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FA Cup: Dates, teams, venues, prize money, history & more

The FA Cup is the oldest national football competition in the world and remains one of the most iconic tournaments on the sporting calendar.

And in a bid to freshen up the competition, the FA will introduce a new format from the start of the 2024/25, including removing replays from the first round proper, while all rounds will be played over weekends and not in midweek and there will be no crossover with the Premier League schedule.

FA Cup 2024/25 dates

Here are all the potential dates for this season's FA Cup from the first round proper through to the final.

First Round

2nd November 2024 weekend

Second Round

7th December 2024 weekend

Third Round

4th January 2025 weekend

Fourth Round

1st February 2025 weekend

Quarter-final

15th March 2025 weekend

Semi-final

19th April 2025 weekend

Final

17th May 2025

FA Cup Teams 2024/25

Any club from the top 10 levels of the English football league system can enter, including 100s of non-league teams.

They compete through six qualifying rounds before the tournament reaches the first-round proper with the 32 teams that made it that far joining the first of the 48 professional teams from Leagues One and Two. Premier League and Championship clubs then enter at the third-round stage.

FA Cup 2024/25 format

Any club from the top 10 levels of the English football league system can enter, including 100s of non-league teams.

They compete through six qualifying rounds before the tournament reaches the first-round proper with the 32 teams that made it that far joining the first of the 48 professional teams from Leagues One and Two. Premier League and Championship clubs then enter at the third-round stage.

The teams are whittled down over rounds four and five before the competition reaches the quarter-final and semi-final stage.

The semis are played at Wembley Stadium too, before the final takes place, usually in late-May, with the winners qualifying for the following season's UEFA Europa League.

There will no longer be any replays from the first round proper with matches decided on the day with a period of extra-time followed by a penalty shootout if necessary.

The FA Cup will also now take place on exclusive weekends with no crossover between the competition and Premier League fixtures.

FA Cup 2024/25 prize money

The prize money on offer during the 2024/25 FA Cup has been confirmed as follows:

  • Extra preliminary round winners - £1,125
  • Extra preliminary round losers - £375
  • Preliminary round winners - £1,444
  • Preliminary round losers - £481
  • First round qualifying winners - £2,250
  • First round qualifying losers - £750
  • Second round qualifying winners - £3,375
  • Second round qualifying losers - £1,125
  • Third round qualifying winners - £5,625
  • Third round qualifying losers - £1,875
  • Fourth round qualifying winners - £9,375
  • Fourth round qualifying losers - £3,125
  • First round proper winners - £45,000
  • First round proper losers - £15,000
  • Second round proper winners - £75,000
  • Second round proper losers - £20,000
  • Third round proper winners - £115,000
  • Third round proper losers - £25,000
  • Fourth round proper winners - £120,000
  • Fifth round proper winners - £225,000
  • Quarter-final winners - £450,000
  • Semi-final winners - £1,000,000
  • Semi-final losers - £500,000
  • Final runners-up - £1,000,000
  • Final winners - £2,000,000

FA Cup history

The FA (Football Association, England's governing body) Cup was first played during the 1871/72 season and the first winners were Wanderers, a team made up of former public schoolboys based in London, who actually won the competition five times in those very early years.

Between 1872 and 1922, various venues hosted the showpiece game, including Kennington Oval, Crystal Palace, Goodison Park and Old Trafford, before the final was first staged at Wembley Stadium in 1923.

It stayed there until 2000, before relocating to Cardiff for six years while Wembley was being rebuilt, and the 'new' Wembley has hosted the final since 2007.

Arsenal have won the FA Cup the most, lifting the trophy a record 14 times, most recently in 2020.

The Gunners have also appeared in the most finals (21). Manchester United are second on the list, winning the Cup 12 times, while Chelsea and Tottenham have been FA Cup winners eight times each, a number that is matched by Liverpool.

In 2023, the first ever Manchester Derby in an FA Cup final saw Pep Guardiola's City defeat Erik ten Hag's United 2-1, contributing to the Citizens matching the Red Devils' 1999 feat of completing a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

The Red Devils exacted their revenge 12 months later, though, beating City 2-1 at Wembley Stadium to quash the Premier League champions' bid to secure back-to-back domestic doubles.

FA Cup winners

Year

Winner

2024

Manchester United

2023

Manchester City

2022

Liverpool

2021

Leicester City 

2020

Arsenal

2019

Manchester City

2018

Chelsea

2017

Arsenal

2016

Manchester United

2015

Arsenal

2014

Arsenal

2013

Wigan

2012

Chelsea

2011

Manchester City

2010

Chelsea

2009

Chelsea

2008

Portsmouth

2007

Chelsea

2006

Liverpool

2005

Arsenal

*List refers to the last 20 winners

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