FA Cup Tickets

Join the hallowed history of English football's most exalted knockout tournament — the FA Cup. Long a competition of rich tradition, yet teeming with modern-day relevance, the FA Cup is a veritable landmark on football's democratic highway. From the monied stratosphere of the Premier League to the underdog world of the non-league, fans have adored this national game since 1871. The FA Cup — where, seemingly every season, at least one story is spun of an underdog defeating a giant at storied venues like Wembley Stadium — unleashes magical narratives that are simply unforgettable.

The competition's unpredictability is its very essence. You can expect moments like these to be woven into the fabric of the world's oldest football tournament. Upsets — momentous ones — are part of the FA Cup. Late winners. Fairytale runs. Making history in this slice of sporting drama sometimes even means securing FA Cup tickets. You can be there. You can see it. You can feel it — accessing the unique moments this stage provides, from the tense early rounds to the electrifying final beneath Wembley's iconic arch.

FA Cup Tournament Information

The FA Cup, officially known as The Football Association Challenge Cup, represents the pinnacle of English knockout football competitions. This historic event brings together teams from all over the country, not just in the elite leagues, in a narrative that plays out over nine months. Its format lets little teams challenge the big ones, ensuring a special and enduring part in the landscape of English football.

The tournament's lasting draw can be attributed to two of its qualities: tradition and unpredictability. Every season, 124 teams from the Premier League and English Football League join hundreds of qualifiers in a search for the trophy. Its single-elimination format demands resolution through extra time and penalties — no second chances. Matches carry a suffocating tension that makes them hard to look away from.

FA Cup History

Founded in 1871, the FA Cup is the world's oldest sustained football competition. In its early years, the tournament field featured only fifteen clubs, with the Wanderers winning the first final in 1872 at Kennington Oval before a crowd of 2,000. Once started, the competition was hard to stop: club after club, and then regional associations, joined the tournament, feeding a vision of promoting football through an image of domestic progress and community improvement.

The tournament's essence remained intact, despite the two World Wars causing interruptions. The 1923 original "White Horse Final" at Wembley even necessitated mounted police to handle the crowd and reflects the tournament's essence and cultural significance.

The FA Cup has maintained its open nature and grown in importance over the years. Wimbledon's stunning win over Liverpool in 1988, or Wigan's unexpected defeat of Manchester City in 2013, are what we tend to remember. They retain the FA Cup's legendary luster. Lower-league teams have the chance to play against their big-name rivals on a national stage. Youth and experience mingle in the players on either side.

FA Cup Format

The FA Cup lasts for nine months, beginning with the preliminary qualifying rounds in August. During this time, clubs at the grassroots level attempt to earn a place in the next round. We then see the tiers of clubs above those at the grassroots level incrementally take part: clubs from League One and Two in the first round proper; Championship clubs enter at the second round; and clubs from the Premier League at the third round.

The basic knockout structure is simple and central to what makes the competition work. Matches that resulted in draws used to go to replay, but recent rule changes have reduced that safety net. From the fifth round on, no match can end without a winner. That cuts into the evening's entertainment when it must, after all, serve an audience appetite for all-or-nothing intensity.

The journey every year culminates at Wembley Stadium, which holds the semi-finals and final. This path — from small pitches to the grand stage of Wembley — encapsulates the spirit of the tournament, turning clubs few have heard of into household names through astonishing runs in the cup.

Previous FA Cup Winners

The winners of the FA Cup show how English football has developed. Arsenal FC stands at the top of the list with 14 trophies, establishing it as a club that specializes in ludicrously large cups. Manchester United stands close behind with 13, including a deliciously memorable 2016 triumph with a team led by manager Louis van Gaal.

The trophy has been lifted eight times by each of the two clubs, Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC. Most recently, the 2023 edition of the trophy was taken home by Manchester City FC, who seem to be solidifying their grip on this title.

FA Cup folklore is defined by upsets that please the crowd. Wigan Athletic's 2013 triumph over Manchester City during a relegation battle certainly underscores the tournament's fairytale appeal. And if the Cup's drama had a high point during the past decade, it was probably with Portsmouth's unexpected Cup run of 2008, which in no way, shape, or form was part of the script we all seemed to have when it was written.

Top Teams for this year's FA Cup

This season presents an exciting blend of beloved clubs and intriguing outside contenders. Under clever management, Liverpool FC excels in knockout settings. Arsenal FC has a robust relationship with the cup, blending youthful potential with tactical savvy.

Crystal Palace FC surfaces as a perilous dark horse, something of a counterattacking footballing force, with the passionate support they get at Selhurst Park really propelling them. If they dislodge the powers that be at UEFA, who knows where this trajectory of theirs goes?

The reigning champions, Manchester City FC, are clear favorites. Their depth of talent allows them to pursue multiple trophies, as they are doing in this competition. Tottenham Hotspur are more than motivated and are among the tournament's contenders and dark horses. The club hasn't lifted a major trophy since 2008. That long wait affects a fan base that is one of the most loyal in England. Newcastle United is another team that views a domestic knockout cup as a realistic target.

Experience FA Cup live!

Experiencing the FA Cup drama is something special. The intensity of the atmosphere is unlike any other — noisy even at the lower-league grounds, and then a step up to the grandness of Wembley, which calls for its own unique sights and sounds. The farthest stages have their own kinds of smells and sights. You don't see the illumination of Wembley at the farthest stages, but then again, you don't often see 90,000 fans-packed venues at those same stages either.

The knockout format creates tension in every single moment. You see players either coming through in big time moments or crumbling under the weight of expectation. You see unbridled joy and achingly sweet heartbreak in the aftermath. And every so often, you see the kind of fairytale result that makes the whole thing worthwhile.

Obtaining FA Cup tickets gives you the opportunity to see significant instances in your life. Just contemplate what you will tell your grandchildren when they ask if you have ever seen in person an underdog's moment of glory. That is more than a splendid soccer match; it is a moment that will be discussed for generations as one of the key instances in English soccer's most glorious and unpredictable knockout tournament.

100% Authentic Tickets with Buyer Protection

Purchasing FA Cup tickets for matches with high demand can be nerve-wracking when you're not sure if they're the real deal. Ticombo takes all that concern away with a rock-solid verification process that ensures the authenticity of every ticket it sells. We check every listing, and we guarantee everything we sell is the real McCoy.

If there are issues with your purchase — like changes to the match or problems with entry — we're there to protect the buyer. These protection measures help ensure that the purchase is valid, so you can focus on the thrill of the moment.

At every step, we offer transparency. There are no hidden fees — just pricing that is crystal clear. Our support team, which is made up of people who themselves are football fanatics, is always primed and ready to field any queries that you might have. This human element, combined with the advanced security of our service, creates a smooth and stress-free buying experience.

Upcoming FA Cup Fixtures

16/05/2026: Final FA Cup Tickets

Why Buy FA Cup Tickets on Ticombo

In a fan-to-fan marketplace constructed by lovers of the game, Ticombo has transformed access to FA Cup ticket through a community platform that connects supporters directly in an environment of trust, in which even the most sought-after seats for the most important matches — whether they be early-round confrontations or the final itself — can be made available.

Our football expertise sets us apart from ordinary vendors and translates into exceptional service. We offer assistance that goes well beyond the normal customer service you might find when working with generic ticketing platforms. Our help with seat selection, entry requirements, and the just plain strange nature of certain FA Cup fixtures is the kind of knowledge you can't find on the platform when you purchase your ticket.

Authentic Tickets Guaranteed

At Ticombo, every ticket listing that we have is subjected to stringent verification. We employ various advanced technologies, like checking the barcodes, and also checks with the issuer, to make sure that the only real tickets make their way into our system. Not just that. We also employ multiple security measures to sweep our system clean of any fake tickets. We want the fans who are purchasing from us to be absolutely certain that they are getting the real deal.

Apart from technology, our experts provide another layer of security. Adding to this, their experience and know-how catch even the ticket format inconsistencies that could otherwise let an impersonator through. This makes sure that all stages of the competition are secured by a personal layer of checks and balances.

Secure Transactions

The systems of Ticombo utilize encryption at the level of banks and processes payments in a secure manner, ensuring that your financial data is safe. These details are kept private because they have to be — especially when it comes to high-stakes matchups.

We maintain an escrow system. The buyer pays; we hold the payment until the seller delivers the ticket. Then we release the payment to the seller. Not if the seller doesn't deliver. Not if the ticket isn't genuine. We don't 100% guarantee that every transaction will be safe, but we make it extremely likely that it will be.

Fast Delivery Options

At times, matches in the FA Cup are declared or rearranged at quite short notice. We cater for the quick turnaround of these by utilizing not just digital ticket delivery but also express shipping. The bottom line is this: no matter how tight the timeline gets, we can have you set for the event in question.

You can rely on us for real-time tracking with precise status on your ticket's arrival, which is essential for making travel plans. If you have an urgent situation, our support can arrange special handling to ensure that your ticket arrives on time.

When to buy FA Cup tickets?

Purchasing at the right time is really important and hinges on just what stage the event you're looking to attend is at. If it's a really popular game with teams from the Premier League at a classic venue like Old Trafford or Anfield, you want to buy tickets as soon as they're released, because those sell out really quickly. For earlier rounds of the FA Cup, you've got a greater likelihood of securing a seat, but they've also got a certain kind of appeal that makes them well worth attending.

If you are optimistic about the chances of your team, then it is risky to wait for confirmation because that might, in fact, wane. For the semi-finals and the final at Wembley Stadium, seasoned supporters often purchase before the teams are set, well aware that demand is about to seriously outstrip supply.

The platform of Ticombo allows you to keep an eye on the tickets you want. More often than not, the tickets for events of any sort become less and less available as the event nears. I find that if I want to have any hope of attending a really big match, I have to consider buying a ticket from just about any seller at virtually any time because availability is not a thing you can count on.

Latest FA Cup News

The UEFA review into Crystal Palace's ownership, especially its links to Lyon, is making this campaign a lot more interesting — yet potentially complicated. It could end up having a direct bearing on European qualification. And that means advancing in the cups suddenly becomes very, very important indeed.

At the same time, the FA Cup is being remade by innovative new coaching. Many managers in the Premier League are taking a new, fresh approach to the early rounds — from a strategic and competitive standpoint, to be sure, but also from a human-resources angle that speaks to squad depth and player development.

The FA Cup's reach is moving ever outward, and the broadcasting of matches is largely responsible for that. The viewership of the Cup has multiplied in notable fashion across Asia and North America. This event has truly gone international.

Frequently Asked Questions

Responses to frequent FA Cup ticket inquiries to enrich your tournament experience:

How to purchase FA Cup tickets?

Ticombo provides a simple way to do things. Browse fixtures on our football tickets section, filter for FA Cup games, and pick the seats you want, at any price point you want. Learn about the venues and use that information to make an experience choice — with priority to your personal preferences and budget.

Finalize your order securely; we accept all major credit cards and alternative payment methods. You receive instant confirmation, and your tickets are sent by the method you prefer: either digitally or via tracked mail.

How much are FA Cup tickets?

Costs fluctuate wildly. Initial matches, which frequently showcase lower-tier teams, generally ask £10–£25. As the tournament advances — especially when top-flight clubs are involved — prices typically rise to £30–£60, dictated by seat location and opponent.

Events at Wembley — quarter-finals and semi-finals — cost between £45 and £80, while finals start at £60 for seats with limited views and go up to over £150 for prime locations with unobstructed sightlines. These are face values. For matches that are big draws, like major rivalries or finals, secondary-market prices can be a lot steeper.

When do FA Cup tickets go on sale?

Patterns for the release of tickets are structured. Early round tickets are made available soon after the draw, generally 2–3 weeks prior to the matches. For the later rounds, clubs release tickets about 3–4 weeks ahead of time, making them available first to members and then to the general public.

Approximately 72 hours after the quarter-finals, semi-final tickets are available at Wembley, albeit with club-allocated seating. Final tickets are released about three weeks in advance and go mostly to fans with prior attendance at the tournament. Ticombo can be a reliable source for accessible tickets after all other primary means have been exhausted.