First round details, draw dates, where to watch & more

The 2024/25 FA Cup first round proper gets underway this weekend, and it scarcely seems believable that the 2024 final took place five months ago, with Manchester United springing a shock by defeating defending champions Manchester City 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.

Erik ten Hag got revenge for his side’s defeat in the 2023 final. While the final featured two of the elite Premier League sides, there were a few cup runs from those below the top flight.

Maidstone United reached the fifth round, suffering a 5-0 defeat to Coventry City, who came so close to reaching the final. Against Man United, the Sky Blues thought they had won the tie in extra time, but eventually lost on penalties.

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The first FA Cup final was played in 1872, won by Wanderers Football Club, the first of five victories in the competition. As of 2024, Arsenal hold the record for most trophies won with 14, with their last coming in 2020.

In total, there have been 143 FA Cup finals staged, with 44 teams winning the competition at least once in their history.

FA Cup format and changes

The FA Cup is a simple knockout tournament, with the winners of each tie advancing to the next round. Non-league clubs take part in qualifying, with teams from League One and League Two entering in the first round proper. Premier League and Championship clubs join at the third-round stage.

A major change to the format has seen replays scrapped from the first round onwards. Previously, drawn matches would see the fixture replayed at the visitors’ home ground, but citing player welfare, the FA decided to remove replays to ease fixture congestion.

The move sparked anger from the EFL and prompted backlash from the likes of Keir Starmer.

FA Cup first-round fixtures and TV picks

The draw for the first round proper of the FA Cup took place on 14th October, with 48 clubs from the EFL’s League One and League Two joining the competition along with the 32 non-league clubs who had progressed from the qualifying rounds. The full draw can be seen below.

One of the standout fixtures of the first round is between MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon, as the fourth-tier sides will face off against each other for the second time this season. AFC Wimbledon won their last meeting 3-0, and they will be hoping for a repeat in the cup.

Elsewhere, National League North side Curzon Ashton will play Mansfield Town, who are third in League One, while Birmingham City face Sutton United, who play in the National League.

Five games will be shown live on television, which can be found in the table below.

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Rounds and draw dates

The 1st round will take place between 1st-4th November, with subsequent rounds being held throughout the year. Actual fixture dates are subject to change depending on TV selections. At the time of writing, the timings for the second round draw have not been announced.

FA Cup prize money

The FA will give out over £22m in prize money over the course of the 2024/25 season. Any non-league clubs who make it through from the first round of qualifying to the first round proper could pocket around £23,000, while if a Premier League or Championship club was to go all the way, they’d be better off to the tune of £5.41m.

How to watch the FA Cup on TV

In the UK, broadcasting rights for the FA Cup are shared between the BBC and ITV. Throughout the season, the BBC will show 18 live matches, while ITV is committed to broadcasting 20 games from the competition.

In the US, FA Cup games are broadcast live on ESPN, with ESPN+ streaming a selection of fixtures across the duration of the tournament.

Recent years have seen BBC and ITV share coverage of the final, while a new broadcasting deal is set to take effect next year, which will see BBC and TNT Sports share coverage of the competition.