurant/bar) and the Manchester United museum and trophy room. Originally opened in 1986 as
18204-559: 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
18368-535: 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
18532-409: The new three-tiered stand cost a total of £18.65 million to build and had a capacity of about 25,500, raising the capacity of the entire ground to more than 55,000. The cantilever roof would also be the largest in Europe, measuring 58.5 m (192 ft) from the back wall to the front edge. Further success over the next few years guaranteed yet more development. First, a second tier was added to
18696-409: The ones who make the most noise. Originally designed to hold 20,000 fans, the Stretford End was the last stand to be covered and also the last remaining all-terraced stand at the ground before the forced upgrade to seating in the early 1990s. The reconstruction of the Stretford End, which took place during the 1992–93 season , was carried out by Alfred McAlpine . When the second tier was added to
18860-469: The pitch, two sections of the Main Stand roof were cut away. The first match to be played under floodlights at Old Trafford was a First Division match between Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers on 25 March 1957. However, although the spectators would now be able to see the players at night, they still suffered from the problem of obstructed views caused by the pillars that supported the roofs. With
19024-525: The pitches ranging from gravel to marsh, while Bank Street suffered from clouds of fumes from its neighbouring factories. Therefore, following the club's rescue from near-bankruptcy and renaming, the new chairman John Henry Davies decided in 1909 that the Bank Street ground was not fit for a team that had recently won the First Division and FA Cup , so he donated funds for the construction of
19188-417: 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
19352-409: 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
19516-645: 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
19680-468: 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)
19844-480: The replay of the 1970 final between Chelsea and Leeds United ; Chelsea won the match 2–1. The ground also hosted the second leg of the 1968 Intercontinental Cup , which saw Estudiantes de La Plata win the cup after a 1–1 draw. The 1970s saw the dramatic rise of football hooliganism in Britain, and a knife-throwing incident in 1971 forced the club to erect the country's first perimeter fence, restricting fans from
20008-543: The safety of Old Trafford as a rugby league venue, in particular the short in-goal areas and the slope around the perimeter. In January 2019, Old Trafford was selected to host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup finals, with the men's and women's matches being played as a double header. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , 2020 was the first year in which Old Trafford did not host the Super League Grand Final due to concerns about having to possibly reschedule
20172-399: The seating above the tunnel can be raised by up to 25 feet (7.6 m). The tunnel leads up to the players' dressing room, via the television interview area, and the players' lounge. Both the home and away dressing rooms were re-furbished for the 2018–19 season, and the corridor leading to the two was widened and separated to keep the opposing teams apart. On 3 April 2016, the South Stand
20336-485: The second to be converted to a cantilever roof, following the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand. It is also commonly referred to as the Scoreboard End, as it was the location of the scoreboard. The East Stand can currently hold nearly 12,000 fans, and is the location of both the disabled fans section and the away section; an experiment involving the relocation of away fans to the third tier of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand
20500-563: The semi-finals of the FA Cup. The lowest average attendance at Old Trafford came in the 1930–31 season, when an average of 11,685 spectators watched each game. Adjacent to the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand of the stadium is Manchester United Football Ground railway station . The station is between the Deansgate and Trafford Park stations on the Southern Route of Northern Rail's Liverpool to Manchester line . It originally served
20664-443: 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
20828-608: 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
20992-408: The south stand under cover, while the remaining three stands were left as terraces and uncovered. Including the purchase of the land, the construction of the stadium was originally to have cost £60,000 all told. However, as costs began to rise, to reach the intended capacity would have cost an extra £30,000 over the original estimate and, at the suggestion of club secretary J. J. Bentley , the capacity
21156-421: The stadium and this opened on 21 August 1935. It was initially named United Football Ground, but was renamed Old Trafford Football Ground in early 1936. It was served on match days only by a shuttle service of steam trains from Manchester Central railway station . It is currently known as Manchester United Football Ground . Construction was carried out by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester and development
21320-414: The stadium further, with the next stage pointing to a redevelopment of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, which, unlike the rest of the stadium, remains single tier. A replication of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand development and North-East and North-West Quadrants would see the stadium's capacity rise to an estimated 95,000, which would give it a greater capacity than Wembley Stadium (90,000). Any such development
21484-665: The stadium on matchdays only, but the service was stopped at the request of the club for safety reasons. The stadium is serviced by the Altricham , Eccles , South Manchester and Trafford Park lines of the Manchester Metrolink network, with the nearest stops being Wharfside , Old Trafford (which it shares with the Old Trafford Cricket Ground ) and Exchange Quay at nearby Salford Quays . All three stops are less than 10 minutes' walk from
21648-490: The stadium to the extent that a Christmas Day fixture against Stockport County had to be switched to Stockport's ground. Football resumed at Old Trafford on 8 March 1941, but another German raid on 11 March 1941 destroyed much of the stadium, notably the main stand (now the South Stand), forcing the club's operations to move to Cornbrook Cold Storage, owned by United chairman James W. Gibson . After pressure from Gibson,
21812-420: The stadium, as well as a new purpose-built concourse at the back of the Stretford End. Increasing capacity for disabled supporters is estimated to reduce overall capacity by around 3,000. To mitigate the reduction in capacity, various expansion plans have been considered, such as adding a second tier to the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, bringing it to a similar height to the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand opposite but without
21976-402: The stadium. Old Trafford's record attendance as an all-seater stadium currently stands at 76,098, set at a Premier League game between Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers on 31 March 2007. Old Trafford's record attendance for a non-competitive game is 74,731, set on 5 August 2011 for a pre-season testimonial between Manchester United and New York Cosmos . The lowest recorded attendance at
22140-622: 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
22304-447: 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
22468-544: 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
22632-607: 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
22796-473: 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
22960-535: 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
23124-459: 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
23288-527: The winners were presented with awards by artist Harold Riley on 22 February. An exhibition about the stadium at the club museum was opened by former goalkeeper Jack Crompton and chief executive David Gill on 19 February. The exhibition highlighted the history of the stadium and features memorabilia from its past, including a programme from the inaugural match and a 1:220 scale model hand-built by model artist Peter Oldfield-Edwards. Finally, at Manchester United's home match against Fulham on 14 March, fans at
23452-438: Was England's 1–0 loss to Spain on 7 February 2007. The match was played in front of a crowd of 58,207. Old Trafford's most recent expansion, which took place between July 2005 and May 2006, saw an increase of around 8,000 seats with the addition of second tiers to both the north-west and north-east quadrants of the ground. Part of the new seating was used for the first time on 26 March 2006, when an attendance of 69,070 became
23616-565: Was Manchester United's longest-serving manager until he was surpassed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2010. There is also a plaque dedicated to the victims of the Munich air disaster on the south end of the East Stand, while the Munich Clock is at the junction of the East and South Stands. On 29 May 2008, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Manchester United's first European Cup title, a statue of the club's " holy trinity " of George Best , Denis Law and Bobby Charlton , entitled "The United Trinity",
23780-515: 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
23944-415: Was also chosen to host the 2013 Rugby League World Cup final . The game, played on 30 November, was won by Australia 34–2 over defending champions New Zealand , and attracted a crowd of 74,468, a world record for a rugby league international. During the game, Australia winger Brett Morris suffered a heavy crash into the advertising boards at the Stretford End, emphasising questions raised pre-match over
24108-509: 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
24272-464: 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
24436-419: Was built, the only stadia of comparable size anywhere near Old Trafford are local rivals Manchester City's City of Manchester Stadium , or possibly Anfield , home of historic rivals Liverpool, neither of which are considered viable. In 2021 United co-chairman Joel Glazer said at a Fans Forum meeting that "early-stage planning work" for the redevelopment of Old Trafford and the club's Carrington training ground
24600-406: Was completed in late 1909. The stadium hosted its inaugural game on 19 February 1910, with United playing host to Liverpool . However, the home side were unable to provide their fans with a win to mark the occasion, as Liverpool won 4–3. A journalist at the game reported the stadium as "the most handsomest [sic], the most spacious and the most remarkable arena I have ever seen. As a football ground it
24764-413: Was conducted during the 2011–12 season, but the results of the experiments could not be ascertained in time to make the move permanent for the 2012–13 season. The disabled section provides for up to 170 fans, with free seats for carers. Old Trafford was formerly divided into sections, with each section sequentially assigned a letter of the alphabet. Although every section had a letter, it is the K Stand that
24928-415: Was held at the ground, with around 42,000 people paying to watch WBO champion Chris Eubank fight WBC champion Nigel Benn . Aside from sporting uses, several concerts have been played at Old Trafford, with such big names as Bon Jovi , Genesis , Bruce Springsteen , Status Quo , Rod Stewart and Simply Red playing. An edition of Songs of Praise was recorded there in September 1994. Old Trafford
25092-567: 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
25256-453: Was played at Old Trafford on 6 June 2009, when England beat Argentina 37–15. The stadium was one of 12 confirmed venues set to host matches of the 2015 Rugby World Cup ; however, in April 2013 United pulled out of the contract over concerns about pitch quality and not wanting to compromise their relationship with the 13-man code. Before the Old Trafford football stadium was built, the site
25420-421: Was proposing to sell the club and was willing to sell his shares for £10 million and pledge £10 million to any new owner for the redevelopment of the Stretford End; however, the proposed sale of the club to Michael Knighton fell through and Edwards remained the club's owner for another 16 years. For the 2000–01 season , a second tier of seating was added. As well as hosting a number of executive boxes,
25584-492: Was reduced to approximately 80,000. Nevertheless, at a time when transfer fees were still around the £1,000 mark, the cost of construction only served to reinforce the club's " Moneybags United" epithet, with which they had been tarred since Davies had taken over as chairman. In May 1908, Archibald Leitch wrote to the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) – who had a rail depot adjacent to the proposed site for
25748-477: Was renamed the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand before kick-off of the Premier League home match against Everton , in honour of former Manchester United player Sir Bobby Charlton , who made his Manchester United debut 60 years earlier. Perhaps the best-known stand at Old Trafford is the West Stand, also known as the Stretford End . Traditionally, the stand is where the hard-core United fans are located, and also
25912-551: Was restored to the Main Stand by 1951 and, soon after, the three remaining stands were covered, the operation culminating with the addition of a roof to the Stretford End (now the West Stand) in 1959. The club also invested £40,000 in the installation of proper floodlighting , so that they would be able to use the stadium for the European games that were played in the late evening of weekdays, instead of having to play at Maine Road. In order to avoid obtrusive shadows being cast on
26076-419: 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
26240-692: 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
26404-401: Was underway. This followed "increasing criticism" over the lack of development of the ground since 2006. The club is considering tearing down the current stadium and building an entirely new one on the same site, but this is believed to be the "least likely choice". In 2024, it was reported that 25 percent Manchester United shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to demolish Old Trafford and build
26568-429: Was unveiled across Sir Matt Busby Way from the East Stand, directly opposite the statue of Busby. The Manchester United club shop has had six different locations since it was first opened. Originally, the shop was a small hut near to the railway line that runs alongside the ground. The shop was then moved along the length of the South Stand, stopping first opposite where away fans enter the ground, and then residing in
26732-407: Was used as a venue for several matches in the football competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics . The stadium hosted five group games, a quarter-final and semi-final in the men's tournament , and one group game and a famous semi-final in the women's tournament , the first women's international matches to be played there. Since 2006, Old Trafford has also been used as the venue for Soccer Aid ,
26896-521: Was used for games of shinty , the traditional game of the Scottish Highlands. During the First World War , the stadium was used by American soldiers for games of baseball. In July 1927, Old Trafford hosted a tennis exhibition match between French Olympic champion and Grand Slam winner Suzanne Lenglen and British Ceylonese player Evelyn Dewhurst . Lenglan defeated Dewhurst 6–0, 6–2 in front of over 15,000 spectators. On 17 September 1981,
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