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 and Sports News
- 10 FA Cup Fixtures / Key Dates
- 11 FA Cup Betting Strategy
- 12 FA Cup Key Stats
- 13 Memorable Moments from the FA Cup
- 14 More Sports Betting Articles
- 15 ThePuntersPage Final Say
- 16 FA Cup Betting FAQs
FA Cup Betting Odds
FA Cup Betting Tips
Betting on the FA Cup needs a different approach to regular league fixtures. You’ve got to start looking at the context of each game and what it means to both teams. On paper, you’d expect a decent Premier League outfit to beat lower league opposition nine times out of ten, but if they aren’t bothered and they’ve shoved Big Dave the kitman up top to keep their £50 million Brazilian striker fresh, the playing field starts to level.
A common place of practice to start is with teams in Europe or those who are going deep in the League Cup. There are bigger fish to fry than Boreham Wood away on a Monday night. You can also factor in things like plastic (4G) pitches, grounds smaller than a Reliant Robin, and portacabins as changing rooms. You get the picture. Anything that can make these prima donnas uncomfortable will play a role in the match, often more than FA Cup stats might.
Finally, don’t overlook the bookies digging into those deep pockets of theirs with boosted odds and enhanced accas. They can fire these off as early as the first round, and with boosts, you’re often getting industry-best odds, which all helps in that pursuit of value betting.
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
UKGC
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
TPP Rating
Our experts research, review, and rate bookmakers first-hand to provide you with reliable information. All our content is completely impartial based on our own personal experiences as punters.
Payment methods(11):
Bet £10 & Get £30 18+. Min deposit requirement. Registration Required. 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. Geo location and live streaming rules apply. Time limits and Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org #ad
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.10
Max. withdrawal: £100,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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Founded:
1967
UKGC
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
TPP Rating
Our experts research, review, and rate bookmakers first-hand to provide you with reliable information. All our content is completely impartial based on our own personal experiences as punters.
Payment methods(7):
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
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.10
Max. withdrawal: £20,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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Founded:
1946
UKGC
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
TPP Rating
Our experts research, review, and rate bookmakers first-hand to provide you with reliable information. All our content is completely impartial based on our own personal experiences as punters.
Payment methods(6):
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
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.05
Max. withdrawal: £50,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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Founded:
1998
UKGC
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
TPP Rating
Our experts research, review, and rate bookmakers first-hand to provide you with reliable information. All our content is completely impartial based on our own personal experiences as punters.
Payment methods(6):
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
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.02
Max. withdrawal: £100,000,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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Founded:
1923
UKGC
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
TPP Rating
Our experts research, review, and rate bookmakers first-hand to provide you with reliable information. All our content is completely impartial based on our own personal experiences as punters.
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
Good to know:
Min. stake: £0.01
Max. withdrawal: £100,000,000
Min. deposit: £5
24/7 Customer Support:
Mobile-App:
Android
iOS
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Founded:
2006
UKGC
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
TPP Rating
Our experts research, review, and rate bookmakers first-hand to provide you with reliable information. All our content is completely impartial based on our own personal experiences as punters.
Payment methods(8):
Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets + 25 Free Spins 18+ New players only. Bet £10 min. odds 1/1 (2.00). No cash-out. Free Bets split into 4x £5 and are available on 1 x Football Bet Builder, 1 x Acca Bet, 1 x Horse Racing & 1 x UFC. 25 Free Spins on Big Bass Splash, each valued at 10p without wagering requirement. 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
iOS
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Founded:
2019
UKGC
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
TPP Rating
Our experts research, review, and rate bookmakers first-hand to provide you with reliable information. All our content is completely impartial based on our own personal experiences as punters.
Payment methods(10):
Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets +18 New UK customers only. Min £10 first deposit using Debit Card or Bank Transfer. Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 2.0 and get £40 in Free Bets within 48 hours. Restrictions apply. 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
iOS
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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?
Preparations for the FA Cup 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 the timeframes of when the 2025/26 FA Cup takes place.
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Extra Preliminary Round | Saturday 2 August 2025 |
| Preliminary Round | Saturday 16 August 2025 |
| First Round Qualifying | Saturday 30 August 2025 |
| Second Round Qualifying | Saturday 13 September 2025 |
| Third Round Qualifying | Saturday 27 September 2025 |
| Fourth Round Qualifying | Saturday 11 October 2025 |
| First Round Proper | Saturday 1 November 2025 |
| Second Round Proper | Saturday 6 December 2025 |
| Third Round Proper | Saturday 10 January 2026 |
| Fourth Round Proper | Saturday 14 February 2026 |
| Fifth Round Proper | Saturday 7 March 2026 |
| Quarter Final | Saturday 4 April 2026 |
| Semi-Final | Saturday 25 April 2026 |
| The Final | Saturday 16 May 2026 |
FA Cup and Sports News
FA Cup Fixtures / Key Dates
FA Cup Betting Strategy
Betting on the FA Cup can be loaded with value. Picking out that 10/1 League 2 giant-killer is about as sweet as it gets. But, you’ve got to keep a level perspective of the game and don’t lose sight of finding value. One of the easiest ways to do this is to find mismatches in odds that the bookies have got wrong.
For example, you’ve an outside pick in Coventry to beat Fulham. The Sky Blues are priced at 6/1 to win, which is an implied probability of 14%. You think that, actually, they’re at home, on form, and Fulham have a local derby just three days later. So you’re suggesting that the implied probability should be closer to 25% which is actually 3/1. This means that 6/1 is a banging value bet, and you can proceed knowing you’re getting one over on the bookies.
We can also go right back to basics here as well, with things like bankroll management (you should never bet more than 1-2% of your total bankroll), using betting calculators to compare and plan your bets, and shopping around for the best odds possible. Sometimes, the basics are all you need to dominate FA Cup betting.
FA Cup Key Stats
Last 10 Winners of the FA Cup
| Year | Champion | Result | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Crystal Palace | 1-0 | Manchester City |
| 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 |
Memorable Moments from the FA Cup
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.
2024/25 FA Cup Final: Crystal Palace 1 Manchester City 0
Crystal Palace defied all the odds by beating Manchester City to win their first ever piece of major silverware. The Eagles ran out 1-0 winners on the day to spark rapturous celebrations and cement Oliver Galsner’s team into Palace folklore.
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.
Each FA Cup Draw will take place a few days after the previous round has concluded. The rounds for the 2025/26 season are as follows:
Extra Preliminary Round: August 2, 2025
Preliminary Round: August 16, 2025
1st Round Qualifying: August 30, 2025
2nd Round Qualifying: September 13, 2025
3rd Round Qualifying: September 27, 2025
4th Round Qualifying: October 11, 2025
1st Round Proper: November 1, 2025
2nd Round Proper: December 6, 2025
3rd Round Proper: January 10, 2026
4th Round Proper: February 14, 2026
5th Round Proper: March 7, 2026
Quarterfinals: April 4, 2026
Semifinals: April 25-26, 2026
2025 FA Cup Final: May 16, 2026
Liverpool are the pre-season favourites to win the FA Cup with odds of 4/1. Manchester City (9/2) and Arsenal (6/1) make up the top three favourites. To view who the bookies currently have as favourites to lift the trophy, check out our FA Cup Betting odds.
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 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.