The FA Cup is one of the oldest and most prestigious football tournaments in the world. With more than 140 years of existence and development, this tournament has become a symbol of English football and is considered the “golden cup” of world football.
In this article, SEAGames PH 2019 will learn about the history of formation and development of the FA Cup football tournament, the format, schedule, results and rankings of this tournament, as well as the memories of this tournament. Interesting stories and stories surrounding the FA Cup football tournament.
What is the FA Cup football tournament?
FA Cup stands for “Football Association Challenge Cup”, meaning “Football Association Challenge Cup”. This is an annual football tournament organized by the English Football Association (FA) for professional and semi-professional football clubs in England. This tournament started in 1871 and is currently the oldest national cup tournament in the world.
The Football Association Challenge Cup is considered one of the most competitive tournaments, as clubs compete continuously and only have one chance to win. This has created the appeal and value of this tournament in the hearts of football fans. In addition, the FA Cup also gives small and financially weak clubs the opportunity to meet and confront big teams, creating surprises and opportunities to sublimate those teams. small.
The formation and development of the FA Cup
The FA Cup was founded in 1871 by Charles Alcock, an official of the English Football Association. He came up with the idea of organizing a national football tournament to increase competition between clubs and create a valuable prize trophy. The organizing committee decided to let clubs participate in the tournament by sending invitations directly, not through qualifying.
In the first year, only 15 clubs participated in the tournament and in the end, Wanderers FC emerged victorious after defeating Royal Engineers 1-0 in the final. Since then, The Football Association Challenge Cup has become an anticipated tournament and attracted the attention of many football fans.
In the following years, the FA Cup continued to grow and become one of the largest and most prestigious tournaments in the world. In 1923, the final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United attracted more than 126,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium, becoming the match with the largest number of spectators in the history of this tournament.
FA Cup football tournament format
The FA Cup is held on a knockout basis, meaning clubs compete against each other in a single match and the winner progresses to the next round. Premier League and Championship teams (the highest and second divisions in England) will participate from round 3, while teams from other divisions will have to pass qualifying to enter round 1.
Round 3 is the first stage in which Premier League and Championship teams participate. Here, the teams will meet each other in a single match and the winning team will advance to round 4. Round 4 also has the same format and the teams will advance to round 5 after winning.
From round 5 onwards, The Football Association Challenge Cup will apply a knockout format with teams competing in a single match to decide the winner. The final took place at Wembley Stadium and was the most anticipated match of the year in English football.
Structure of the FA Cup football tournament
The Football Association Challenge Cup has a total of 14 rounds, including qualifying rounds and final rounds. In particular, the qualifying round includes 6 rounds and the final round includes 8 rounds.
Elimination round, qualifying round:
First qualifying round: Clubs from divisions 9 and below will compete to win the right to enter the next round.
Second qualifying round: Clubs from divisions 5 to 8 will participate in this round.
Third qualifying round: Clubs from divisions 3 to 4 will compete in this round.
Fourth qualifying round: Clubs in division 2 will participate in this round.
Fifth qualifying round: Division 1 clubs will compete in this round.
Sixth qualifying round: Premier League and Championship clubs will participate in this round.
Final round:
Round 3: Premier League and Championship teams will participate in this round.
Round 4: The teams that win in round 3 will advance to this round.
Round 5: The teams that win in round 4 will advance to this round.
Round 6: The teams that win in round 5 will advance to this round.
Semi-finals: The teams that win in round 6 will advance to the semi-finals.
Final: The two winning teams in the semi-finals will face off in the final at Wembley Stadium.
Match schedule of the FA Cup football tournament
- Round 1 – November 4, 2023
- Round 2 – December 2, 2023
- Round 3 – January 6, 2024
- Round 4 – January 27, 2024
- Round 5 – February 28, 2024
- Quarterfinals – March 16, 2024
- Semi-finals – April 20, 2024
- Final – May 25, 2024
Results of the FA Cup soccer tournament
The FA Cup has witnessed many exciting and dramatic matches, along with surprises and shocks. Below is a list of teams that have won the FA Cup in recent years:
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FA Cup standings
The FA Cup rankings are a ranking of teams based on their performance in this tournament. Scores are calculated based on the number of wins and position in the rounds.
Currently, Arsenal is the team leading The Football Association Challenge Cup rankings with 14 wins, followed by Manchester United with 12 wins and Chelsea with 8 wins. Meanwhile, small teams such as Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth have also won this tournament.
FA Cup records
The Football Association Challenge Cup is not only a prestigious tournament with a long history, but also a place to record notable records of English football. Here are some notable records at the FA Cup:
Player with most FA Cup titles: Ashley Cole (7 times)
Player who scored the most goals in a season: Harry Cursham (49 goals, 1892-1893 season)
Player to score most goals in a single match: Ted MacDougall (9 goals, match between Bournemouth and Margate in 1971)
Team with most consecutive wins: Wanderers FC (5 times, from 1876 to 1880)
Team with most wins in a decade: Manchester United (4 times, in the decade 1900-1909)
Winning team with highest score: Tottenham Hotspur (42 points, 1960-1961 season)
Interesting stories about The Football Association Challenge Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup is not only a football tournament, but also a place to preserve interesting and strange stories surrounding English football. Here are some special stories about the FA Cup:
In 2008, Portsmouth won the FA Cup after defeating Cardiff City 1-0. What’s special is that Portsmouth is the only team in F A Cup history that has no player score during the tournament.
In 2013, Wigan Athletic created a big shock when they defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the final. This is the first time in F A Cup history that a lower division team won against a Premier League team in the final.
In 2016, Leicester City created a fever by winning the FA Cup after overcoming strong opponents such as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. This is also the first time in FA Cup history that a lower-ranked team has won in more than 100 years.
In 2020, Arsenal won the The Football Association Challenge Cup for the 14th time, becoming the team with the most wins in the history of this tournament.
The influence of the FA Cup
The FA Cup is not only an important tournament in English football, but also has a huge influence on British society and culture. This tournament has become an indispensable part of British life, and is considered a symbol of national unity and pride.
In addition, winning the FA Cup also brings many benefits to teams, such as bonuses and opportunities to participate in European tournaments. For small clubs, winning The Football Association Challenge Cup can also bring popularity and attract talented players.
Conclude
The FA Cup is a football tournament with a long and prestigious history in English football. With the process of formation and development over many years, The Football Association Challenge Cup has become a symbol of national unity and pride. With a diverse and dramatic tournament format, along with interesting records and stories, the FA Cup always attracts the attention of football fans around the world.