The FA Cup is not only England’s premier football knockout cup competition, it’s also one of the world’s most important football cup competitions, not to mention the oldest.
It’s a very exciting cup competition, with the potential for lower ranked teams to knock-out teams in higher divisions. This is because teams of all abilities get to play against one another. Whilst this is the case, it’s very rare for a low division team to reach the FA Cup final.
The competition is a knockout tournament with games drawn randomly. No seeds exist, and a draw occurs after most of the games have been played in each one of the rounds. Although this is the case, the FA Cup qualifiers are played regionally, which saves on travelling expenses for the smaller clubs that aren´t in the leagues. In addition, the competition’s draw establishes who of the two teams will be playing at home.
If a game results in a draw, the game is replayed, normally at the ground of the team that played away in the last match. If a draw occurs after normal time (in a replay situation), the game will go on into extra time. If after extra time, the scores are still the same, a penalty shootout will occur, which will ultimately determine the winner.
The first round of the FA Cup is played in the middle of November. The FA Cup 2nd round starts on either the 1st or 2nd Saturdays of the following month. January hosts the third round, with the 4th and 5th rounds following in February. Usually the 6th round is held at the start , or in the middle of March, after which the semi-finals are played. The finally is usually played just after the Premier League season ends during the month of May.
Higher ranking clubs, such as those in the FA Premier League and First Division, do not have to go through some of the earlier rounds.
It’s a very exciting cup competition, with the potential for lower ranked teams to knock-out teams in higher divisions. This is because teams of all abilities get to play against one another. Whilst this is the case, it’s very rare for a low division team to reach the FA Cup final.
The competition is a knockout tournament with games drawn randomly. No seeds exist, and a draw occurs after most of the games have been played in each one of the rounds. Although this is the case, the FA Cup qualifiers are played regionally, which saves on travelling expenses for the smaller clubs that aren´t in the leagues. In addition, the competition’s draw establishes who of the two teams will be playing at home.
If a game results in a draw, the game is replayed, normally at the ground of the team that played away in the last match. If a draw occurs after normal time (in a replay situation), the game will go on into extra time. If after extra time, the scores are still the same, a penalty shootout will occur, which will ultimately determine the winner.
The first round of the FA Cup is played in the middle of November. The FA Cup 2nd round starts on either the 1st or 2nd Saturdays of the following month. January hosts the third round, with the 4th and 5th rounds following in February. Usually the 6th round is held at the start , or in the middle of March, after which the semi-finals are played. The finally is usually played just after the Premier League season ends during the month of May.
Higher ranking clubs, such as those in the FA Premier League and First Division, do not have to go through some of the earlier rounds.