2026/27 football association cup

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While the official calendar for the 2026–27 FA Cup is typically released by the FA in June, the schedule almost always follows a fixed pattern based on the footballing calendar.

Based on historical scheduling and the confirmed Premier League start date of August 22, 2026, here are the projected dates for the 2026–27 season:
August 2026 (Qualifying Rounds)


The competition starts with hundreds of non-league teams in early August.

• Extra Preliminary Round: Saturday, August 8, 2026 (Projected)
• Preliminary Round: Saturday, August 22, 2026 (Projected)

The "Big" Rounds (Tournament Proper)


These are the rounds where professional teams enter.

• First Round Proper: Saturday, November 7, 2026 (Projected)
  • League One and League Two teams enter.
• Third Round Proper: Saturday, January 9, 2027 (Projected)
  • Premier League and Championship teams enter.

• FA Cup Final: Saturday, May 22, 2027 (Projected)

Key Changes to Remember


Starting from the 2024–25 season and continuing into the 2026–27 season, a few major rules have changed that affect the schedule:

• No Replays: Replays have been abolished from the First Round Proper onwards. If a match is a draw, it goes straight to extra time and penalties.
• No Midweek Rounds: All rounds are now played on weekends to protect the "magic" of the cup and help with player fatigue.
• The Final: The FA Cup Final is now usually played on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season (before the final day of league games).

Would you like me to set a reminder or check back for the official FA announcement when it's released this summer?

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Tottenham Hotspur in 1901 is indeed the most famous example of a lower-division (or rather, non-league) team winning the FA Cup. At the time, Spurs were in the Southern League (outside the Football League entirely), not the Second Division, and they remain the only non-Football League club to lift the trophy since the league's formation in 1888.Several Second Division teams (the equivalent of today's Championship) have won the FA Cup while in that tier. Here are all the confirmed cases:

• Notts County in 1894 (Second Division)
• Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1908 (Second Division)
• Barnsley in 1912 (Second Division)
• West Bromwich Albion in 1931 (Second Division)
• Sunderland in 1973 (Second Division)
• Southampton in 1976 (Second Division)
• West Ham United in 1980 (Second Division)

This makes a total of 7 teams that won the FA Cup as Second Division sides (excluding Tottenham, who weren't in the Football League at all).West Ham's 1980 win over Arsenal (1-0, with Trevor Brooking's header) is the most recent time a team outside the top flight has claimed the trophy—no side from below the Premier League (or old First Division) has done so since.These upsets highlight the FA Cup's magic, especially in eras when promotion/relegation and cup runs could transform clubs. No lower-division teams (Second Division or below) have won it in the Premier League era (since 1992).