The 2024–25 FA Cup is the 144th season of the Football Association Challenge Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world. It is sponsored by Emirates and known as the Emirates FA Cup for sponsorship reasons. The FA Cup is the main domestic cup competition for men's football teams in England.
| Football Association Cup | |
|---|---|
 Wembley Stadium will host the final on 17 May 2025 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Dates | 2 November 2024 – 17 May 2025[2] |
| Teams | 745[1] 653 (qualifying competition) 124 (main competition incl. 32 qualifiers) |
| Defending champions | Manchester United |
The qualifying competition began on 3 August 2024, with the tournament proper starting on 2 November 2024. The final will be played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 17 May 2025.
Teams
editThe FA Cup is a knockout competition with 124 teams taking part from the first round proper, and all trying to reach the final at Wembley Stadium on 17 May 2025.[1] The competition consists of the 92 teams from the Football League system (20 teams from the Premier League and the 72 in total from the EFL Championship, EFL League One and EFL League Two) plus the 32 surviving teams out of 653 teams from the National League System tha started the competition in the qualifying rounds. The total 745 entrants was an increase of 13 from the previous season, [1] and the most since 758 entrants were accepted in 2012–13.
All rounds will be drawn randomly, usually either at the completion of the previous round discounting any replays or on the evening of the last televised game of a round being played, depending on television broadcasting rights.
| Round | Main date[2] | Number of fixtures | Clubs remaining | New entries this round | Winner prize money | Loser prize money | Divisions entering this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Saturday 2 November 2024 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 48 | £45,000 | £15,000 | 24 EFL League One teams 24 EFL League Two teams |
| Second round | Saturday 30 November 2024 | 20 | 84 → 64 | None | £75,000 | £20,000 | None |
| Third round | Saturday 11 January 2025 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44 | £115,000 | £25,000 | 20 Premier League teams 24 EFL Championship teams |
| Fourth round | Saturday 8 February 2025 | 16 | 32 → 16 | None | £120,000 | None | None |
| Fifth round | Saturday 1 March 2025 | 8 | 16 → 8 | None | £225,000 | None | None |
| Quarter-finals | Saturday 29 March 2025 | 4 | 8 → 4 | None | £450,000 | None | None |
| Semi-finals | Saturday 26 April 2025 | 2 | 4 → 2 | None | £1,000,000 | £500,000 | None |
| Final | Saturday 17 May 2025 | 1 | 2 → 1 | None | £2,000,000 | £1,000,000 | None |
Rule changes
editThis is the first edition of the tournament to be played without replays in the non-qualifying rounds and the final played one week before the end of the Premier League season.[3] The changes were made as part of a six-year agreement between the Football Association and the Premier League due to pressure on the domestic calendar from expanded UEFA competitions, but were criticised since replays were cited as an important source of revenue for lower league clubs.[4][5] The agreement saw all round dates return to weekends,[2] with previous editions having had some dates in midweek.
Qualifying
editTeams that are not members of either the Premier League or English Football League are competing in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 32 available places in the first round. The six-round qualifying competition began with the extra preliminary round on 3 August 2024.
First round
editA total of 80 teams will play in the first round: 32 winners from the fourth qualifying round, 24 from League Two (tier 4), and 24 from League One (tier 3). Eighth tier side Hednesford Town were the lowest-ranked team in the draw, which was made on 14 October 2024 by Stuart McCall and Danny Webber at Valley Parade.[6]
| Premier League[a] | Championship[a] | League One | League Two | Non-League | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 / 20
|
24 / 24
|
24 / 24
|
24 / 24
|
32 / 32
|
124 / 124
|
| 1 November 2024 | Notts County (4) | v | Alfreton Town (6) | Nottingham |
| 19:45 GMT | Report | Stadium: Meadow Lane |
| 1 November 2024 | Tamworth (5) | v | Huddersfield Town (3) | Tamworth |
| 19:45 GMT | Report | Stadium: The Lamb Ground |
| 2 November 2024 | Barrow (4) | v | Doncaster Rovers (4) | Barrow-in-Furness |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Holker Street |
| 2 November 2024 | Brackley Town (6) | v | Braintree Town (5) | Brackley |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: St James Park |
| 2 November 2024 | Bradford City (4) | v | Aldershot Town (5) | Bradford |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Valley Parade |
| 2 November 2024 | Bristol Rovers (3) | v | Weston-super-Mare (6) | Bristol |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Memorial Stadium |
| 2 November 2024 | Burton Albion (3) | v | Scarborough Athletic (6) | Burton upon Trent |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Pirelli Stadium |
| 2 November 2024 | Carlisle United (4) | v | Wigan Athletic (3) | Carlisle |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Brunton Park |
| 2 November 2024 | Chesterfield (4) | v | Horsham (7) | Chesterfield |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: SMH Group Stadium |
| 2 November 2024 | Crewe Alexandra (4) | v | Dagenham & Redbridge (5) | Crewe |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Gresty Road |
| 2 November 2024 | Exeter City (3) | v | Barnet (5) | Exeter |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: St James Park |
| 2 November 2024 | Gillingham (4) | v | Blackpool (3) | Gillingham |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Priestfield Stadium |
| 2 November 2024 | Grimsby Town (4) | v | Wealdstone (5) | Cleethorpes |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Blundell Park |
| 2 November 2024 | Hednesford Town (8) | v | Gainsborough Trinity (7) | Hednesford |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Keys Park |
| 2 November 2024 | Maidenhead United (5) | v | Crawley Town (3) | Maidenhead |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: York Road |
| 2 November 2024 | Newport County (4) | v | Peterborough United (3) | Newport |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Rodney Parade |
| 2 November 2024 | Reading (3) | v | Fleetwood Town (4) | Reading |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Madejski Stadium |
| 2 November 2024 | Rotherham United (3) | v | Cheltenham Town (4) | Rotherham |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: New York Stadium |
| 2 November 2024 | Rushall Olympic (6) | v | Accrington Stanley (4) | Walsall |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Dales Lane |
| 2 November 2024 | Salford City (4) | v | Shrewsbury Town (3) | Salford |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Moor Lane |
| 2 November 2024 | Solihull Moors (5) | v | Maidstone United (6) | Solihull |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Damson Park |
| 2 November 2024 | Southend United (5) | v | Charlton Athletic (3) | Southend-on-Sea |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Roots Hall |
| 2 November 2024 | Stockport County (3) | v | Forest Green Rovers (5) | Stockport |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Edgeley Park |
| 2 November 2024 | Swindon Town (4) | v | Colchester United (4) | Swindon |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: County Ground |
| 2 November 2024 | Tonbridge Angels (6) | v | Harborough Town (7) | Tonbridge |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Longmead Stadium |
| 2 November 2024 | Tranmere Rovers (4) | v | Oldham Athletic (5) | Birkenhead |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Prenton Park |
| 2 November 2024 | Walsall (4) | v | Bolton Wanderers (3) | Walsall |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Bescot Stadium |
| 2 November 2024 | Woking (5) | v | Cambridge United (3) | Woking |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Kingfield Stadium |
| 2 November 2024 | Wycombe Wanderers (3) | v | York City (5) | High Wycombe |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Adams Park |
| 2 November 2024 | Northampton Town (3) | v | Kettering Town (7) | Northampton |
| 17:30 GMT | Report | Stadium: Sixfields Stadium |
| 3 November 2024 | Milton Keynes Dons (4) | v | AFC Wimbledon (4) | Milton Keynes |
| 12:30 GMT | Report | Stadium: Stadium MK |
| 3 November 2024 | Sutton United (5) | v | Birmingham City (3) | Sutton |
| 12:30 GMT | Report | Stadium: Gander Green Lane |
| 3 November 2024 | Boreham Wood (6) | v | Leyton Orient (3) | Borehamwood |
| 14:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Meadow Park |
| 3 November 2024 | Curzon Ashton (6) | v | Mansfield Town (3) | Ashton-under-Lyne |
| 14:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Tameside Stadium |
| 3 November 2024 | Harrogate Town (4) | v | Wrexham (3) | Harrogate |
| 15:30 GMT | Report | Stadium: Wetherby Road |
| 4 November 2024 | Chesham United (6) | v | Lincoln City (3) | Chesham |
| 19:15 GMT | Report | Stadium: The Meadow |
Television rights
editBoth BBC Sport and ITV Sport air FA Cup matches until the 2025–26 season.
| Broadcaster | Summary |
|---|---|
| BBC Sport | 18 live matches per season, with highlights of the FA Community Shield.[7] BBC Sport has second and third picks of matches in the second round, fourth round and the quarter-finals, as well as first and fourth pick of matches in the first, third and fifth rounds, and first pick of the semi-finals. |
| ITV Sport | At least 20 live matches per season, plus live coverage of the FA Community Shield.[8] ITV has first pick and fourth pick of matches in the second round, fourth round and the quarter-finals, as well as second and third picks for the first, third and fifth rounds and second pick of the semi-finals. |
| Round | Date | Teams | Kick-off | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round[9] | 1 November 2024 | Tamworth v Huddersfield Town | 19:45 | BBC Two |
| 2 November 2024 | Northampton Town v Kettering Town | 17:30 | BBC Two | |
| 3 November 2024 | Sutton United v Birmingham City | 12:30 | ITV1 | |
| Harrogate Town v Wrexham | 15:30 | ITVX | ||
| 4 November 2024 | Chesham United v Lincoln City | 19:15 | ITV4 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "The Clubs Entered in Four FA Competitions in 2024-25". The FA. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "The Emirates FA Cup round dates for the 2024-25 season". The FA. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ MacInnes, Paul (18 April 2024). "FA Cup replays and Premier League winter break scrapped from next season". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "FA Cup replays to be scrapped from the first round onwards in 2024–25". BBC Sport. London. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "FA Cup replay changes 'a total lack of respect for football pyramid'". BBC Sport. London. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Clubs from the EFL join the Emirates FA Cup, following Monday's first round draw". The FA. 14 October 2024.
- ^ "BBC and FA agree new four-year FA Cup deal" (Press release). London: BBC Sport. 19 March 2019. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023.
- ^ "ITV signs four-year deal to make FA Cup games free-to-air from 2021". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ "Emirates FA Cup first round proper live broadcast selections announced". The FA. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.