2024–25 FA Cup

2024–25 FA Cup

The 2024–25 FA Cup was the 144th season of the Football Association Challenge Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world. It was 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 tournament proper starting on 2 November 2024.

The final was played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 17 May 2025. Crystal Palace won the tournament for the first time, defeating Manchester City in the final and winning their first ever major trophy. As the winners, Crystal Palace earned the right to play against the 2024–25 Premier League champions, Liverpool, in the 2025 FA Community Shield, as well as qualifying for the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League play-off round. For City, this was their third consecutive FA Cup final appearance, and second consecutive defeat.

Defending champions Manchester United, having beaten rivals Manchester City in the 2024 final to win their 13th title, were eliminated by Fulham in the fifth round.

Teams

2024–25 FA Cup

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 were 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	80 → 40	48	£45,000	£15,000	24 EFL League One teams 24 EFL League Two teams
Second round	30 November 2024	20	40 → 20	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

2024–25 FA Cup

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

2024–25 FA Cup

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, with the fourth and final qualifying round kicking off on 12 October.

The winners from the fourth qualifying round were Rushall Olympic, Tamworth, Oldham Athletic, Brackley Town, Kettering Town, Solihull Moors, Rochdale, Scarborough Athletic, York City, Harborough Town, Curzon Ashton, Gainsborough Trinity, Hednesford Town, Alfreton Town, Guiseley, Maidenhead United, Horsham, Aldershot Town, Southend United, Boreham Wood, Weston-super-Mare, Sutton United, Dagenham & Redbridge, Wealdstone, Barnet, Chesham United, Tonbridge Angels, Woking, Forest Green Rovers, Maidstone United, Worthing and Braintree Town.

Rushall Olympic and Harborough Town were appearing in the competition proper for the first time. Of the others, Braintree Town had last featured at this stage in 2016–17, Wealdstone had last done so in 2015–16, Tamworth and Hednesford Town had last done so in 2013–14 and Kettering Town had last done so in 2011–12.

First round

2024–25 FA Cup

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.

Premier League	Championship	League One	League Two	Non-League	Total
20 / 20	24 / 24	24 / 24	24 / 24	32 / 32	124 / 124

Second round

2024–25 FA Cup

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.

Premier League	Championship	League One	League Two	Non-League	Total
20 / 20	24 / 24	18 / 24	13 / 24	9 / 32	84 / 124

Third round

2024–25 FA Cup

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.

Premier League	Championship	League One	League Two	Non-League	Total
20 / 20	24 / 24	12 / 24	6 / 24	2 / 32	64 / 124

Fourth round

2024–25 FA Cup

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.

Premier League	Championship	League One	League Two	Non-League	Total
17 / 20	9 / 24	5 / 24	1 / 24	0 / 32	32 / 124

Fifth round

2024–25 FA Cup

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.

Premier League	Championship	League One	League Two	Non-League	Total
11 / 20	5 / 24	0 / 24	0 / 24	0 / 32	16 / 124

Quarter-finals

2024–25 FA Cup

The eight winners from the fifth round played 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.

Premier League	Championship	League One	League Two	Non-League	Total
7 / 20	1 / 24	0 / 24	0 / 24	0 / 32	8 / 124

Semi-finals

2024–25 FA Cup

The four winners from the quarter-finals played in the semi-finals. All four teams remaining were Premier League sides. The draw was made on 30 March 2025 by Joe Hart at Deepdale.

Premier League	Championship	League One	League Two	Non-League	Total
4 / 20	0 / 24	0 / 24	0 / 24	0 / 32	4 / 124

Final

2024–25 FA Cup

Premier League	Championship	League One	League Two	Non-League	Total
2 / 20	0 / 24	0 / 24	0 / 24	0 / 32	2 / 124

Top goalscorers

2024–25 FA Cup

Following the conclusion of the competition, Ashford United player Gary Lockyer was awarded the FA Cup Golden Ball Award, commemorating him as the top scorer of the season from the extra preliminary round through to the final with 10 goals.

<table><thead><tr><th>Rank</th><th>Player</th><th>Club</th><th>Goals</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Josh Magennis</td><td>Exeter City</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Eberechi Eze</td><td>Crystal Palace</td><td>4</td></tr><tr><td>Ricky-Jade Jones</td><td>Peterborough United</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Thelo Aasgaard</td><td>Wigan Athletic</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td>Gassan Ahadme</td><td>Charlton Athletic</td></tr><tr><td>Jack Clarke</td><td>Ipswich Town</td></tr><tr><td>Jovon Makama</td><td>Lincoln City</td></tr><tr><td>James McAtee</td><td>Manchester City</td></tr><tr><td>Rodrigo Muniz</td><td>Fulham</td></tr><tr><td>Nico O'Reilly</td><td>Manchester City</td></tr><tr><td>Milutin Osmajić</td><td>Preston North End</td></tr><tr><td>Georginio Rutter</td><td>Brighton & Hove Albion</td></tr><tr><td>Ismaïla Sarr</td><td>Crystal Palace</td></tr><tr><td>Jonny Smith</td><td>Wigan Athletic</td></tr><tr><td>Tyler Walton</td><td>Accrington Stanley</td></tr></tbody></table>

Television rights

2024–25 FA Cup

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.

<table><thead><tr><th>Round</th><th>Date</th><th>Fixture</th><th>Kick-off</th><th>Channels</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Digital</td><td>TV</td></tr><tr><td>First round</td><td>1 November 2024</td><td>Tamworth v Huddersfield Town</td><td>19:45</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC Two</td></tr><tr><td>2 November 2024</td><td>Northampton Town v Kettering Town</td><td>17:30</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC Two</td></tr><tr><td>3 November 2024</td><td>Sutton United v Birmingham City</td><td>12:30</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>Harrogate Town v Wrexham</td><td>15:30</td><td>ITVX</td><td>—N/a</td></tr><tr><td>4 November 2024</td><td>Chesham United v Lincoln City</td><td>19:15</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV4</td></tr><tr><td>Second round</td><td>29 November 2024</td><td>Harrogate Town v Gainsborough Trinity</td><td>19:45</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC Two</td></tr><tr><td>30 November 2024</td><td>Wealdstone v Wycombe Wanderers</td><td>11:30</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>AFC Wimbledon v Dagenham & Redbridge</td><td>19:15</td><td>ITVX</td><td>—N/a</td></tr><tr><td>1 December 2024</td><td>Kettering Town v Doncaster Rovers</td><td>12:00</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC Two</td></tr><tr><td>Solihull Moors v Bromley</td><td>15:15</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>Third round</td><td>9 January 2025</td><td>Sheffield United v Cardiff City</td><td>19:00</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One Wales</td></tr><tr><td>Everton v Peterborough United</td><td>19:45</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>—N/a</td></tr><tr><td>10 January 2025</td><td>Aston Villa v West Ham United</td><td>20:00</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>11 January 2025</td><td>Liverpool v Accrington Stanley</td><td>12:15</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>Manchester City v Salford City</td><td>17:45</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>Leeds United v Harrogate Town</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>—N/a</td></tr><tr><td>12 January 2025</td><td>Tamworth v Tottenham Hotspur</td><td>12:30</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>Arsenal v Manchester United</td><td>15:00</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>Newcastle United v Bromley</td><td>15:00</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>—N/a</td></tr><tr><td>Southampton v Swansea City</td><td>16:30</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC Two Wales</td></tr><tr><td>13 January 2025</td><td>Millwall v Dagenham & Redbridge</td><td>19:30</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV4</td></tr><tr><td>Fourth round</td><td>7 February 2025</td><td>Manchester United v Leicester City</td><td>20:00</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1 UTV</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>8 February 2025</td><td>Leyton Orient v Manchester City</td><td>12:15</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>Birmingham City v Newcastle United</td><td>17:45</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea</td><td>20:00</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV4</td></tr><tr><td>9 February 2025</td><td>Blackburn Rovers v Wolverhampton Wanderers</td><td>12:30</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>—N/a</td></tr><tr><td>Plymouth Argyle v Liverpool</td><td>15:00</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1 UTV</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur</td><td>17:35</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>10 February 2025</td><td>Doncaster Rovers v Crystal Palace</td><td>19:45</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>—N/a</td></tr><tr><td>11 February 2025</td><td>Exeter City v Nottingham Forest</td><td>20:00</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>Fifth round</td><td>28 February 2025</td><td>Aston Villa v Cardiff City</td><td>20:00</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>1 March 2025</td><td>Crystal Palace v Millwall</td><td>12:15</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>Preston North End v Burnley</td><td>12:15</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>—N/a</td></tr><tr><td>Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle</td><td>17:45</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV4</td></tr><tr><td>2 March 2025</td><td>Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion</td><td>13:45</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>Manchester United v Fulham</td><td>16:30</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>3 March 2025</td><td>Nottingham Forest v Ipswich Town</td><td>19:30</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV4</td></tr><tr><td>Quarter-finals</td><td>29 March 2025</td><td>Fulham v Crystal Palace</td><td>12:15</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>Brighton & Hove Albion v Nottingham Forest</td><td>17:15</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>30 March 2025</td><td>Preston North End v Aston Villa</td><td>13:30</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>Bournemouth v Manchester City</td><td>16:30</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>Semi-finals</td><td>26 April 2025</td><td>Crystal Palace v Aston Villa</td><td>17:15</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>27 April 2025</td><td>Nottingham Forest v Manchester City</td><td>16:30</td><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1 UTV</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr><tr><td>Final</td><td>17 May 2025</td><td>Crystal Palace v Manchester City</td><td>16:30</td><td>BBC iPlayer</td><td>BBC One</td></tr><tr><td>ITVX</td><td>ITV1 UTV</td></tr><tr><td>STV Player</td><td>STV</td></tr></tbody></table>