Winning the FA Cup isn’t easy. Only four teams have been able to win consecutive titles: Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham, and Arsenal. Precisely, the Gunners were the last after winning it in 2014 and 2015. As expected, the English Premier League squads tend to dominate the competition.
Cardiff City also deserves a special mention because the Bluebirds are the only non-English team that has won the tournament in 1927.
How the Championship Works
First, it’s important to understand that the FA Cup is a knockout tournament with no seeding. That means that each round is determined by a random draw. Speaking of rounds, the tournament consists of 12 rounds, the semifinals, and the Grand Finale.
The most interesting thing about the FA Cup is that it’s open to all eligible clubs down to level nine of the English Football system. The EPL is level 1. While the tournament consists of 12 rounds, the EPL teams start playing in the third round. That means that a team from the EPL needs to win six games to be crowned.
We’re talking about a knockout tournament, meaning that losing one game is enough to be eliminated. Beginning in the fourth round, if a match finishes with a draw, those teams must collide again at the venue of the away team. If the second match also ends with a draw, extra time and penalties come into play. There’s also the fact that the semifinals and the final are played at Wembley.
Finally, keep in mind that the tournament begins in August with the preliminary rounds, while the FA Cup Grand Finale is scheduled for May.
Only two teams have managed to win the FA Cup while also winning the domestic league and the continental tournament they play: Manchester United in 1999 and Manchester City in 2023.
