Everything you need to know about this season’s tournament, including results in a round-by-round breakdown
The FA Cup in England is the oldest football competition in the world and this season, despite coronavirus pandemic-related issues, it returns for the 140th season.
Teams from the lowest level of the English football pyramid right up to the Premier League compete in the tournament and this year it will see a total of 736 teams take part.
Winner-takes-all knockout games mean there is always a chance of a ‘giant killing’ and there have been plenty of those moments over the years, contributing to the magic of the cup .
This season there will be no replays in order to ease the burden of fixture congestion. That decision was confirmed by the Football Association in August prior to the tournament kick-off.
Goal brings you everything you need to know about the 2020-21 edition of the FA Cup.
FA Cup 2020-21 second round
The draw for the FA Cup 2020-21 second round proper takes place on November 9.
FA Cup 2020-21 first round
The first round proper of FA Cup 2020-21 kicked off on November 6, with games also being played on November 7, 8 and 9.
A total of 48 clubs from League One and League Two enter at this phase of the competition as they join the 31 winners of the previous round (along with the bye recipients – on this occasion, Chorley Town).
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 6 | Harrogate Town 4-0 Skelmersdale United | BT Sport 1 |
| Nov 7 | Tonbridge Angels 0-7 Bradford City | BBC & BT Sport digital |
| Nov 7 | Exeter City 2-1 Fylde | No |
| Nov 7 | Leyton Orient 1-2 Newport County | No |
| Nov 7 | Sunderland 0-1 Mansfield Town | No |
| Nov 7 | Bolton Wanderers 2-3 Crewe Alexandra | No |
| Nov 7 | Oxford United 1-2 Peterborough United | No |
| Nov 7 | Walsall 1-2 Bristol Rovers | No |
| Nov 7 | Rochdale 1-2 Stockport County | No |
| Nov 7 | Swindon Town 1-2 Darlington | No |
| Nov 7 | Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Accrington Stanley | No |
| Nov 7 | Bromley 0-1 Yeovil Town (AET) | No |
| Nov 7 | Cheltenham Town 3-1 South Shields | No |
| Nov 7 | Stevenage 2-2 Concord Rangers (AET – Stevenage win 5-4 on penalties) | No |
| Nov 7 | Gillingham 3-2 Woking | No |
| Nov 7 | Charlton Athletic 0-1 Plymouth Argyle | No |
| Nov 7 | Salford City 2-0 Hartlepool United (AET) | No |
| Nov 7 | Hull City 2-0 Fleetwood Town | No |
| Nov 7 | Colchester United 1-1 Marine (AET – Marine win 5-3 on penalties) | BBC iPlayer / BBC digital |
| Nov 7 | Dagenham & Redbridge 3-1 Grimsby Town | No |
| Nov 7 | Cambridge United 0-2 Shrewsbury Town | No |
| Nov 7 | Brackley Town 3-3 Bishop’s Stortford (AET – Brackley win 3-2 on penalties) | No |
| Nov 7 | Boreham Wood 3-3 Southend United (AET – Boreham Wood win 4-3 on penalties) | No |
| Nov 7 | Ipswich Town 2-3 Portsmouth (AET) | BBC & BT Sport digital |
| Nov 7 | Port Vale 0-1 King’s Lynn Town | No |
| Nov 7 | Lincoln City 6-2 Forest Green Rovers | No |
| Nov 7 | Banbury United 1-2 Canvey Island | BBC iPlayer / BBC digital |
| Nov 7 | FC United of Manchester 1-5 Doncaster Rovers | BBC Two |
| Nov 8 | Scunthorpe United vs Solihull Moors | No |
| Nov 8 | Havant & Waterlooville vs Cray Valley | BBC iPlayer / BBC digital |
| Nov 8 | Barnet vs Burton Albion | BBC iPlayer / BBC digital |
| Nov 8 | Wigan Athletic vs Chorley | BBC iPlayer / BBC digital |
| Nov 8 | Maldon & Tiptree vs Morecambe | BBC / BT Sport digital |
| Nov 8 | Torquay United vs Crawley Town | BBC iPlayer / BBC digital |
| Nov 8 | Hayes & Yeading United vs Carlisle United | BBC iPlayer / BBC digital |
| Nov 8 | Eastleigh vs MK Dons | BBC iPlayer / BBC digital |
| Nov 8 | Hampton & Richmond Borough vs Oldham Athletic | BBC / BT Sport digital |
| Nov 8 | Eastbourne Borough vs Blackpool | BT Sport 1 |
| Nov 9 | Oxford City vs Northampton Town | BT Sport 1 |
When did the FA Cup 2020-21 start & when is the final?
| Date | Round |
|---|---|
| August 31 – November 4, 2020 | Qualifying rounds |
| November 6, 2020 | First round |
| November 28, 2020 | Second round |
| January 9, 2021 | Third round |
| January 23, 2021 | Fourth round |
| February 10, 2021 | Fifth round |
| March 20, 2021 | Quarter-finals |
| April 17, 2021 | Semi-finals |
| May 15, 2021 | Final |
The first round proper of the 2020-21 FA Cup kicked off on November 6, 2020, with 47 clubs from League One and League Two entering at that stage.
Those clubs joined the 32 winners from the qualifying stages of the competition, which got underway at the end of August and concluded on November 4.
Premier League and Championship clubs enter the competition at the third round.
The FA Cup 2020-21 final is scheduled for Saturday May 15, 2021. It will be held at the traditional venue of Wembley in London.
FA Cup TV channel & stream
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BBC / BT Sport | BBC iPlayer / BT Sport app |
The FA Cup is broadcast on the BBC and BT Sport in the United Kingdom.
Both networks air the final and share the rest of the competition, taking turns to select the games they wish to broadcast.
All matches shown by the BBC and BT Sport will be available to stream on their respective websites and apps, while a number will be exclusively online.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | ESPN+ |
In the United States, the rights to the FA Cup are owned by ESPN and the games are exclusively streamed online via ESPN+ .
That means the games are not strictly being shown live on television in the US.
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