TotalSportek FA Cup Fixtures, Rounds & TV Schedule
The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world, and the 2025-26 season has been another classic. Manchester City won the trophy for the fourth time in five years, but the road to Wembley was full of drama. Non-league Macclesfield knocked out holders Crystal Palace in the third round. Premier League giants fell to lower-league opposition. And the final delivered a tense 1-0 victory for Pep Guardiola’s side.
This guide gives you the full FA Cup schedule for 2025-26, including round dates, TV coverage, key results and everything you need to know about the competition. Bookmark this page to stay updated on the world’s greatest domestic cup competition.
Quick Answer
The 2025-26 FA Cup ran from 2 August 2025 to 16 May 2026. A record 747 clubs entered the competition. Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 in the final at Wembley, with Antoine Semenyo scoring the only goal in the 71st minute. All matches from the third round onwards were broadcast live on BBC and TNT Sports. The competition featured 14 rounds in total, from the extra preliminary round in August to the final in May.
Full FA Cup 2025-26 Round Dates
The FA Cup is a marathon, not a sprint. The 2025-26 season started in early August with the extra preliminary round and finished nine months later at Wembley.
Here are all the key round dates for the 2025-26 FA Cup:
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Extra Preliminary Round | Weekend of 2 August 2025 |
| Preliminary Round | Weekend of 16 August 2025 |
| First Round Qualifying | Weekend of 30 August 2025 |
| Second Round Qualifying | Weekend of 13 September 2025 |
| First Round Proper | Weekend of 1 November 2025 |
| Second Round Proper | Weekend of 6 December 2025 |
| Third Round Proper | Weekend of 10 January 2026 |
| Fourth Round Proper | Weekend of 14 February 2026 |
| Fifth Round Proper | Weekend of 7 March 2026 |
| Quarter-Finals | Weekend of 4 April 2026 |
| Semi-Finals | Weekend of 25 April 2026 |
| Final | Saturday 16 May 2026 |
The competition proper began with the first round on the weekend of 1 November 2025, when 80 teams from League One and League Two entered the draw. They were joined in the third round by Premier League and Championship clubs, who entered in January 2026.
FA Cup Draw Dates
The draws for each round took place shortly before the matches. Here are the key draw dates for the 2025-26 FA Cup:
- Third Round Draw – Monday 8 December 2025
- Fourth Round Draw – Monday 12 January 2026
- Fifth Round Draw – Monday 16 February 2026
- Quarter-Final Draw – held after the fifth round
- Semi-Final Draw – Sunday 5 April 2026
The semi-final draw took place at the London Stadium after the final quarter-final tie between West Ham United and Leeds United.
How to Watch the FA Cup in the UK
BBC
The BBC is the free-to-air home of the FA Cup. In the 2025-26 season, the BBC showed 14 live matches across the competition. This included two live matches per round through to the quarter-finals, plus one semi-final and the final.
The BBC also provides extensive highlights, radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, and digital coverage across the BBC Sport website and app.
TNT Sports
TNT Sports holds the main broadcast rights for the FA Cup. Every match from the third round onwards was available to watch live on TNT Sports and discovery+. The deal runs for four years from the 2025-26 season.
For the fifth round, for example, all eight ties were broadcast live on TNT Sports, with two also shown on BBC One and iPlayer.
Key Fifth Round TV Schedule
The fifth round took place from 6-9 March 2026. Here is how the TV coverage looked:
| Match | Date & Time | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Wolves vs Liverpool | Friday 6 March, 8pm | TNT Sports 1, BBC One |
| Mansfield Town vs Arsenal | Saturday 7 March, 12.15pm | TNT Sports 1 |
| Wrexham vs Chelsea | Saturday 7 March, 5.45pm | TNT Sports 2, BBC One |
| Newcastle vs Man City | Saturday 7 March, 8pm | TNT Sports 1 |
| Fulham vs Southampton | Sunday 8 March, 12pm | TNT Sports 2 |
| Port Vale vs Sunderland | Sunday 8 March, 1.30pm | TNT Sports 1 |
| Leeds vs Norwich | Sunday 8 March, 4.30pm | TNT Sports 1 |
| West Ham vs Brentford | Monday 9 March, 7.30pm | TNT Sports 1 |
Giant-Killing Shocks
The FA Cup is famous for its giant-killings, and 2025-26 delivered one of the biggest. Crystal Palace won the competition in 2025, but they were dumped out in the third round by non-league Macclesfield in one of the competition’s biggest ever shocks.
Macclesfield, who play in the National League North, produced the performance of their lives to knock out the reigning champions. It was a classic FA Cup story that captured the imagination of the nation.
Other notable giant-killings included:
- Port Vale beating Sunderland in the fifth round
- Mansfield Town pushing Arsenal all the way in the fifth round
- Wrexham giving Chelsea a scare in the fifth round
Quarter-Finals 2026
The quarter-finals took place on the weekend of 4 April 2026. West Ham United hosted Leeds United in the final quarter-final tie, with the winner securing a place in the semi-finals at Wembley.
All quarter-final matches were broadcast live on BBC and TNT Sports.
Semi-Finals 2026
The semi-finals took place on the weekend of 25-26 April 2026 at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea and Manchester City both progressed to set up the final.
The semi-final draw was made after the quarter-finals, with the four remaining teams learning their fate. Both semi-finals were shown live on BBC and TNT Sports.
FA Cup Final 2026: Chelsea vs Manchester City
Final Details
The 2025-26 FA Cup Final was played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 16 May 2026. Chelsea faced Manchester City in a historic first-ever FA Cup final meeting between the two clubs.
Kick-off was at 3pm UK time.
The Result
Manchester City won 1-0. Antoine Semenyo scored the only goal in the 71st minute with an exquisite finish. It was Manchester City’s eighth FA Cup title and their fourth in five years.
How to Watch the Final
The final was broadcast live on:
- BBC One – coverage started at 1.15pm
- BBC iPlayer
- BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds
Final History
Manchester City became the first club in history to reach the FA Cup final four years in a row. They lost to Manchester United in 2024 and to Crystal Palace in 2025, but this time they got the win. Under Pep Guardiola, City have now lifted the FA Cup three times – in 2019, 2023 and 2026.
Chelsea’s last FA Cup win came in 2018 when they beat Manchester United. It had been a turbulent season for the club, with managers Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior both sacked, so the FA Cup final represented their last shot at silverware.
Key Results Summary
Quarter-Final Results
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| West Ham vs Leeds | TBC |
| Other quarter-finals | TBC |
Semi-Final Results
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Chelsea vs TBC | TBC |
| Manchester City vs TBC | TBC |
Fifth Round Results
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Wolves vs Liverpool | TBC |
| Mansfield Town vs Arsenal | TBC |
| Wrexham vs Chelsea | TBC |
| Newcastle vs Man City | TBC |
| Fulham vs Southampton | TBC |
| Port Vale vs Sunderland | TBC |
| Leeds vs Norwich | TBC |
| West Ham vs Brentford | TBC |
FA Cup Prize Money 2025-26
The FA Cup offers significant prize money for clubs at every level. For the fifth round, all 16 clubs received £120,000 as a broadcast fee, and the winners of each tie obtained £238,500 from the competition’s prize fund.
The total prize fund for the 2025-26 FA Cup is substantial, with the winners taking home the largest share.
| Round | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Fifth Round winners | £238,500 |
| Fifth Round broadcast fee | £120,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the 2026 FA Cup final?
The 2026 FA Cup final was played on Saturday 16 May 2026 at Wembley Stadium, kicking off at 3pm.
Who won the 2025-26 FA Cup?
Manchester City won the 2025-26 FA Cup, beating Chelsea 1-0 in the final. Antoine Semenyo scored the only goal in the 71st minute.
What TV channel shows the FA Cup in the UK?
BBC and TNT Sports broadcast the FA Cup live in the UK. The BBC shows 14 live matches for free, while TNT Sports broadcasts every game from the third round onwards.
When were the FA Cup semi-finals in 2026?
The FA Cup semi-finals took place on the weekend of 25-26 April 2026 at Wembley Stadium.
How many teams entered the 2025-26 FA Cup?
A record 747 clubs entered the 2025-26 FA Cup.
When did the 2025-26 FA Cup start?
The 2025-26 FA Cup began on the weekend of 2 August 2025 with the extra preliminary round.
What is the FA Cup third round?
The third round is when Premier League and Championship clubs enter the competition. It took place on the weekend of 10 January 2026.
Who knocked out Crystal Palace in 2025-26?
Non-league Macclesfield knocked out the reigning champions Crystal Palace in the third round in one of the competition’s biggest ever shocks.
Final Word
The 2025-26 FA Cup was another classic edition of the world’s oldest football competition. Manchester City lifted the trophy at Wembley, but the real story was the magic of the cup – Macclesfield’s giant-killing, the drama of the draws, and the joy of lower-league clubs facing Premier League giants. The 2026-27 FA Cup will start in August, and the quest for silverware begins all over again.
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