# 2015–16 FA Cup

The 2015–16 FA Cup (also known as the FA Challenge Cup) was the 135th edition of the oldest recognised football tournament in the world. It was sponsored by Emirates, and known as The Emirates FA Cup for sponsorship purposes. It began with the extra preliminary round on 15 August 2015, and concluded with the final on 21 May 2016. The FA Cup winner qualifies for the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League group stage.
Premier League side Arsenal were the two-time defending champions after they beat Aston Villa 4–0 in the previous final on 30 May 2015, but were eliminated by Watford in the sixth round.
The winners were Manchester United, who defeated Crystal Palace 2–1 in the final after extra time for their record-tying 12th title.

## Teams

| Round | Clubs remaining | Clubs involved | Winners from previous round | New entries this round | Leagues entering at this round |
| First round proper | 124 | 80 | 32 | 48 | EFL League One EFL League Two |
| Second round proper | 84 | 40 | 40 | none | none |
| Third round proper | 64 | 64 | 20 | 44 | Premier League EFL Championship |
| Fourth round proper | 32 | 32 | 32 | none | none |
| Fifth round proper | 16 | 16 | 16 | none | none |
| Quarter-finals | 8 | 8 | 8 | none | none |
| Semi-finals | 4 | 4 | 4 | none | none |
| Final | 2 | 2 | 2 | none | none |

## Prize fund

| Round | No. of Clubs receive fund | Prize fund per club |
| Extra preliminary round winners | 184 | £1,500 |
| Preliminary round winners | 160 | £1,925 |
| First round qualifying winners | 116 | £3,000 |
| Second round qualifying winners | 80 | £4,500 |
| Third round qualifying winners | 40 | £7,500 |
| Fourth round qualifying winners | 32 | £12,500 |
| First round proper winners | 40 | £18,000 |
| Second round proper winners | 20 | £27,000 |
| Third round proper winners | 32 | £67,500 |
| Fourth round proper winners | 16 | £90,000 |
| Fifth round proper winners | 8 | £180,000 |
| Sixth round proper winners | 4 | £360,000 |
| Semi-Final losers | 2 | £450,000 |
| Semi-Final winners | 2 | £900,000 |
| Final runners-up | 1 | £900,000 |
| Final winner | 1 | £1,800,000 |
| Total | | £15,132,000 |

## Round and draw dates

The schedule are as follows.
| Phase | Round | Draw date | Match date |
| Qualifying rounds | Extra preliminary round | 3 July 2015 | 15 August 2015 |
| Qualifying rounds | Preliminary round | 3 July 2015 | 29 August 2015 |
| Qualifying rounds | First round qualifying | 24 August 2015 | 12 September 2015 |
| Qualifying rounds | Second round qualifying | 14 September 2015 | 26 September 2015 |
| Qualifying rounds | Third round qualifying | 28 September 2015 | 10 October 2015 |
| Qualifying rounds | Fourth round qualifying | 12 October 2015 | 24 October 2015 |
| Main tournament | First round proper | 26 October 2015, 19:00 GMT | 7 November 2015 |
| Main tournament | Second round proper | 9 November 2015, 19:00 GMT | 5 December 2015 |
| Main tournament | Third round proper | 7 December 2015, 19:00 GMT | 9 January 2016 |
| Main tournament | Fourth round proper | 11 January 2016, 19:15 GMT | 30 January 2016 |
| Main tournament | Fifth round proper | 31 January 2016, 18:15 GMT | 20 February 2016 |
| Main tournament | Sixth round proper | 21 February 2016, 18:15 GMT | 12 March 2016 |
| Main tournament | Semi-finals | 14 March 2016 | 23 and 24 April 2016 |
| Main tournament | Final | 14 March 2016 | 21 May 2016 |

## Qualifying rounds

The qualifying competition began with the extra preliminary round on 15 August 2015. All of the competing teams that were not members of either the Premier League or the Football League had to compete in the qualifying rounds to win a place in the first round proper. The final (fourth) qualifying round began on the weekend of 24 October.

## First round proper

The first round draw took place on 26 October at 7pm at the club house of the FA Charter Standard Community Club Thackley Juniors F.C. based in Thackley in West Yorkshire, and was broadcast live on BBC Two and BBC Radio 5 Live. The first round proper were played on the weekend of 7 November. 32 teams from the qualifying competition joined the 48 teams from League One and League Two to compete in this round. The round included two teams from Level 8 still in the competition, Northwich Victoria and Didcot Town, which were the lowest-ranked teams in this round; Northwich Victoria advanced to become the lowest-ranked team in the second round.

## Second round proper

The second round draw took place on 9 November at Civil Service, based in Chiswick, London, and was broadcast live on BBC Two.
The lowest-ranked side in this round was Northwich Victoria, who competed at level 8 of English football.

## Third round proper

A total of 64 teams played in this round: 44 teams from Premier League and Football League Championship which entered in this round, and the 20 winners of the previous round. The draw was held on 7 December 2015.
The lowest-ranked team in this round was Eastleigh from the National League (tier 5), the only non-league side remaining in the competition.

## Fourth round proper

The draw for the fourth round proper was held on 11 January 2016. The fourth round proper was played across the weekend of 30 January 2016.
The three lowest ranked teams in this round were Oxford United, Portsmouth and Carlisle United, who competed in League Two (tier 4).

## Fifth round proper

The draw for the fifth round proper was held on 31 January 2016. The fifth round proper was played across the weekend of 20 February 2016.
The lowest ranked club in this round was Shrewsbury Town, who competed in League One (tier 3).

## Sixth round proper

The draw for the sixth round proper (Quarter-finals) was held on 21 February 2016. The sixth round proper was played across the weekend of 12 March 2016. This marked the final year where the sixth round would go into a replay if teams were tied.
The lowest ranked club remaining in this round was Reading, who competed in the League Championship (tier 2).

## Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 14 March 2016. The semi-finals were played on 23 and 24 April 2016.

## Final

The final took place on 21 May 2016 at Wembley Stadium.

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Matěj Vydra | Reading | 6 |
| 2 | Macauley Bonne | Colchester United | 4 |
| 2 | Kelechi Iheanacho | Manchester City | 4 |
| 2 | Ben Marshall | Blackburn Rovers | 4 |
| 2 | Conor Washington | Peterborough United | 4 |

## Broadcasting rights

The domestic broadcasting rights for the competition were held by the BBC and subscription channel BT Sport. The BBC held the rights since 2014–15, while BT Sport since 2013–14. The FA Cup Final was required to be broadcast live on UK terrestrial television under the Ofcom code of protected sporting events.
The following matches were broadcast live on UK television:
| Round | Date | Teams | Kick-off | Channels | Channels |
| Round | Date | Teams | Kick-off | Digital | TV |
| First round | 6 November | Salford City v Notts County | 7:55pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| First round | 8 November | Didcot Town v Exeter City | 12:00pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| First round | 9 November | F.C. United of Manchester v Chesterfield | 7:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| First round (Replay) | 18 November | Bradford City v Aldershot Town | 7:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| First round (Replay) | 19 November | Maidenhead United v Port Vale | 7:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Second round | 4 December | Salford City v Hartlepool United | 7:55pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| Second round | 6 December | Rochdale v Bury | 12:00pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Second round | 7 December | Grimsby Town v Shrewsbury Town | 7:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Second round (Replay) | 15 December | Hartlepool United v Salford City | 7:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Second round (Replay) | 16 December | Whitehawk v Dagenham & Redbridge | 7:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Third round | 8 January | Exeter City v Liverpool | 7:55pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Third round | 9 January | Wycombe Wanderers v Aston Villa | 12:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Third round | 9 January | Newport County v Blackburn Rovers | 3:00pm | S4C Clic | S4C |
| Third round | 9 January | Manchester United v Sheffield United | 5:30pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Third round | 10 January | Oxford United v Swansea City | 12:00pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two Wales |
| Third round | 10 January | Chelsea v Scunthorpe United | 2:00pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Third round | 10 January | Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City | 4:00pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Third round | 10 January | Cardiff City v Shrewsbury Town | 6:00pm | S4C Clic | S4C |
| Third round | 18 January | Newport County v Blackburn Rovers | 7:15pm | S4C Clic | S4C |
| Third round (Replay) | 19 January | Bristol City v West Bromwich Albion | 7:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Third round (Replay) | 20 January | Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Third round (Replay) | 20 January | Liverpool v Exeter City | 8:00pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Fourth round | 29 January | Derby County v Manchester United | 7:55pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fourth round | 30 January | Colchester United v Tottenham Hotspur | 12:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Fourth round | 30 January | Liverpool v West Ham United | 5:30pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Fourth round | 31 January | Carlisle United v Everton | 1:30pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Fourth round | 31 January | Milton Keynes Dons v Chelsea | 4:00pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fourth round (Replay) | 9 February | West Ham United v Liverpool | 7:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Fourth round (Replay) | 10 February | Peterborough United v West Bromwich Albion | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fifth round | 20 February | Arsenal v Hull City | 12:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Fifth round | 20 February | AFC Bournemouth v Everton | 5:15pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fifth round | 21 February | Blackburn Rovers v West Ham United | 2:00pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Fifth round | 21 February | Chelsea v Manchester City | 4:00pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fifth round | 22 February | Shrewsbury Town v Manchester United | 7:45pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Fifth round (Replay) | 8 March | Hull City v Arsenal | 7:00pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Sixth round | 11 March | Reading v Crystal Palace | 7:55pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Sixth round | 12 March | Everton v Chelsea | 5:30pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Sixth round | 13 March | Arsenal v Watford | 1:30pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Sixth round | 13 March | Manchester United v West Ham United | 4:00pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Sixth round (Replay) | 13 April | West Ham United v Manchester United | 7:00pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Semi-finals | 23 April | Everton v Manchester United | 5:15pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Semi-finals | 24 April | Crystal Palace v Watford | 4:00pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
| Final | May 21 | Crystal Palace v Manchester United | 5:30pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Final | May 21 | Crystal Palace v Manchester United | 5:30pm | BT Sport App | BT Sport 2 |
Welsh language channel S4C broadcast the third-round match between Cardiff City and Shrewsbury Town, and also broadcast the rescheduled third-round match between Newport County and Blackburn Rovers.