England's FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world and this season it has returned for the 138th time.
The tournament involves teams from the 10th level of the English football pyramid to the top and will see a total of 736 teams take part.
With a rich history stretching back to the 19th century, there have been plenty of moments to savour through the years and clubs will be eager to dabble in the 'Magic of the Cup'.
With one-off knockout games there is always, however, a chance of a 'giant killing'.
With the 2018-19 edition under way, Goal brings you everything you need to know about this season's FA Cup.
When did the FA Cup start & when is the final?
The first round proper of this season's FA Cup began on Friday November 9, 2018 with 48 clubs from League One and League Two entering at that stage.
Premier League and Championship clubs do not enter the competition until the third round proper, which began on the weekend of Saturday January 5, 2019.
Before the first round proper, there were a number of qualifying rounds involving teams from the lower rungs of English football, beginning with the extra preliminary qualifying round, which was played on August 10.
Including the extra preliminary round, there were a total of six qualifying rounds before teams from the Football League enter.
The 2019 FA Cup final took place on Saturday, May 18 and it will be held at Wembley, with Man City crowned winners.
FA Cup final
As mentioned, the 2018-19 FA Cup concluded on May 18 as Manchester City and Watford fought for the right to get their hands on the trophy.
This year's final kicked off at 5pm BST/ 12pm ET .
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| May 18 | Manchester City 6-0 Watford | BT Sport 2 |
FA Cup semi-finals
The draw for the FA Cup semi-finals took place on March 17.
Pep Guardiola's quadruple chasing Manchester City defeated Brighton while Gerard Deulofeu was the hero for Watford as they beat Wolves.
Fixtures were scheduled for the weekend of April 6-7 and will be played at Wembley Stadium.
Semi-final winners will receive £1.8 million ($2.4m), while losers get £900,000 ($1.2m).
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| April 6 | Manchester City 1-0 Brighton | BBC One |
| April 7 | Watford 3-2 Wolves | BT Sport 2 |
*Dates subject to change.
FA Cup quarter-finals
The draw for the FA Cup quarter-finals took place on February 18.
Manchester City staged an incredible comeback to win 3-2 against Swansea after being 2-0 down, while Manchester United crashed out at the hands of Premier League rivals Wolves.
Fixtures set to take place the weekend of March 16-17.
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| March 16 | Watford 2-1 Crystal Palace | BT Sport 2 |
| March 16 | Swansea 2-3 Manchester City | BT Sport 2 |
| March 16 | Wolves 2-1 Manchester United | BBC One |
| March 17 | Millwall 2-2 Brighton (4-5 pens) | BBC One |
FA Cup fifth round
The FA Cup fifth round draw took place on January 28 following the likes of Everton getting knocked out by Championship side Millwall and West Ham also suffering an early exit at the hands of League One stragglers Wimbledon.
Chelsea hosted Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in a repeat of last season's final.
Fixtures set to take place the weekend of February 15-18.
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 15 | QPR 0-1 Watford | BT Sport 2 |
| Feb 16 | Brighton 2-1 Derby County | BT Sport 2 |
| Feb 16 | Wimbledon 0-1 Millwall | No |
| Feb 16 | Newport County 1-4 Man City | BT Sport 2 |
| Feb 17 | Bristol City 0-1 Wolves | BT Sport 2 |
| Feb 17 | Doncaster Rovers 0-2 Crystal Palace | BBC One |
| Feb 17 | Swansea 4-1 Brentford | BBC Wales |
| Feb 18 | Chelsea 0-2 Man United | BBC One |
*Dates subject to change.
FA Cup fourth round
FA Cup fourth round draw took place on January 7 following Liverpool's shock defeat at newly-promoted Premier League side Wolves.
Arsenal hosted Manchester United at the Emirates in the biggest match-up of the draw, with the Red Devils knocking out the North Londoners in an emphatic 3-1 away victory.
Fixtures set to take place the weekend of January 25-28 .
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 25 | Arsenal 1-3 Man United | BBC One |
| Jan 25 | Bristol City 2-1 Bolton | No |
| Jan 26 | Shrewsbury Town 2-2 Wolves | No |
| Jan 26 | Newcastle United 0-2 Watford | No |
| Jan 26 | Brighton 0-0 West Brom | No |
| Jan 26 | Man City 5-0 Burnley | No |
| Jan 26 | Swansea 4-1 Gillingham | No |
| Jan 26 | Accrington Stanley 0-1 Derby County | BT Sport 2 |
| Jan 26 | Portsmouth 1-1 QPR | No |
| Jan 26 | Middlesbrough 1-1 Newport | No |
| Jan 26 | Doncaster 2-1 Oldham | No |
| Jan 26 | Millwall 3-2 Everton | BBC One |
| Jan 26 | AFC Wimbledon 4-2 West Ham | BT Sport 2 |
| Jan 27 | Crystal Palace 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur | BT Sport 2 |
| Jan 27 | Chelsea 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday | BBC One |
| Jan 28 | Barnet 3-3 Brentford | BT Sport 2 |
FA Cup fourth-round replays
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 5 | Newport County 2-0 Middlesbrough | BT Sport 2 |
| Feb 5 | Wolves 3-2 Shrewsbury | No |
| Feb 5 | QPR 2-0 Portsmouth | No |
| Feb 5 | Brentford 3-1 Barnet | No |
| Feb 6 | West Brom 1-3 Brighton (AET) | BBC One |
FA Cup third round
The FA Cup third round draw was made on December 3, with Wolves vs Liverpool and Bournemouth vs Brighton the only two all-Premier League meetings.
The matches took place between January 4 and 7, with Wolves pulling off the upset of the tie after seeing Premier League leaders Liverpool off at Molineux.
FA Cup third-round replays
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 15 | Luton Town 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday | No |
| Jan 15 | Blackburn Rovers 2-4 Newcastle United (AET) | BT Sport 2 |
| Jan 15 | Stoke City 2-3 Shrewsbury Town | No |
| Jan 16 | Southampton 2-2 Derby County (3-5 pens.) | BBC One |
FA Cup second round
The second-round draw of the FA Cup took place on November 12 following the conclusion of the first round.
At that point, forty teams remained in the competition as sides fought it out for a place in round three, which is when sides from the Premier League and the Championship enter the fray.
The round required five games to go to a replay.
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 30 | Solihull Moors 0-0 Blackpool | BBC Two |
| Dec 1 | Halifax 1-3 AFC Wimbledon | BT Sport 1 |
| Dec 1 | Southend United 2-4 Barnsley | No |
| Dec 1 | Peterborough United 2-2 Bradford City | No |
| Dec 1 | Maidstone United 0-2 Oldham Athletic | No |
| Dec 1 | Lincoln City 2-0 Carlisle United | No |
| Dec 1 | Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Oxford United | No |
| Dec 1 | Walsall 1-1 Sunderland | No |
| Dec 1 | Accrington Stanley 3-1 Cheltenham Town | No |
| Dec 1 | Charlton Athletic 0-2 Doncaster Rovers | No |
| Dec 1 | Wrexham 0-0 Newport County | BT Sport 1 |
| Dec 2 | Bury 0-1 Luton Town | No |
| Dec 2 | Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Southport | No |
| Dec 2 | Shrewsbury Town 1-0 Scunthorpe United | No |
| Dec 2 | Chesterfield 0-2 Grimsby Town | No |
| Dec 2 | Swindon Town 0-1 Woking | No |
| Dec 2 | Barnet 1-0 Stockport County | No |
| Dec 2 | Rochdale 0-1 Portsmouth | No |
| Dec 2 | Slough Town 0-1 Gillingham | No |
| Dec 3 | Guiseley 1-2 Fleetwood Town | BT Sport 1 |
FA Cup second-round replays
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 11 | Newport County 4-0 Wrexham | No |
| Dec 11 | Bradford City 4-4 Peterborough United (2-3 pens.) | No |
| Dec 11 | Sunderland 0-1 Walsall | No |
| Dec 17 | Southport 0-2 Tranmere Rovers | BT Sport 1 |
| Dec 18 | Blackpool 3-2 Solihull Moors | BT Sport 1 |
FA Cup first round
The first-round draw of the FA Cup took place on Monday following the conclusion of the fourth qualifying round, which wrapped up on the weekend of October 20.
Forty-eight teams from League One and League Two enter the competition at this stage, where they will join the 32 winners from the previous round.
Among those in the pot are two teams from the seventh tier of English football, Southern League Premier Division side Metropolitan Police and Isthmian Premier's Haringey Borough, and Weston Super-Mare of the sixth-tier National League South.
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 9 | Haringey Borough 0-1 Wimbledon | BBC Two |
| Nov 10 | Maidenhead United 0-4 Portsmouth | BT Sport 1 |
| Nov 10 | Maidstone United 2-1 Macclesfield Town | No |
| Nov 10 | Ebbsfleet United 0-0 Cheltenham Town | No |
| Nov 10 | Swindon Town 2-1 York City | No |
| Nov 10 | Torquay United 0-1 Woking | No |
| Nov 10 | Scunthorpe United 2-1 Burton Albion | No |
| Nov 10 | Aldershot Town 1-1 Bradford City | No |
| Nov 10 | Grimsby Town 3-1 MK Dons | No |
| Nov 10 | Bromley 1-3 Peterborough United | No |
| Nov 10 | Southport 2-0 Boreham Wood | No |
| Nov 10 | Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Stevenage | No |
| Nov 10 | Chesterfield 1-1 Billericay Town | No |
| Nov 10 | Lincoln City 3-2 Northampton Town | No |
| Nov 10 | Yeovil Town 1-3 Stockport County | No |
| Nov 10 | Bury 5-0 Dover Athletic | No |
| Nov 10 | Gillingham 0-0 Hartlepool United | No |
| Nov 10 | Oxford United 0-0 Forest Green Rovers | No |
| Nov 10 | Tranmere Rovers 3-3 Oxford City | No |
| Nov 10 | Accrington Stanley 1-0 Colchester United | No |
| Nov 10 | Barnsley 4-0 Notts County | No |
| Nov 10 | Metropolitan Police 0-2 Newport County | No |
| Nov 10 | Walsall 3-2 Coventry City | No |
| Nov 10 | Rochdale 2-1 Gateshead | No |
| Nov 10 | Sutton United 0-0 Slough Town | No |
| Nov 10 | Exeter City 2-3 Blackpool | No |
| Nov 10 | Luton Town 2-0 Wycombe Wanderers | No |
| Nov 10 | Morecambe 0-0 Halifax Town | No |
| Nov 10 | Crewe Alexandra 0-1 Carlisle United | No |
| Nov 10 | Southend United 1-1 Crawley Town | No |
| Nov 11 | Mansfield Town 1-1 Charlton Athletic | No |
| Nov 11 | Chorley 2-2 Doncaster Rovers | No |
| Nov 11 | Alfreton Town 1-4 Fleetwood Town | No |
| Nov 11 | Barnet 1-1 Bristol Rovers | No |
| Nov 11 | Shrewsbury Town 1-1 Salford City | No |
| Nov 11 | Hitchin Town 0-2 Solihull Motors | No |
| Nov 11 | Guiseley 4-3 Cambridge United | No |
| Nov 11 | Weston Super Mare 0-2 Wrexham | No |
| Nov 11 | Port Vale 1-2 Sunderland | BT Sport 1 |
| Nov 12 | Hampton & Richmond Borough 1-2 Oldham Athletic | BT Sport 1 |
FA Cup first-round replays
| Date | Match | TV? |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 20 | Cheltenham Town 2-0 Ebbsfleet United | No |
| Nov 20 | Charlton Athletic 5-0 Mansfield Town | No |
| Nov 20 | Bradford City 1-1 Aldershot Town (4-1 pens.) | No |
| Nov 20 | Doncaster Rovers 7-0 Chorley | No |
| Nov 20 | Billericay Town 1-3 Chesterfield | No |
| Nov 20 | Forest Green Rovers 0-3 Oxford United | No |
| Nov 20 | Oxford City 0-2 Tranmere Rovers | BT Sport 1 |
| Nov 20 | Slough Town vs Sutton United (8-7 pens.) | No |
| Nov 20 | Halifax Town 1-0 Morecambe | No |
| Nov 20 | Crawley Town 2-6 Southend United | No |
| Nov 21 | Salford City 1-3 Shrewsbury Town | BT Sport 1 |
| Nov 21 | Bristol Rovers 1-2 Barnet | No |
| Nov 21 | Hartlepool United 3-4 Gillingham | No |
FA Cup TV channel & stream
Getty Images
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BBC / BT Sport | BBC iPlayer / BT Sport app |
The FA Cup will be broadcast on the BBC and BT Sport in the United Kingdom.
Both networks will air the final and will share the rest of the competition, taking turns to select the games they wish to broadcast.
All matches shown by the BBC and BT Sport will be available to stream on their respective websites and apps.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | ESPN+ |
In the United States, the rights to the FA Cup are owned by ESPN, but the games will exclusively be streamed online via ESPN+.
That means the games will not be shown live on television in the US.
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