Arsenal face old foes! Premier League leaders in store for eye-catching clash as holders Crystal Palace, Man Utd and Liverpool find out FA Cup third round ties

Before the draw was made on Monday evening, FA Cup holders Crystal Palace were given the number 13 ball, while Premier League leaders Arsenal were 2 and 2024 winners Manchester United were 23. National League South side Weston-super-Mare (49) are into the third round for the first time in their entire 138-year history, while Macclesfield (45) and Boreham Wood (51) are the other two non-league teams to reach the third round of the competition. Finally, Brackley Town (58) can join them as they host Burton Albion in the final second round tie on Monday night.

1. AFC Bournemouth

2. Arsenal

3. Aston Villa

4. Birmingham City

5. Blackburn Rovers

6. Brentford

7. Brighton & Hove Albion

8. Bristol City

9. Burnley

10. Charlton Athletic

11. Chelsea

12. Coventry City

13. Crystal Palace

14. Derby County

15. Everton

16. Fulham

17. Hull City

18. Ipswich Town

19. Leeds United

20. Leicester City

21. Liverpool

22. Manchester City

23. Manchester United

24. Middlesbrough

25. Millwall

26. Newcastle United

27. Norwich City

28. Nottingham Forest

29. Oxford United

30. Portsmouth

31. Preston North End

32. Queens Park Rangers

33. Sheffield United

34. Sheffield Wednesday

35. Southampton

36. Stoke City

37. Sunderland

38. Swansea City

39. Tottenham Hotspur

40. Watford

41. West Bromwich Albion

42. West Ham United

43. Wolverhampton Wanderers

44. Wrexham

45. Macclesfield

46. Grimsby Town

47. Shrewsbury Town

48. Swindon Town

49. Weston Super Mare

50. Barnsley

51. Boreham Wood

52. Milton Keynes Dons

53. Wigan Athletic

54. Fleetwood Town

55. Salford City

56. Mansfield Town

57. Cambridge United

58. Brackley Town or Burton Albion

59. Blackpool

60. Walsall

61. Exeter City

62. Cheltenham Town

63. Doncaster Rovers

64. Port Vale

In the draw, there are four all Premier League ties, with Tottenham hosting Aston Villa, Everton entertaining Sunderland, Bournemouth travelling to Newcastle United and Brighton making the trip to Old Trafford. As mentioned above, former Premier League stalwart Portsmouth get to host Arsenal, a side they played many times earlier this century. Elsewhere, there could be a non-league battle if Brackley beat League One Burton, with the winner facing National League outfit Boreham Wood. 

The draw is as follows, with the Premier League teams in bold.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Shrewsbury Town

Doncaster Rovers v Southampton

Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa

Port Vale v Fleetwood Town

Preston North End v Wigan Athletic

Ipswich Town v Blackpool

Wrexham v Nottingham Forest

Charlton Athletic v Chelsea

Manchester City v Exeter City

West Ham United v Queens Park Rangers

Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford

Fulham v Middlesbrough

Everton v Sunderland

Liverpool v Barnsley

Burnley v Millwall

Norwich City v Walsall

Portsmouth v Arsenal

Derby County v Leeds United

Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion

Salford City v Swindon Town

Boreham Wood v Brackley Town or Burton Albion

Grimsby Town v Weston-super-Mare

Hull City v Blackburn Rovers

Newcastle United v Bournemouth

MK Dons v Oxford United

Cheltenham Town v Leicester City

Cambridge United v Birmingham City

Bristol City v Watford

Stoke City v Coventry City

Macclesfield v Crystal Palace

Manchester United v Brighton

Sheffield United v Mansfield Town

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Former England team-mates Joe Cole and Peter Crouch did the honours at the third round draw, and now both have given their take on what lies ahead.

The former winger Cole said on TNT Sports: "Charlton v Chelsea is a good draw. For clubs like Chelsea and all the top clubs, you want a home draw, you don't want to be travelling too far in January. It's a derby, it's great for Charlton, a good London derby."

And ex-striker Crouch added: "Newcastle v Bournemouth will be a good one. Liverpool as well, I played in one against Barnsley and I think they knocked us out. We played Havant & Waterlooville and then we lost to Barnsley at Anfield."

The third round fixtures are scheduled to be held between January 9-12, 2026, adding to English teams' busy schedules over the festive period and the new year. 

Incidentally, Ally McCoist added: "Tottenham against Aston Villa is a brilliant tie, that is the one that stands out more than anything. Charlton v Chelsea a London derby, but there are some great ties. Everton v Sunderland's a big one, Sunderland going well and so are Everton."