# 2023–24 FA Cup

The 2023–24 FA Cup was the 143rd season of the Football Association Challenge Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world. It was sponsored by Emirates and known as the Emirates FA Cup for sponsorship purposes.
The final was played on 25 May 2024 between defending champions Manchester City and local rivals Manchester United, a repeat of the previous final which Manchester City won 2–1. This made the final the first to feature the same teams in consecutive editions since the 1884–85 season. Manchester United beat Manchester City to clinch their 13th title in the competition. As the winners, Manchester United qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league stage, as well as earned the right to play against the winners of the 2023–24 Premier League, Manchester City, in the 2024 FA Community Shield.
This was the last edition of the tournament to feature replays in the non-qualifying rounds, as well as the last one to have the final played after the end of the Premier League season. 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.

## Teams

The 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 25 May 2024. The competition consisted 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 640 teams from the National League System that started the competition in the qualifying rounds.
All rounds were 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.
The total prize fund for the competition was £22,269,800.
| Round | Main date | Number of fixtures | Clubs remaining | New entries this round | Winner prize money | Loser prize money | Divisions entering this round |
| First round | Saturday 4 November 2023 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 48 | £41,000 | None | 24 EFL League One teams 24 EFL League Two teams |
| Second round | Saturday 2 December 2023 | 20 | 84 → 64 | None | £67,000 | None | None |
| Third round | Saturday 6 January 2024 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44 | £105,000 | None | 20 Premier League teams 24 EFL Championship teams |
| Fourth round | Saturday 27 January 2024 | 16 | 32 → 16 | None | £120,000 | None | None |
| Fifth round | Wednesday 28 February 2024 | 8 | 16 → 8 | None | £225,000 | None | None |
| Quarter-finals | Saturday 16 March 2024 | 4 | 8 → 4 | None | £450,000 | None | None |
| Semi-finals | Saturday 20 April 2024 | 2 | 4 → 2 | None | £1,000,000 | £500,000 | None |
| Final | Saturday 25 May 2024 | 1 | 2 → 1 | None | £2,000,000 | £1,000,000 | None |

## Qualifying

Teams that were not members of either the Premier League or English Football League competed 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 4 August 2023.

## First round

The first round saw the 32 winners from the fourth qualifying round joined by the 48 clubs from League One and League Two. The draw was made on 15 October 2023 by Paul Parker and Jobi McAnuff live on ITV1 and STV. The round included three teams from the eighth tier, Cray Valley Paper Mills, Ramsgate and Sheppey United, the lowest-ranked teams remaining in the competition.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | EFL Championship | EFL League One | EFL League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 20 / 20 | 24 / 24 | 24 / 24 | 24 / 24 | 32 / 32 | 124 / 124 |
* 1 2 Premier League and Championship teams joined the competition in the third round.
* ↑ Despite winning the replay 3-0, Barnsley were expelled from the competition for fielding an ineligible player in the match, with Horsham being fully reinstated and given a bye directly to the next round.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000003F-QINU`"'
* ↑ The match was ordered to be replayed again after Forest Green Rovers were found to have fielded an ineligible player. Forest Green Rovers won the match 5–2 before the score was completely wiped out.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000185-QINU`"'

## Second round

The draw for the second round was held live on ITV1 and STV on 5 November 2023 following the conclusion of the televised first-round game between Chesterfield and Portsmouth. The draw was made by Dave Beasant and Anita Asante, and consisted of the 40 winners from the previous round. The round included Ramsgate from the eighth tier, the lowest ranked team remaining in the competition.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | EFL Championship | EFL League One | EFL League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 20 / 20 | 24 / 24 | 15 / 24 | 15 / 24 | 10 / 32 | 84 / 124 |
* 1 2 Premier League and Championship teams joined the competition in the third round.
* ↑ Sutton were originally drawn to play Barnsley, but Barnsley were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player against Horsham in the first round. Horsham were then given a famous giant-killing by default.
* ↑ Sutton were originally drawn to play Barnsley, but Barnsley were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player against Horsham in the first round. Horsham were then given a famous giant-killing by default.

## Third round

The third round saw the 20 winners from the second round joined by the 44 clubs from the Premier League and the Championship. The draw was made on 3 December 2023 by Trevor Steven and Jen Beattie during pre-game for the Eastleigh v Reading second round tie on ITV1 and STV. The round included Maidstone United from the sixth tier, the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | EFL Championship | EFL League One | EFL League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 20 / 20 | 24 / 24 | 9 / 24 | 7 / 24 | 4 / 32 | 64 / 124 |

## Fourth round

The draw was made on 8 January 2024 by Gary Mabbutt and Emma Byrne in the build-up to the Wigan Athletic v Manchester United third round tie on ITV1 and STV. The round included Maidstone United from the sixth tier, the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition. The five replays that were contested in this round were the final replays to ever be played in the competition proper.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | EFL Championship | EFL League One | EFL League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 15 / 20 | 14 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 2 / 24 | 1 / 32 | 32 / 124 |

## Fifth round

The draw was made on 28 January 2024 by Glen Johnson at half-time during the Liverpool v Norwich City fourth round tie on ITV1 and STV. The round included Maidstone United from the sixth tier, the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition, and the first side outside of the top five divisions to reach the last 16 since Blyth Spartans in 1977–78.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | EFL Championship | EFL League One | EFL League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 10 / 20 | 5 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 1 / 32 | 16 / 124 |

## Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was made on 28 February 2024 by Seema Jaswal and David Seaman on ITV4 as part of the build-up to the fifth round tie between Chelsea and Leeds United. The round included Championship sides Coventry City and Leicester City, the lowest-ranked teams left in the competition.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | EFL Championship | EFL League One | EFL League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 6 / 20 | 2 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 32 | 8 / 124 |

## Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was made on 17 March 2024 by Ian Wright on ITV1, following the quarter-final match between Manchester United and Liverpool. The round included Championship club Coventry City, the only remaining non-top flight team in the competition.
Manchester United extended their English record of a 32nd overall FA Cup semi-final appearance and their second consecutive season, after advancing past Brighton & Hove Albion on penalties last season. Manchester City made a sixth consecutive FA Cup semi-final appearance, also an English record; the club had won two and lost three of the previous five encounters.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | EFL Championship | EFL League One | EFL League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 3 / 20 | 1 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 32 | 4 / 124 |

## Top goalscorers

Following the conclusion of the competition, Biggleswade Town player Jonathan ‘JJ’ Lacey was awarded the FA Cup Golden Ball Award, commemorating him as the top scorer of the season from the extra preliminary round through to the final with 10 goals.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Ellis Simms | Coventry City | 6 |
| 1 | Sammie Szmodics | Blackburn Rovers | 6 |
| 3 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 5 |
| 3 | João Pedro | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 |
| 5 | Callum O'Hare | Coventry City | 4 |
| 5 | Kyle Wootton | Stockport County | 4 |
| 7 | Ali Al-Hamadi | AFC Wimbledon | 3 |
| 7 | Jack Barham | Aldershot Town | 3 |
| 7 | Billy Bodin | Oxford United | 3 |
| 7 | Jón Daði Böðvarsson | Bolton Wanderers | 3 |
| 7 | Ryan Bowman | Shrewsbury Town | 3 |
| 7 | Sam Corne | Maidstone United | 3 |
| 7 | Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | 3 |
| 7 | Chris Maguire | Eastleigh | 3 |
| 7 | Sékou Mara | Southampton | 3 |
| 7 | Paul McCallum | Eastleigh | 3 |
| 7 | Shane McLoughlin | Newport County | 3 |
| 7 | William Osula | Sheffield United | 3 |
| 7 | Jamie Reid | Stevenage | 3 |
| 7 | Aaron Rowe | Crewe Alexandra | 3 |
| 7 | Bernardo Silva | Manchester City | 3 |
| 7 | Josh Stokes | Aldershot Town | 3 |
| 7 | Haji Wright | Coventry City | 3 |

## Television rights

Both 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. 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. 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 | Channels | Channels |
| Round | Date | Teams | Kick-off | Digital | TV |
| First round | 3 November | Sheppey United v Walsall | 7:45pm | ITVX | ITV4 |
| First round | 4 November | Bromley v Blackpool | 5:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| First round | 4 November | Mansfield Town v Wrexham | 7:45pm | S4C Clic | S4C |
| First round | 5 November | Chesterfield v Portsmouth | 12:15pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| First round | 5 November | Crewe Alexandra v Derby County | 2:45pm | ITVX | — |
| First round | 5 November | Charlton Athletic v Cray Valley Paper Mills | 5:30pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| First round (Replay) | 14 November | Horsham v Barnsley | 7:30pm | ITVX | ITV4 |
| First round (Replay) | 15 November | Cray Valley Paper Mills v Charlton Athletic | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| Second round | 1 December | York City v Wigan Athletic | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| Second round | 3 December | Eastleigh v Reading | 1:30pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Second round | 3 December | Wrexham v Yeovil Town | 3:45pm | ITVX | — |
| Second round | 4 December | AFC Wimbledon v Ramsgate | 7:45pm | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Second round | 5 December | Alfreton Town v Walsall | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Second round (Replay) | 12 December | Barnet v Newport County | 7:45pm | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Second round (Replay) | 13 December | Stockport County v Aldershot Town | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| Third round | 4 January | Crystal Palace v Everton | 8:00pm | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Third round | 5 January | Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley | 8:00pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Third round | 6 January | Sunderland v Newcastle United | 12:45pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Third round | 6 January | Chelsea v Preston North End | 5:30pm | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Third round | 6 January | Middlesbrough v Aston Villa | 5:30pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Third round | 7 January | Manchester City v Huddersfield Town | 2:00pm | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Third round | 7 January | Shrewsbury Town v Wrexham | 2:00pm | S4C Clic | S4C |
| Third round | 7 January | Arsenal v Liverpool | 4:30pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Third round | 8 January | Wigan Athletic v Manchester United | 8:15pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Third round (Replay) | 16 January | Bristol City v West Ham United | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Third round (Replay) | 17 January | Blackpool v Nottingham Forest | 7:45pm | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Fourth round | 25 January | AFC Bournemouth v Swansea City | 7:45pm | S4C Clic | S4C |
| Fourth round | 26 January | Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City | 8:00pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Fourth round | 27 January | Ipswich Town v Maidstone United | 12:30pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fourth round | 27 January | Fulham v Newcastle United | 7:00pm | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Fourth round | 28 January | West Bromwich Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers | 11:45am | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Fourth round | 28 January | Liverpool v Norwich City | 2:30pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Fourth round | 28 January | Newport County v Manchester United | 4:30pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fourth round | 29 January | Blackburn Rovers v Wrexham | 7:30pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One Wales |
| Fourth round (Replay) | 6 February | Plymouth Argyle v Leeds United | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fourth round (Replay) | 7 February | Aston Villa v Chelsea | 8:00pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Fifth round | 26 February | Coventry City v Maidstone United | 7:45pm | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Fifth round | 27 February | AFC Bournemouth v Leicester City | 7:30pm | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Fifth round | 27 February | Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fifth round | 27 February | Luton Town v Manchester City | 8:00pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Fifth round | 28 February | Chelsea v Leeds United | 7:30pm | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Fifth round | 28 February | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton and Hove Albion | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Fifth round | 28 February | Nottingham Forest v Manchester United | 7:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fifth round | 28 February | Liverpool v Southampton | 8:00pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Quarter Final | 16 March | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Coventry City | 12:15pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Quarter Final | 16 March | Manchester City v Newcastle United | 5:30pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Quarter Final | 17 March | Chelsea v Leicester City | 12:45pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Quarter Final | 17 March | Manchester United v Liverpool | 3:30pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Semi Final | 20 April | Manchester City v Chelsea | 5:15pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Semi Final | 21 April | Coventry City v Manchester United | 3:30pm | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Final | 25 May | Manchester United v Manchester City | 3:00pm | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Final | 25 May | Manchester United v Manchester City | 3:00pm | ITVX | ITV1 |