Format of the FA Cup
The FA Cup has no seeding system, teams are drawn against each other and the first team out has home advantage; the winners go through to the next round on a knockout basis until there are only two teams left who then compete for the Cup, and the FA Cup Winners are awarded a place in the Europa League. Should the games be drawn then a replay takes place at the other team’s stadium followed by extra time and penalties if necessary. There is no replay in either the semi-final or final.
- FA Cup Qualifying Rounds and Rounds 1 and 2 - The FA Cup qualifying rounds and preliminary rounds are when the lowest ranked clubs start their journey. Clubs of all standards compete, from the largest clubs in England and Wales down to amateur village teams who dream of progressing in the competition to possibly meet one of the larger clubs. Ties start in August and are played through to the first round proper, when clubs from Divisions One and Two join the tournament.
- FA Cup Third Round - The third round is regarded by many as one of the most exciting FA Cup rounds as this is when the top two divisions join the competition; the draw for the Third round 2014/15 took place on 8 December. The lower ranked teams have fought hard to reach this point as they could meet a big team such as Chelsea or Manchester City. This round is where most of ‘the magic of the Cup’ takes place; Minnows v Big Guns and plenty of Cup upsets along the way. In 2008/09 a record nine non-league teams reached the third round.
- Fourth and Fifth Rounds - The competition starts to thin out now, and by the end of the fifth round the teams are reduced to eight and contest the FA Cup quarter final. Matches are played in February and March, and there are still upsets as the top teams are also involved in European competition, games come thick and fast and the players are tired. The ‘lesser’ teams take advantage as Brighton & Hove Albion did at Liverpool in 1983 when they were bottom of the First Division & Liverpool were at the top of the First Division; result? A 2-1 win for Brighton.
- Quarter Final - The FA Cup Quarter Final draw takes place after the scheduled dates for the previous round and is shown on live television. The successful clubs from this round have a Wembley appearance to look forward to, as the FA Cup Semi-finals are played at the National Stadium. The FA Cup Quarter Finals have historically had a fair few giant killings – in 1978 Wrexham, then a second division club beat the mighty Arsenal 3-2 and only last season, Wigan, who had been relegated the season before beat pending Premiership Champions Manchester City 1-0.
- Semi Finals - The FA Cup Semi Final ties are now played at Wembley but prior to 2008 they used to be played at a neutral ground. Since 2000 there are no replays and the ties are decided on the day. The FA Cup Semi Final dates for 2018-2019 are 18/19 April. One of the biggest semi-final wins was by Newcastle United when they defeated Fulham 6-0 at Anfield. FA Cup semi-final tickets are not allocated to fans at 50% each – they are allocated based on average home attendances, so the larger supported clubs receive more tickets.
- Final - FA Cup finals are grand occasions & back in the day it used to be the only football event broadcast live on TV. It would be on all day, from seeing the players getting up through to the after match interviews – non-stop football bliss. We’re spoiled for choice now by TV but the FA Cup has retained that magic and association with the people. The final in 2018-2019 is on 30 May and is the end of season showpiece, played as the last event in the domestic calendar. In the 1953 final, Blackpool’s Stan Mortensen scored the final’s only ever hat trick.
FA Cup History
The FA Cup was first contested in 1871/72 and is the oldest football tournament in the world; 15 clubs entered and Wanders beat Royal Engineers 1-0. Move on to the present day and in 2001/12, a record 763 teams were entered for the competition. The 2014 holders are Arsenal who scraped a win 3-2 against Hull City.
Which club has the most FA Cup wins?
Arsenal and Manchester United hold the record for most wins with 11 each and the biggest victory so far is by Preston North End who beat Hyde 26-0 way back in 1887. The highest attendance was at the 1923 Final when 126,047 fans packed into Wembley to see Bolton beat West Ham.
Most memorable FA Cup highlights
In 1971/72 Hereford United, a team of part time non-leaguers took the lead against Newcastle United after 17 seconds and held out for a draw; the replay saw Newcastle leading with 8 minutes left when Hereford’s Ronnie Radford scored a screamer from 30 yards, then Ricky George completed the dream by scoring the winner – one of the most incredible results in FA Cup history. Another memorable moment; who could forget Tottenham’s Argentinian Ricky Villa stealing the show with a 30 yard winner against Manchester City to win them the Cup in 1981?
Tournament Dates
The FA Cup is a knockout tournament with draws made for each round. The competition starts in August with the pre-qualifying rounds, followed by the qualifying rounds and finally the FA Cup ‘proper’ rounds 1 &2 being played in November and December. The top two divisions join the competition in January when the third round is played.
How to Get FA Cup Tickets?
There is a table in the middle of this page with the using the table above you will be able to find tickets to the various FA Cup fixtures and it will give information on FA cup Semi Final ticket prices, Final Prices, match availability etc. Just follow the prompts below to purchase your tickets:
How do I buy FA Cup Tickets?
How to Buy FA Cup Tickets Online at Football Ticket Home?
• There is a table in the middle of the page with the various FA Cup fixtures and rounds.
• Select the game you want to go to and click the View Tickets Button
• On the events page choose your seating section of the stadium you wish to sit in and how many tickets you need, then click on "buy tickets".
• You will be directed to the shopping cart where you can check your order. You will then need to either checkout as a guest, log in or register.
• Enter your billing address details and where you want the tickets delivered to then press "next"
• You will now be able to review your order and see your total cost. If everything is in order, proceed to payment.
• Select your payment method and preferred currency.
• Complete your payment details.
• Once your online payment is processed successfully, you will receive an email for your order confirmation as well as your order number..
• Your transaction should now be complete and you will receive a confirmation email.
• 2-5 days before the match your tickets will arrive at your delivery address.
