# 2024–25 FA Cup

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.
The qualifying competition began on 3 August 2024, with the proper tournament started on 2 November 2024. The final will be played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 17 May 2025.
Manchester United were the defending champions, having beaten rivals Manchester City in the 2024 Final to win their 13th title, but were eliminated by Fulham in the fifth round.

## 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 17 May 2025. 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 that started the competition in the qualifying rounds. The total 745 entrants was an increase of 13 from the previous season, and the most since 758 entrants were accepted in 2012–13.
All rounds will be drawn randomly, usually at the completion of the previous round (discounting any last games of a round being played), depending on television broadcasting rights.
| Round | Main date (Saturdays) | Number of fixtures | Clubs remaining | New entries this round | Winner prize money | Loser prize money | Divisions entering this round |
| First round | 2 November 2024 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 48 | £45,000 | £15,000 | 24 EFL League One teams 24 EFL League Two teams |
| Second round | 30 November 2024 | 20 | 84 → 64 | None | £75,000 | £20,000 | None |
| Third round | 11 January 2025 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44 | £115,000 | £25,000 | 20 Premier League teams 24 EFL Championship teams |
| Fourth round | 8 February 2025 | 16 | 32 → 16 | None | £120,000 | None | None |
| Fifth round | 1 March 2025 | 8 | 16 → 8 | None | £225,000 | None | None |
| Quarter-finals | 29 March 2025 | 4 | 8 → 4 | None | £450,000 | None | None |
| Semi-finals | 26 April 2025 | 2 | 4 → 2 | None | £1,000,000 | £500,000 | None |
| Final | 17 May 2025 | 1 | 2 → 1 | None | £2,000,000 | £1,000,000 | None |

## Rule changes

This is the first edition of the tournament to be played without replays in the proper rounds since the 2020–21 FA Cup and the first edition of the tournament to have the final played one week before 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. The agreement saw all round dates return to weekends, with previous editions having had some dates in midweek.
VAR will be used in all matches from the fifth round onwards (and none prior), whereas in previous seasons it was used for all matches held in Premier League grounds and at Wembley Stadium.

## Qualifying

Teams that are 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 3 August 2024.

## First round

A total of 80 teams played 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 (Northern Premier League Division One West) were the lowest-ranked team in the draw, which was made on 14 October 2024 by Stuart McCall and Danny Webber at Valley Parade.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | 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.

## Second round

The 40 winners from the first round played in the second round. Seventh tier sides Gainsborough Trinity (Northern Premier League Premier Division), Harborough Town (Southern League Premier Division Central) and Kettering Town (Southern League Premier Division Central) were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw, which was made on 3 November 2024 by Emile Heskey and Leon Osman.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 20 / 20 | 24 / 24 | 18 / 24 | 13 / 24 | 9 / 32 | 84 / 124 |
* 1 2 Premier League and Championship teams joined the competition in the third round.

## Third round

A total of 64 clubs played in the third round: 20 winners from the second round, 20 from Premier League (tier 1), and 24 from Championship (tier 2). National League (tier 5) sides Dagenham & Redbridge and Tamworth were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw, which was made on 2 December 2024 by Mark Hughes and Dion Dublin at Old Trafford.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 20 / 20 | 24 / 24 | 12 / 24 | 6 / 24 | 2 / 32 | 64 / 124 |

## Fourth round

The 32 winners from the third round played in the fourth round. League Two side Doncaster Rovers were the lowest-ranked team in the draw, which was made on 12 January 2025 by Martin Keown and Mark Schwarzer at Emirates Stadium.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 17 / 20 | 9 / 24 | 5 / 24 | 1 / 24 | 0 / 32 | 32 / 124 |

## Fifth round

The 16 winners from the fourth round played in the fifth round. Championship sides Burnley, Cardiff City, Millwall, Plymouth Argyle and Preston North End were the lowest-ranked teams in the draw, which was made on 10 February 2025 by Theo Walcott and Alex Scott.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 11 / 20 | 5 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 32 | 16 / 124 |

## Quarter-finals

The eight winners from the fifth round will play in the quarter-finals. Championship side Preston North End were the lowest-ranked team in the draw, which was made on 2 March 2025 by Denis Irwin and Danny Murphy at Old Trafford.
Number of teams per tier still in competition :
| Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Non-League | Total |
| 7 / 20 | 1 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 32 | 8 / 124 |

## Top goalscorers

    As of 3 March 2025
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Josh Magennis | Exeter City | 6 |
| 2 | Ricky-Jade Jones | Peterborough United | 4 |
| 3 | Thelo Aasgaard | Wigan Athletic | 3 |
| 3 | Jack Clarke | Ipswich Town | 3 |
| 3 | Gassan Ahadme | Charlton Athletic | 3 |
| 3 | Jovon Makama | Lincoln City | 3 |
| 3 | James McAtee | Manchester City | 3 |
| 3 | Rodrigo Muniz | Fulham | 3 |
| 3 | Milutin Osmajić | Preston North End | 3 |
| 3 | Nico O'Reilly | Manchester City | 3 |
| 3 | Georginio Rutter | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 |
| 3 | Jonny Smith | Wigan Athletic | 3 |
| 3 | Tyler Walton | Accrington Stanley | 3 |

## Television rights

Both BBC Sport and ITV Sport air FA Cup matches until the end of this 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 | Fixture | Kick-off | Channels | Channels |
| Round | Date | Fixture | Kick-off | Digital | TV |
| First round | 1 November 2024 | Tamworth v Huddersfield Town | 19:45 | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| First round | 2 November 2024 | Northampton Town v Kettering Town | 17:30 | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| First round | 3 November 2024 | Sutton United v Birmingham City | 12:30 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV |
| First round | 3 November 2024 | Harrogate Town v Wrexham | 15:30 | ITVX | — |
| First round | 4 November 2024 | Chesham United v Lincoln City | 19:15 | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Second round | 29 November 2024 | Harrogate Town v Gainsborough Trinity | 19:45 | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| Second round | 30 November 2024 | Wealdstone v Wycombe Wanderers | 11:30 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV |
| Second round | 30 November 2024 | AFC Wimbledon v Dagenham & Redbridge | 19:15 | ITVX | — |
| Second round | 1 December 2024 | Kettering Town v Doncaster Rovers | 12:00 | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two |
| Second round | 1 December 2024 | Solihull Moors v Bromley | 15:15 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV |
| Third round | 9 January 2025 | Sheffield United v Cardiff City | 19:00 | BBC iPlayer | BBC One Wales |
| Third round | 9 January 2025 | Everton v Peterborough United | 19:45 | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Third round | 10 January 2025 | Aston Villa v West Ham United | 20:00 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV |
| Third round | 11 January 2025 | Liverpool v Accrington Stanley | 12:15 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV |
| Third round | 11 January 2025 | Manchester City v Salford City | 17:45 | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Third round | 11 January 2025 | Leeds United v Harrogate Town | 17:45 | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Third round | 12 January 2025 | Tamworth v Tottenham Hotspur | 12:30 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV |
| Third round | 12 January 2025 | Arsenal v Manchester United | 15:00 | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Third round | 12 January 2025 | Newcastle United v Bromley | 15:00 | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Third round | 12 January 2025 | Southampton v Swansea City | 16:30 | BBC iPlayer | BBC Two Wales |
| Third round | 13 January 2025 | Millwall v Dagenham & Redbridge | 19:30 | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Fourth round | 7 February 2025 | Manchester United v Leicester City | 20:00 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV, UTV |
| Fourth round | 8 February 2025 | Leyton Orient v Manchester City | 12:15 | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fourth round | 8 February 2025 | Birmingham City v Newcastle United | 17:45 | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fourth round | 8 February 2025 | Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea | 20:00 | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Fourth round | 9 February 2025 | Blackburn Rovers v Wolverhampton Wanderers | 12:30 | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Fourth round | 9 February 2025 | Plymouth Argyle v Liverpool | 15:00 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV, UTV |
| Fourth round | 9 February 2025 | Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur | 17:35 | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fourth round | 10 February 2025 | Doncaster Rovers v Crystal Palace | 19:45 | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Fourth round | 11 February 2025 | Exeter City v Nottingham Forest | 20:00 | ITVX | ITV1 |
| Fifth round | 28 February 2025 | Aston Villa v Cardiff City | 20:00 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV |
| Fifth round | 1 March 2025 | Crystal Palace v Millwall | 12:15 | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fifth round | 1 March 2025 | Preston North End v Burnley | 12:15 | BBC iPlayer | — |
| Fifth round | 1 March 2025 | Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle | 17:45 | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Fifth round | 2 March 2025 | Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion | 13:45 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV |
| Fifth round | 2 March 2025 | Manchester United v Fulham | 16:30 | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Fifth round | 3 March 2025 | Nottingham Forest v Ipswich Town | 19:30 | ITVX | ITV4 |
| Quarter-finals | 29 March 2025 | Fulham v Crystal Palace | 12:15 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV |
| Quarter-finals | 29 March 2025 | Brighton & Hove Albion v Nottingham Forest | 17:15 | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Quarter-finals | 30 March 2025 | Preston North End v Aston Villa | 13:30 | BBC iPlayer | BBC One |
| Quarter-finals | 30 March 2025 | Bournemouth v Manchester City | 16:30 | ITVX, STV Player | ITV1, STV |