We've all heard about the magic of the FA Cup, but few know of the allure of massive FA Cup odds. Watching Premier League royalty go down to a last-minute goal from a 39-year-old painter/decorator from Chorley is the stuff most people's FA Cup dreams are made of. For us, it's having the foresight to slap a cheeky fiver on the wily old defender and watching him nod one in at the back stick. That's what this guide is all about: plucky predictions, tasty tips, and obscene odds. Fancy pulling off a trick of your own? Read on!
- 1 FA Cup Betting Odds
- 2 FA Cup Betting Tips
- 3 FA Cup Betting Offers
- 4 Our Favourite FA Cup Betting Sites
- 5 Popular FA Cup Betting Markets
- 6 FA Cup Live Betting
- 7 What Is the Format for the FA Cup?
- 8 When Is the Draw for FA Cup Matches?
- 9 FA Cup Betting Stats
- 10 FA Cup Betting Strategy
- 11 FA Cup Key Stats
- 12 FA Cup Giant-Killings
- 13 More Sports Betting Articles
- 14 ThePuntersPage Final Say
- 15 FA Cup Betting FAQs
FA Cup Betting Odds
FA Cup Betting Tips
When it comes to cup finals, anything goes – which is why we are sticking our neck out with our FA Cup betting tips. Crystal Palace entertain Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday 17th May, and with The Eagles in good nick, we think this sub-par City side may be in for a shock.
Crystal Palace to Lift the Trophy @ 9/4
Crystal Palace are in dreamland. They’ve never won a major trophy and are making their first final appearance since 2016. It’s been a mixed bag in terms of league form, but they’ve got the players in Eze, Mateta and Sarr to cause anybody, let alone an underperforming City, a lot of problems. If we had to make a case for The Eagles, it would be for Palace to get over the line, by hook or by crook, and win that illusive trophy at odds of 9/4 (To Lift the Trophy market).
FA Cup Final: Over 2.5 Goals @ 7/10
Palace's thumping 3-0 victory over Aston Villa in the semi-finals was their third successive FA Cup match in which they scored 3 goals, following wins against Fulham and Millwall respectively. City, on the other hand, have gone about their FA Cup business in a more leisurely fashion, edging past Bournemouth in the quarters by two goals to one, before seeing off Forest in the Semi's by a more comfortable 2-0 scoreline. Pep Guardiola's firepower has gotten a timely boost thanks to the return of Haaland, and with goal scorers for both City and Palace all over the pitch, we can't see us being treated to anything less than 3+ goals, making the 7/10 for over 2.5 goals decent FA Cup betting odds to round things off.
FA Cup Betting Offers
We’ve scoured the market to find the best FA Cup betting offers and have listed them below. These offers include a mix of free bets, bet boosts, and free spins from some of the most reputable brands in the industry.
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Founded:
2000
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
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Bet £10 & Get £30 18+. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
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Min. stake: £0.10
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Founded:
1967
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
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Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets 18+ New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
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Min. stake: £0.10
Max. withdrawal: £20,000
Min. deposit: £5
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Founded:
1946
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
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Bet £10 & Get £30 in Football Free Bets 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 or more on any football market at minimum 1/1 odds within 7 days of registration. No cash out. Get £30 in Free Football Bets, selected markets. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
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Min. stake: £0.05
Max. withdrawal: £50,000
Min. deposit: £5
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Founded:
1998
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
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Up to £50 in Free Bets, Odds Boost Token, 20 Free Spins & £10 Casino Bonus 18+ New players only | Available until 23:59 GMT 31.12.2025 Each challenge has its own TCs. Eligible Bets must be placed for each respective Challenge during the Promotional Period including the following: ACCA, Football, In-Play, and Casino. Each challenge has its own set of TCs and can only be completed 1x. Available to claim: 20 Free Spins, Odds Boost Token, £10 Free Bet, 50% Back up Free Bet up to £20, £10 Casino Bonus when you wager £50+. If all are completed you will receive Max £20 Free Bet to be used on any sport. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
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Min. stake: £0.02
Max. withdrawal: £100,000,000
Min. deposit: £5
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Founded:
1923
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(3):
Bet £10 Get £10 in Free Bets 18+, UK only. Deposit and place a £10 cash bet at single or accumulated odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater and we will give you £10 in free bets. Free bets credited as 2 x £5 bets. 1x Football, 1x Racing. Void or 'Draw No Bet' wagers do not qualify for this promotion. Available once per customer. Free bets will be credited at bet settlement and will expire 7 days after being credited. Full T&C's apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
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Min. stake: £0.01
Max. withdrawal: £100,000,000
Min. deposit: £5
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Android
iOS
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Founded:
2006
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(8):
Bet £10 Get £10 Free Bet + 25 Free Spins 18+ Bet £10 on any Sport Min Odds 1/1 (2.00) per selection. Free Bet will be credited after settlement within 1 hour. Valid for 7 days on Bet Builders Only. 25 Free Spins will be credited within 72 hours. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.01
Max. withdrawal: £35,000
Min. deposit: £10
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
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Founded:
2019
UK Gambling Commission
This bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with strict regulations designed to promote fairness, transparency, and the safety of players. The UKGC license is a mark of trust, safeguarding your funds and personal information while encouraging responsible gambling. Learn more about the UKGC here
Payment methods(10):
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets 18+ New UK customers only. Min £10 deposit via Debit Card or Bank Transfer. Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 2.0 to get a £10 Football Bet Builder token on settlement. The rest will follow over the next 48 hours. Min 3 legs required. Full T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.05
Max. withdrawal: £100,000,000
Min. deposit: £10
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
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Our Favourite FA Cup Betting Sites
We really are spoiled for choice when it comes to high-quality FA Cup betting sites. To help narrow it down, we've listed our favourites below.
1. bet365 — Bang on for Bonuses
There is a real passion for football visible on bet365, with impressive in-depth markets and in-play betting. Extensive pre-game and in-play markets for football matches, not just FA Cup ties, means that there are plenty of ways to gamble on the beautiful game.
The relentless bonuses and promotions from bet365 are extraordinary, both for new players and existing customers, and punters are bound to be suitably impressed by such a wide selection of sports markets.
- Generous cash-out offers
- Incredibly good for promotions
- Substantial sports betting options
- Bit slow for registration approval
- No option to use cryptocurrency
2. Betfred — Football Focus Dominates
This bookie is remarkably good for football betting, pitching in with a superb set of markets and highly generous odds for leading competitions and major events.
Betfred offers free livestreaming and impressive in-play betting to its registered customers, who are constantly offered football-specific bonuses and promotions. Their Goals Galore promotion, which allows you to place both teams to score accumulator bets at a set price, could be worth a punt for enhanced FA Cup odds.
- A bevy of football bonuses and promos
- Great value for football bettors
- Strong in-play betting
- Bet Builder only available for football
- Sports livestreaming could be expanded
3. BetVictor — Intelligent In-Play Markets
BetVictor is one of the best for FA Cup Final betting offers. You can use their brilliant Bet £10, Get £30 free bet for the final, plus take advantage of existing player promos such as boosted odds and their free-to-play £50k Predictor.
- Always generous football odds
- Extensive football competitions and tournaments
- Impressive football blog filled with betting tips
- Bet Builder could be improved
- Limited livestreaming for sports
Popular FA Cup Betting Markets
The FA Cup is packed with betting markets, from the first round through to the final. As the tournament progresses, the coverage increases, and we expect the most useful football betting sites, like bet365 and BetVictor, to have hundreds of bets for every game.
We’re going to take a look at some of the more popular ones below and highlight how you can link these with your FA Cup betting strategy.
The outright winner is where you bet on the team that will lift the cup on the hallowed turf of Wembley. It’s one of the most profitable football betting markets to bet on, and if you get in early enough, it can yield tremendous value, especially if you can find an outside pick to cause an upset.
You can extend this bet to include an each-way option, which splits the bet in two: half is on the team to win and half on them to place, or, for the purpose of FA Cup betting, to make the final.
For the place bet, the outright odds are adjusted to 1/5th of the win price. So, if you place a £10 each-way bet (£20 total) on Aston Villa to win the FA Cup at odds of 10/1, you essentially have two bets. £10 at 10/1 to win, and £10 at 2/1 (1/5th of win odds) to make the final.
There are numerous football Over/Under betting markets, including for the FA Cup final. These are a strategic alternative to FA Cup outright betting. The Over/Under markets on goals – predicting whether the overall number of goals scored will be over or under a betting line set by the bookie – is a popular bet. The same format applies for such markets as booking points and corners.
For cagey FA Cup matches, the First Player and First Team to Score can make the contest more exciting for football punters. The First to Score market can spring a surprise when it comes down to the goal that breaks the deadlock, so you can be a winner with a long-shot selection.
You should always consider the regular penalty-taker when backing the first player to score.
Betting on the winning manager's nationality is undoubtedly in the “niche” category, but it’s quite an interesting market to tackle. It’s pretty self-explanatory in that you simply choose the country of origin for the winning manager, which could be England, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, or anywhere in the world.
A good place to start with this is the manager of the favourites to win outright. For example, Manchester City are always going to be there or thereabouts, and their current manager is Pep Guardiola, who is from Spain. It would make a lot of sense to back a Spanish manager to win, given that City is expected to perform well.
The upside is that you get cover from other clubs if they get knocked out. Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, Aston Villa’s Unai Emery and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola are also Spanish, so essentially, you’re betting on four teams to win the FA Cup.
There are few scenarios as nerve-jingling in football as when spot kicks decide the champions of a major tournament. Backing an FA Cup tie to be determined by penalties is a circumstance that may be rare but can be highly lucrative.
Arsenal (2005) and Liverpool (2006, 2022) have been crowned FA Cup winners following tense penalty shootouts.
It’s also worth noting that, as rules have changed for the 2024/25 FA Cup, there are no longer replays from the first round onward, so penalties are much more common than they once were.
FA Cup Live Betting
Pre-game is often considered the best place to find value in FA Cup odds, but live betting is definitely the most exciting. There’s less need to study the form guide and more of an emphasis on reacting to what’s happening on the pitch.
The likes of bet365, Betfred and BetVictor have brilliant interactive in-play betting sections with hundreds of markets that chop and change in a split second. You need to have your wits about you, but you can use the stats and data from the match centre to spot betting trends and use the latest FA Cup betting odds to see if there’s value there.
FA Cup Betting Sites With Livestreaming
Broadcasting rights for the FA Cup final in the UK and Ireland is limited to television stations and their digital platforms, not online bookmakers. Punters can follow FA Cup action with livestreaming from the BBC and ITV, as well as their channels iPlayer and ITVX.
FA Cup fans from across the world can tune in for live competition coverage through global broadcast partners of the English Football Association.
What Is the Format for the FA Cup?
The FA Cup competition is open to 732 teams to match the number of clubs in the top nine tiers of the English football pyramid, and it is played via knockout matches. There are two pre-qualifying rounds followed by four qualifying rounds, with 32 sides progressing to the first round proper.
The 48 clubs from League One and League Two join the first round proper. The 20 English Premier League and 24 English League Championship teams are introduced into the FA Cup draw at the third round proper.
This is when the romance of the competition can become a great leveller between top teams and lowly clubs. There is a fascination about big-spending sides having to tackle minnows, which is when the betting market can be unpredictable and include giant-killing acts.
When Is the Draw for FA Cup Matches?
It’s crazy to think that preparations for next season's FA Cup games start just weeks after the final in May. The preliminary rounds of the draw take place in July, with games commencing at the start of August.
The first round proper kicks off in November, but even by that point, there will be teams that could have played up to six games to get into that elusive first-round draw. The Premier League big boys famously enter the third round at the start of January, and this is where giant-killing headlines like Hereford’s 1972 win over Newcastle United or Wrexham beating Arsenal in 1992 are written.
Below we’ve included a rough timescale of when the draws for the qualification and then the first round onward take place.
Qualifying Rounds (August – October)
| Round | Fixture Date | Draw Date |
|---|---|---|
| Extra Preliminary Round | Early August | Early July |
| Preliminary Round | Mid-August | Early July (with previous) |
| First Round Qualifying | End of August | Mid-August |
| Second Round Qualifying | Mid-September | Start of September |
| Third Round Qualifying | End of September | Mid-September |
| Fourth Round Qualifying | Mid-October | End of September |
Proper Rounds (November – May)
| Round | Fixture Date | Draw Date |
|---|---|---|
| First Round Proper | Start of November | Mid-October |
| Second Round Proper | End of November | Start of November |
| Third Round Proper | Start/Mid-January | Start of December |
| Fourth Round Proper | Start of February | Mid-January |
| Fifth Round Proper | Start of March | Early/Mid-February |
| Quarter-Finals | End of March | Start of March |
| Semi-Finals | End of April | End of March |
| Final | Mid-May | (Draw after Semi-Finals) |
FA Cup Betting Stats
The foundations of finding value in this competition are all in the FA Cup stats. You need the numbers to back up the hunch, and by using our betting stats table below, you can see which teams are on form and which you want to avoid. If you link these up with our FA Cup betting predictions, you’ve a cracking combo at your disposal.
FA Cup Betting Strategy
We enjoy nothing more than taking the time to curate the best FA Cup betting tips anywhere online. In fact, we’re super proud of the time and effort we put into it as a team.
However, we know that sometimes, you want to go it alone, and we fully respect that. To help you form your own bets, we’ve included a few of the strategies that we apply to ours. If you use these as part of a system when assessing value, along with utilising the best football betting sites, you won’t go far wrong.
FA Cup Key Stats
FA Cup Winners During Past Decade
| Year | Champion | Result | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Manchester United | 2-1 | Manchester City |
| 2023 | Manchester City | 2-1 | Manchester United |
| 2022 | Liverpool | 0-0 (Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties) | Chelsea |
| 2021 | Leicester City | 1-0 | Chelsea |
| 2020 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea |
| 2019 | Manchester City | 6-0 | Watford |
| 2018 | Chelsea | 1-0 | Manchester United |
| 2017 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea |
| 2016 | Manchester United | 2-1 | Crystal Palace |
| 2015 | Arsenal | 4-0 | Aston Villa |
FA Cup Giant-Killings
The FA Cup has seen some memorable shocking results over the years, which included the two Manchester giants on the receiving end of an epic FA Cup giant-killing act.
Here’s how City and United slipped up in previous FA Cup ties:
1976 FA Cup final: Manchester United 0 Southampton 1
Considered by many as the biggest upset in an FA Cup final. Southampton, who competed in a league lower than the top-flight Red Devils, scored a slender win when Bobby Stoke found the back of the net to claim the first major trophy for the south coast minnows.
2008/09 FA Cup third round: Manchester City 0 Nottingham Forest 3
A nightmare result for manager Mark Hughes – a four-time FA Cup winner as a player, by lowly Championship side Forest humiliating the big spenders on home soil. To add insult to injury, the visitors were led by caretaker manager John Pemberton.
2009/10 FA Cup third round: Manchester United 0 Leeds United 1
Sir Alex Ferguson’s troops suffered defeat at the first hurdle to third-tier Leeds. The FA Cup exit was the club’s first time to fall in the third round since Tottenham Hotspur eliminated United during the 1979/80 season.
2013 FA Cup final: Manchester City 0 Wigan Athletic 1
A Ben Watson flicked header during added time earned a victory for Roberto Martinez’s unfancied Wigan in their first and only ever FA Cup final. With the two teams experiencing vastly different Premier League campaigns – high-fliers City chasing the title and Wigan trying to avoid relegation, the result was the first upset in the FA Cup final since Everton defeated Manchester United 1-0 in 1995.
2017/18 FA Cup fifth round: Wigan Athletic 1 Manchester City 0
League One side Wigan halted City's dreams for a clean sweep of domestic trophies with their stunning upset over Premier League leaders. A Will Grigg second-half strike was enough for Paul Cook’s team to see off their 10-men opponents, and deliver the knockout blow to City boss Pep Guardiola.
2022 FA Cup fourth round: Manchester United 1 Middlesbrough 1 (7-8 on penalties)
A star-spangled United side tasted defeat following the lottery of a penalty shootout after a 120-minute stalemate at Old Trafford, when Anthony Elanga skied the decisive spot-kick over the gaping goalmouth.
More Sports Betting Articles
ThePuntersPage Final Say
The FA Cup is one of the most iconic football tournaments in the world. From a betting perspective, it can be tough to call, as teams chop and change a lot, especially in the early rounds. But this unpredictability is what makes it unique, and if you’re smart, you can use this to your advantage. One of the best FA Cup betting tips we can give you is to enjoy the ride with these games. It’s not an easy competition to call, but if you can find your own Hereford, Wrexham or Shrewsbury, it’s going to pay off big time.
FA Cup Betting FAQs
bet365 and BetVictor are the two best bookies for football in general. They have a range of FA Cup betting offers that include boosted odds and exclusive bet builders. Between them, they have more markets and smaller margins, which means more money to the punter.
The FA Cup draw for the preliminary qualifying rounds takes place on July 5th, before the first qualifying round on August 19th. The FA Cup first round proper draw is scheduled for October 14th, and the third round (which includes Premier League clubs) is set for December 2nd. Bookmakers are expected to have markets live for each round within 24 hours of the draws being confirmed.
Man City is the favourite to win the 2025 FA Cup. They face off against Crystal Palace in the final and are firm favourites at odds of 4/6 to win the game and 4/11 to lift the trophy.
The outright winner often has the most value, and if you can get in early enough, you can get some long prices on teams that tend to go well. For example, for the 2025 FA Cup, Manchester City were priced at 3/1 to win outright at the start of the season and in the final are currently 4/6.
Changes to the rules regarding extra time and replays took effect in 2024/25, meaning that there are no replays from the first round onward. Games will go straight to extra time and penalties if needed.
At ThePuntersPage, we have all the latest FA Cup betting tips for you and totally free of charge. Our team spends days, sometimes weeks, scouring the form guides and stats to bring you some of the most in-depth, well-researched and data-driven tips in the industry.