FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is the main "knockout" cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association. The other two top honours that an English club can win are the League Championship and the European Cup. Winning the FA Cup and the League Championship is known as a double. Manchester United is the only team to win all three, known as the treble.

Format

The competition is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random - there are no seeds. The draw also determines which team will play at home. If a match is drawn, there is a replay at the ground of the other team. Drawn replays are now settled with extra time and kicks from the penalty mark (penalty shootouts), though in the past further replays were possible, and some ties took as many as six matches to settle. For the 2005/6 season only, any later-round ties involving teams still involved in European competitions will not be replayed, but settled on the day; this is to allow an early finish to the domestic season in advance of the 2006 World Cup.

Related Topics:
Knockout tournament - Seeds - Extra time - Kicks from the penalty mark - 2006 World Cup

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Traditionally the final is played at London's Wembley Stadium. However, due to extensive redevelopment of Wembley, finals have been played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff since 2001. Although early venues include Kennington Oval and Crystal Palace, this was the first time the final had been played outside of England. The FA Cup final is expected to return to Wembley on May 13, 2006.

Related Topics:
London - Wembley Stadium - Millennium Stadium - Cardiff - Kennington Oval - Crystal Palace - May 13 - 2006

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The semi-finals are contested at neutral venues; in the past these have usually been the home grounds of teams not involved in that semi-final, such as Old Trafford in Manchester, Villa Park in Birmingham and Hillsborough in Sheffield. However, in 2005 both semi-finals were held at the Millennium Stadium, where the football commentator John Motson says they will also be held in 2006. In future years it is expected that all semi-finals will be played at the new Wembley Stadium.

Related Topics:
Old Trafford - Manchester - Villa Park - Birmingham - Hillsborough - Sheffield - 2005

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The competition begins with the Extra-Preliminary rounds contested by non-league clubs in August, which any FA affiliated club meeting a basic standard of ability and ground facilities may enter. 644 clubs entered the competition in the 2003/04 season, and a record 660 for 2004/05 (the old record was 656 in 1921/22). Following the Extra-Preliminary Round is a Preliminary Round, four Qualifying Rounds, and six Rounds of the competition proper, followed by the Semi-Finals and the Final. All of The Football League clubs may enter. Non-league clubs may also enter if they competed in the previous season's FA Trophy or FA Vase and are deemed to be playing in an "acceptable" league for the current season. All clubs entering the competition must have a suitable and safe stadium capacity.

Related Topics:
The Football League - FA Trophy - FA Vase - Stadium

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Teams from the higher levels of the non-league "pyramid" may get exemptions from some of these rounds: Clubs from the Nationwide Conference are given a bye to the Fourth Qualifying Round, clubs from Football League One and Two join the winners of the Fourth Qualifying Round in the draw for the First Round proper in November. Football League Championship and Premier League teams are given a bye into the Third Round, traditionally held in the first weekend in January. The Final is played at the end of the season in May. Since the foundation of the Football League, Tottenham Hotspur F.C. in 1901 have been the only non-league winners of the FA Cup. They were then playing in the Southern League and were only elected to the Football League in 1908. At that time the Football League consisted of only two 18-team divisions; Spurs's victory then would be comparable to a team near the bottom of the second step of the English football pyramid, the Football League Championship division, winning today.

Related Topics:
Nationwide Conference - Football League One - Two - Football League Championship - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur F.C. - 1901 - Southern League - 1908

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The winning team qualifies by right for the first round of the UEFA Cup. If the winners also qualify for the Champions League by merit of league position, the losing finalist qualifies for the UEFA Cup in their place. If both finalists qualify for the Champions League, an extra UEFA Cup place is given on the basis of Premier League position.

Related Topics:
UEFA Cup - Champions League

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