English FA Cup Betting Odds

Upcoming Matches (odds subject to change)

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Time Zone

Odds Format

Sat, 4 Apr 2026
12:45	Man City 71/100	Draw 3/1	Liverpool 31/10
17:15	Chelsea 23/500	Draw 11/1	Port Vale 28/1
20:00	Southampton 10/1	Draw 5/1	Arsenal 11/50
Sun, 5 Apr 2026
16:30	West Ham 7/5	Draw 13/5	Leeds 17/10

The FA Cup

The FA Cup, or the Football Association Challenge Cup, is a men's domestic English football competition played annually. It is the oldest association football competition in the world. It was first played in the 1871-72 season and is organised by the Football Association.

Cup Structure

The FA Cup is open to any eligible club in the English football league system. Clubs in the top 4 levels of English football are automatically eligible. The bottom 6 levels need to have played in either the FA Cup, the FA Trophy or the FA Vase competitions in the previous seasons. They also need to have a suitable stadium for hosting games.

There are 12 rounds in the FA Cup. The initial rounds consist of randomly drawn match-ups, followed by a semi-final and final played on neutral ground, usually Wembley Stadium. Clubs are not seeded, but a system of byes ensures that higher-ranked clubs do not enter the competition until the later rounds.

The competition begins in August with the qualifying rounds. while Level 3 and 4 clubs (League One and League Two) enter when the competition proper starts in November. Level 1 and 2 clubs (Premier League and Championship) receive an automatic bye to the third round, which starts in January. The final takes place in May.

Winners of the FA Cup qualify for the UEFA Europa League the following season.

Likely Winners

Because the FA Cup is open to many clubs and games are unseeded, the anticipation of unlikely victories by lower-ranked teams is high. However, since 1945, only 11 non-league teams have made it to the fifth round to become one of the last 16 in the competition.

Between 2006 and 2024, 14 of the 15 FA Cup titles were won by top-six Premier League clubs. However, in the wake of Crystal Palace's victory earlier this year in May 2025, there's renewed hope for a lot of teams outside of the usual contenders.

Arsenal has the best FA Cup record, with 14 victories as of 2024.

Popular Bets

Betting on the outright winner of the FA Cup is one of the most popular bets, but there are many other options open to savvy gamblers. Double Chance bets can be placed on one of two teams to win outright. These will get lower odds but a greater chance of a payout. Other popular bets are on the names of FA Cup finalists, the division of the outright winner and on which round of the competition a particular team will reach.

How to Watch

The FA Cup is broadcast live in the UK on the BBC and ITV. The BBC will show 18 live matches each season and ITV will show at least 20 live matches each season. In Ireland the broadcast partner is Premier Sport.

Matches can also be watched in the US on ESPN and Canada on Sportsnet.

Key FA Cup Dates

August 2025 - May 2026
Extra Preliminary Round: Saturday 2 August 2025 Preliminary Round: Saturday 16 August 2025 First Round Qualifying: Saturday 30 August 2025 Second Round Qualifying: Saturday 13 September 2025 Third Round Qualifying: Saturday 27 September 2025 Fourth Round Qualifying: Saturday 11 October 2025 First Round Proper: Saturday 1 November 2025 Second Round Proper: Saturday 6 December 2025 Third Round Proper: Saturday 10 January 2026 Fourth Round Proper: Saturday 14 February 2026 Fifth Round Proper: Saturday 7 March 2026 Quarter Final: Saturday 4 April 2026 Semi-Final: Saturday 25 April 2026 The Final: Saturday 16 May 2026