FA Cup 2025-26: Comprehensive Round-by-Round Overview

The 2025-26 FA Cup has commenced its 145th edition, showcasing England’s most prominent football clubs, along with some from Wales, as they compete for one of the sport’s most esteemed trophies. The tournament offers clubs from all divisions of the football pyramid an opportunity for exposure, often leading to unexpected outcomes known as ‘giant-killings.’ Reigning champions Crystal Palace will strive to defend their title amidst fierce competition from giants like Manchester United, Liverpool, and Manchester City, alongside ambitious Premier League challengers.

GOAL presents a comprehensive guide to the FA Cup 2025-26, detailing every round with information on draws, fixtures, results, and broadcast options.

### FA Cup 2025-26 Third Round Draw, Fixtures & Results
The third-round draw took place on December 8, 2025, just prior to the live match between Brackley Town and Burton Albion, with games scheduled from January 9 to 12, 2026.

**Fixtures and Results:**
– **January 9:** Port Vale 1-0 Fleetwood Town (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 9:** Preston North End 0-1 Wigan (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 9:** Wrexham 3-3 Nottingham Forest (Wrexham win 4-3 on penalties) (TNT Sports 1, Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 9:** MK Dons 1-1 Oxford United (Oxford win 4-3 on penalties) (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Wolves 6-1 Shrewsbury Town (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Everton 1-1 Sunderland (Sunderland win 3-0 on penalties) (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Cheltenham Town 0-2 Leicester City (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Macclesfield Town 2-1 Crystal Palace (BBC One, BBC iPlayer, TNT Sports 1, Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Doncaster Rovers 2-3 Southampton (Highlights only, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Ipswich Town 2-1 Blackpool (Highlights only, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Manchester City 10-1 Exeter City (Highlights only, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Brentford (Highlights only, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Fulham 3-1 Middlesbrough (Highlights only, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Burnley 5-1 Millwall (Highlights only, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Salford City vs. Swindon Town (Game postponed, Highlights only, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Boreham Wood 0-5 Burton Albion (Highlights only, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Newcastle United 3-3 Bournemouth (Newcastle win 7-6 on penalties) (Highlights only, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Stoke City 1-0 Coventry City (Highlights only, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Aston Villa (BBC One, BBC iPlayer, TNT Sports 1, Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Grimsby Town 3-2 Weston Super Mare (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Cambridge United 2-3 Birmingham City (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Bristol City 5-1 Watford (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 10:** Charlton Athletic 1-5 Chelsea (TNT Sports 1, Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 11:** Derby County 1-3 Leeds United (TNT Sports 2, Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 11:** Portsmouth 1-4 Arsenal (TNT Sports 1, Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 11:** West Ham 2-1 QPR (AET) (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 11:** Norwich City 5-1 Walsall (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 11:** Swansea City 2-2 West Brom (West Brom win 6-5 on penalties) (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 11:** Hull City 0-0 Blackburn Rovers (Hull win 4-3 on penalties) (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 11:** Sheffield United 3-4 Mansfield Town (Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 11:** Manchester United 1-2 Brighton (TNT Sports 1, Discovery+, ESPN+)
– **January 12:** Liverpool vs. Barnsley (TNT Sports 1, Discovery+, ESPN+)

### FA Cup 2025-26 Second Round Draw, Fixtures & Results
The second round draw occurred on November 3, 2025, with matches set for December 5 to 8, 2025.

**Fixtures and Results:**
– **December 5:** Salford City 4-0 Leyton Orient (TNT Sports 1, discovery+/ESPN Select)
– **December 6:** Accrington Stanley 2-2 (AET, 3-1 on penalties) Mansfield Town (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Chelmsford City 0-2 Weston-super-Mare (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Cheltenham Town 6-2 Buxton (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Exeter City 4-0 Wycombe Wanderers (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Peterborough 0-1 Barnsley (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Fleetwood Town 2-2 (AET, 4-2 on penalties) Luton Town (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Grimsby Town 4-0 Wealdstone (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Milton Keynes Dons 3-1 Oldham Athletic (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Port Vale 1-0 Bristol Rovers (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Stockport County 0-0 (AET, 5-4 on penalties) Cambridge United (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Swindon Town 4-0 Bolton Wanderers (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Wigan Athletic 2-2 (AET, 4-3 on penalties) Barrow (Highlights only)
– **December 6:** Sutton United 1-2 Shrewsbury Town (BBC Two, iPlayer, TNT Sports 2/ESPN Select)
– **December 6:** Chesterfield 1-2 Doncaster Rovers (TNT Sports 1, discovery+/ESPN Select)
– **December 7:** Slough Town 1-3 Macclesfield (TNT Sports 2, discovery+/ESPN Select)
– **December 7:** Boreham Wood 3-0 Newport County (BBC Two, iPlayer, TNT Sports 1/ESPN Select)
– **December 7:** Gateshead 0-2 Walsall (TNT Sports 2, discovery+/ESPN Select)
– **December 7:** Blackpool 4-1 Carlisle United (TNT Sports 1, discovery+/ESPN Select)
– **December 8:** Brackley Town 1-3 Burton Albion (TNT Sports 1, discovery+/ESPN Select)

### FA Cup 2025-26 First Round Draw, Fixtures & Results
First-round matches were conducted from October 31 to November 3, 2025, with the draw occurring on October 13, 2025.

**Fixtures and Results:**
– **October 31:** Luton Town 4-3 Forest Green Rovers (TNT Sports 1/ESPN Select)
– **November 1:** Chelmsford City 4-1 Braintree Town (TNT Sports 1 & 3/ESPN Select)
– **November 1:** Weston Super Mare 2-1 (AET) Aldershot Town (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Salford City 1-1 (4-2 on penalties) Lincoln City (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Colchester United 2-3 MK Dons (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Tranmere Rovers 1-3 Stockport County (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Wigan Athletic 1-1 (5-3 on penalties) Hemel Hempsted Town (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Newport County 2-2 (4-3 on penalties) Gillingham (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Cheltenham Town 1-0 Bradford City (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Barnsley 3-2 York City (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Reading 2-3 (AET) Carlisle United (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Bromley 1-2 Bristol Rovers (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Peterborough United 1-0 Cardiff City (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Oldham Athletic 3-1 Northampton Town (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Doncaster Rovers (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Stevenage 0-1 Chesterfield (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Boreham Wood 3-0 Crawley Town (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Sutton United 2-1 AFC Telford United (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Huddersfield Town (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Spennymoor Town 0-2 Barrow (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Plymouth Argyle (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** FC Halifax Town 0-2 Exeter City (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Slough Town 2-1 Altrincham (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Wealdstone 1-0 Southend United (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Rotherham United 1-2 (AET) Swindon Town (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Grimsby Town 3-1 Ebbsfleet United (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Buxton 2-1 (AET) Chatham Town (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Burton Albion 6-0 St Albans City (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Blackpool 1-0 Scunthorpe United (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Cambridge United 3-0 Chester (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Gateshead (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Mansfield Town 3-2 Harrogate Town (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Macclesfield 6-3 AFC Totton (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Fleetwood Town 2-1 Barnet (Highlights only)
– **November 1:** Brackley Town 2-2 (4-3 on penalties) Notts County (BBC Two/TNT Sports 3/ESPN Select)
– **November 2:** South Shields 1-3 Shrewsbury Town (TNT Sports 1/ESPN Select)
– **November 2:** Eastleigh 0-3 Walsall (BBC Two/TNT Sports 2/ESPN Select)
– **November 2:** Port Vale 5-1 Maldon & Tiptree (TNT Sports 1/ESPN Select)
– **November 2:** Gainsborough Trinity 1-2 (AET) Accrington Stanley (TNT Sports 1/ESPN Select)
– **November 3:** Tamworth 0-1 Leyton Orient (TNT Sports 1/ESPN Select)

### FA Cup 2025-26 Broadcast Information
**United Kingdom:**
– TNT Sports, discovery+, and BBC are the official broadcasting partners for the FA Cup during the 2025-26 season. TNT Sports will broadcast selected matches from the first two rounds and all matches from the third round onwards, except those commencing during the Saturday 3 PM blackout. The BBC is set to air 14 live games, sharing coverage with TNT Sports, including two matches per round leading up to the quarter-finals, one semi-final, and the final.

**United States:**
– In the United States, FA Cup matches are available for live streaming on ESPN and its affiliated channels, including ESPN Select.

### FA Cup 2025-26 Round Dates
The qualification rounds for the FA Cup started in August 2025, with the first round proper taking place from late October to early November. A total of 48 teams from the English Football League, comprising 24 teams from League One and 24 from League Two, participate at this stage. Premier League and Championship teams join the tournament starting in the third round, scheduled for early January 2026. The round dates and participating teams are summarized below:

| Round | Main Date | Teams Entering | Number of Games |
|——————–|——————-|————————————————|—————–|
| First Round | November 1, 2025 | 24 League One teams + 24 League Two teams | 40 |
| Second Round | December 6, 2025 | None | 20 |
| Third Round | January 10, 2026 | 20 Premier League teams + 24 Championship teams | 32 |
| Fourth Round | February 14, 2026 | None | 16 |
| Fifth Round | March 7, 2026 | None | 8 |
| Quarter-Finals | April 4, 2026 | None | 4 |
| Semi-Finals | April 25, 2026 | None | 2 |
| Final | May 16, 2026 | None | 1 |

### FA Cup 2025-26 Prize Money
The prize money awarded in the FA Cup varies by round, beginning with the first-round winners receiving £45,000 ($60,000) and losers receiving £15,000 ($20,000). The rewards increase significantly in later rounds, with no monetary compensation for losers in the fourth, fifth rounds, and quarter-finals. The final offers a standalone prize of £2 million ($2.6 million) for the victors and £1 million ($1.3 million) for the runners-up. Teams entering the tournament from the first round that ultimately win the FA Cup could earn over £4 million ($5.3 million) in total prize money, while Premier League teams entering in the third round can accumulate up to £3.9 million ($5.2 million).

| Round | Winner’s Prize | Loser’s Prize |
|——————|———————|———————|
| First Round | £45,000 | £15,000 |
| Second Round | £75,000 | £20,000 |
| Third Round | £115,000 | £25,000 |
| Fourth Round | £120,000 | None |
| Fifth Round | £225,000 | None |
| Quarter-Final | £450,000 | None |
| Semi-Final | £1,000,000 | £500,000 |
| Final | £2,000,000 | £1,000,000 |