How does the FA Cup work? Seasoned football fans will understand how the tournament works, but if you’re new to it, it might confuse you, or you might find it lengthy. It’s a knockout competition, meaning teams are eliminated each round until only two teams remain to contest for the trophy. So, how many stages does it have, and how are they grouped?
How Does the FA Cup Work?
The FA Cup is the oldest tournament in world football, founded in 1871. It runs from August to May and is the most inclusive event, as football teams from all tiers of English football get a chance to compete in this prestigious tournament. Here’s a detailed explanation of how it works.
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Who Qualifies For the FA Cup?
The FA Cup is only open to English football clubs that compete in the country’s football pyramid. These include the Premier League, EFL Championship, EFL League One, EFL League Two, and other lower leagues.
Clubs in lower leagues play qualification rounds to get to the official tournament six qualifying rounds. Once that’s done, only 32 teams out of the 645 non-league teams proceed to the first round proper, which also involves League One and League Two teams. In the third round, the Premier League and Championship teams join the competition.
After the fifth round, the FA Cup enters the quarter finals, semi finals, and finals played at Wembley to determine the tournament winner.
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The FA Cup Rounds
Are you still asking, “How does the FA Cup Work?” This is a breakdown of the FA Cup rounds. The FA Cup happens in six rounds, divided into 3 rounds of qualifiers and official competition rounds.
- Extra preliminary round – Level 8 clubs (96 lowest ranked), Level 9 clubs, and Level 10 clubs should any vacancies in the fixtures need filling.
- Preliminary round – Level 8 clubs (64 highest ranks).
- First round (Qualifying) – Level 7 clubs.
- Second round (Qualifying) – Level 6 clubs.
- Third round (Qualifying) – No clubs added.
- Fourth round (Qualifying) – Level 5 clubs.
- Official first round – League One and League Two clubs added.
- Official second round – No clubs added
- Official third round – Premier League and Championship clubs added.
- Official fourth round – No clubs added.
- Official fifth round – Regular knockout round.
- The finals – Quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals.
At any stage, once a team is eliminated, their chance of winning the cup is lost until the following year. Similarly, a team that wins a game moves to the next round automatically.
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How Do Replays in the FA Cup Work?
FA Cup replays are a big feature in the tournament. When a match ends in a draw, a replay is set. If the replay ends in a draw, an extra thirty minutes would be given, and then penalty shootouts to determine a winner.
However, the English Football Association and the Premier League decided to scrap the replays altogether due to the expansion of the UEFA competitions. This is a summary of the changes:
- The FA Cup will no longer have replays.
- The FA Cup will be played exclusively on weekends, and the final will take place at the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season.
- The fourth, fifth and quarter final rounds won’t clash with any Premier League fixture for the first time.
- The Premier League will provide up to an extra £33 million ($41M) for grassroots soccer each season.
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How Does the FA Cup Draw Work?
The FA Cup doesn’t use a group format to determine fixtures. As a result, the fixtures are arrived at through randomization so there isn’t a seeding of teams. During the draw, every team gets a number, and there are corresponding balls that will determine how teams are paired. The first ball represents the home team and the second ball the away team.
In Summary
How does the FA Cup work? This is the ultimate guide to football’s oldest tournament. All football teams in the English pyramid are allowed to contest, making it unique from other competitions. Also, it’s excitement stems from the upsets the smaller teams produce against more formidable sides.
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