FA Cup Winners: Results From 1872 To Present Day

There have been 141 FA Cup winners of the Football Association Challenge Cup, as it was commonly known in the early years. A knockout competition in English football, the FA Cup is organized by and named after the Football Association (FA).

The competition has existed from 1871–72, making it the oldest in the world. Every year, two billion viewers will tune in to watch the soccer match from around the world.

To qualify for the tournament, clubs must meet specific stadium requirements at their home stadiums in the top 10 divisions of the English football league system. As the showpiece finale of the English football season, the FA Cup Final is held at the end of the league season (usually in May).

FA Cup final in new wembley stadium

Where Is The FA Cup Final Played

In most cases, FA Cup Finals have been played in London: most of these have been played at the original Wembley Stadium, which closed in 2000. Kennington Oval, Crystal Palace, Stamford Bridge, and Lillie Bridge were used in London before 1923, as were Goodison Park in Liverpool, Fallowfield Stadium, and Old Trafford in Manchester.

While the new Wembley Stadium was under construction, the final was held at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium for six years (2001-2006). When the final ends in a draw, replays have been played on other grounds to determine the FA Cup winners over the years. Since 2007, the final has been held on the hallowed turf of the new Wembley Stadium.

Wolverhampton Wanderers team that won the 1893 FA Cup

Early History Of The FA Cup Winners

Former London public schoolboys, the Wanderers, were the first FA Cup winners. In its first seven seasons, the Wanderers won the competition five times. Early cup winners were all wealthy amateur teams from the south of England. However, after defeating Old Etonians in 1883, Blackburn Olympic became the first team from the north to win the cup.

At the same time, professional teams began to dominate the competition, quickly eroding the prominence of amateur teams. The Football League was formed in 1888 by the leading professional clubs. There has been one FA Cup winner among non-league teams since then.

Tottenham Hotspur won the 1901 final, then of the Southern League, over Sheffield United, then of the Football League. Following Sheffield United’s success in the final a year later, the cup remained in the hands of Northern and Midland clubs until Tottenham won it again in 1921.

Non-English Winners

The only non-English club to win the cup was Cardiff City in 1927, despite playing in the English football league system. In the early years of the competition, Queens Park of Glasgow reached the final twice.

Aside from the 1914–15 season, when it was completed, and the 1939–40 season, abandoned during qualifying rounds, the competition did not occur during the First and Second World Wars.

During 1973-1980, English second-tier teams won unprecedented cups. The most recent cup victory by a team outside the top division was West Ham United’s in 1980, following Sunderland’s 1973 triumph.

The match would be replayed if there was a draw in the final until 1999. There has always been a penalty shootout in the final since then. In the finals of 2005, 2006, and 2022, penalty shootouts were only required three times.

arsenal lifting the fa cup trophy for the 14th time

Who Has Won The Most FA Cups

Arsenal has appeared in 21 finals and been FA Cup winners on 14 occasions. Manchester United has appeared in 20 finals and raised the cup 12 times. Tottenham Hotspurs has the best record with eight wins from 9 FA Cup final appearances.

In 2022, Liverpool (15 appearances) joined Chelsea (16 appearances) and Tottenham Hotspurs on eight wins. Aston Villa has won the FA Cup 7 times. Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, and Manchester City have lifted the cup six times each.

The Wanderers appeared in 5 FA Cup finals and won the cup on each occasion. Everton and West Bromwich are also on five victories.

The Yorkshire teams have done well over the years. Sheffield United has four FA Cup final wins, and Sheffield Wednesday has three victories. Huddersfield Town, Bradford City, Barnsley, and Leeds United have won the cup once.

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bolton Wanderers have 4 cups. West Ham has three. Bury, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Preston North End, Sunderland, and the non-existent Old Etonians have won the FA Cup final twice.

Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Notts County, Oxford University, Southampton, Clapham Rovers, Blackburn Olympic, Wigan Athletic, Coventry City, Royal Engineers, Wimbledon, Derby County, Burnley, Old Carthusians, Charlton Athletic, Blackpool, and Cardiff City have won the FA Cup final once.

Queens Park Rangers and Watford have played in two finals each and yet to win.

FA Cup Winners List

Season FA Cup Winners FA Cup Runners Up Match Venue Official Attendance
1871-72 Wanderers 1 Royal Engineers 0 Kennington Oval 2,000
1872–73 Wanders 2 Oxford University 0 Lillie Bridge 3,000
1873–74 Oxford University 2 Royal Engineers 0 Kennington Oval 2,000
1874-75 Royal Engineers 1 Old Etonians 1 Kennington Oval 2,000
1874-75 (Replay) Royal Engineers 3 Old Etonians 0 Kennington Oval 3,000
1875-76 Wanderers 1 Old Etonians 1 Kennington Oval 3,500
1875-76 (Replay) Wanderers 3 Old Etonians 0 Kennington Oval 1,500
1876-77 Wanderers 2 Oxford University 1 Kennington Oval 3,000
1877-78 Wanderers 3 Royal Engineers 1 Kennington Oval 4,500
1878-79 Old Etonians 1 Clapham Rovers 0 Kennington Oval 5,000
1879-80 Clapham Rovers 1 Oxford University 0 Kennington Oval 6,000
1880-81 Old Carthusians 3 Old Etonians 0 Kennington Oval 4,000
1881-82 Old Etonians 1 Blackburn Rovers 0 Kennington Oval 6,500
1882-83 Blackburn Olympic 2 Old Etonians 1 Kennington Oval 8,000
1883-84 Blackburn Rovers 2 Queens Park 1 Kennington Oval 4,000
1884-85 Blackburn Rovers 2 Queens Park 0 Kennington Oval 12,5000
1885-86 Blackburn Rovers 0 West Bromwich Albion 0 Kennington Oval 15,000
1885-86 (Replay) Blackburn Rovers 2 West Bromwich Albion 0 Racecourse Ground 12,000
1886-87 Aston Villa 2 West Bromwich Albion 0 Kennington Oval 15,500
1887-88 West Bromwich Albion 2 Preston North End 1 Kennington Oval 19,000
1888-89 Preston North End 3 Wolverhamption Wanderers 0 Kennington Oval 22,000
1889-90 Blackburn Rovers 6 The Wednesday 1 Kennington Oval 20,000
1890-91 Blackburn Rovers 3 Notts County 0 Kennington Oval 23,000
1891-92 West Bromwich Albion 3 Aston Villa 0 Kennington Oval 32,810
1892-93 Wolverhamption Wanderers 1 Everton 0 Fallowfield Stadium 45,000
1893-94 Notts County 4 Bolton Wanderers 1 Goodison Park 37,000
1894-95 Aston Villa 1 West Bromwich Albion 0 Crystal Palace 42,560
1895-96 The Wednesday 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Crystal Palace 48,836
1896-97 Aston Villa 3 Everton 2 Crystal Palace 65,891
1897-98 Nottingham Forest 3 Derby County 1 Crystal Palace 62,017
1898-99 Sheffield United 4 Derby County 1 Crystal Palace 73,833
1899-1900 Bery 4 Southampton 0 Crystal Palace 68,945
1900-01 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Sheffield United 2 Crystal Palace 1110,820
1900-01 (Replay) Tottenham Hotspur 3 Sheffield United 1 Burnden Park 20,470
1901-02 Sheffield United 1 Southampton 1 Crystal Palace 76,914
1901-02 (Replay) Sheffield United 2 Southampton 1 Crystal Palace 33,068
1902-03 Bury 6 Derby County 0 Crystal Palace 63,102
1903-04 Manchester City 1 Bolton Wanderers 0 Crystal Palace 61,374
1904-05 Aston Villa 2 Newcastle United 0 Crystal Palace 101,117
1905-06 Everton 1 Newcastle United 0 Crystal Palace 75,609
1906-07 The Wednesday 2 Everton 1 Crystal Palace 84,594
1907-08 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 Newcastle United 1 Crystal Palace 74,697
1908-09 Manchester United 1 Bristol City 0 Crystal Palace 71,401
1909-10 Newcastle United 1 Barnsley 1 Crystal Palace 77,747
1909-10 (Replay) Newcastle United 2 Barnsley 0 Goodison Patk 69,000
1910-11 Bradford City 0 Newcastle United 0 Crystal Palace 69,068
1910-11 (Replay) Bradford City 1 Newcastle United 0 Old Trafford 58,000
1911-12 Barnsley 0 West Bromwich Albion 0 Crystal Palace 54,556
1911-12 (Replay) Barnsley 1 West Bromwich Albion 0 Bramall Lane 38,555
1912-13 Aston Villa 1 Sunderland 0 Crystal Palace 121,919
1913-14 Burnley 1 Liverpool 0 Crystal Palace 72,778
1914-15 Sheffield United 3 Chelsea 0 Old Trafford 49,557
1919-20 Aston Villa 1 Huddersfield Town 0 Stamford Bridge 50,018
1920-21 Tottenham Hotspur 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Stamford Bridge 72,805
1921-22 Huddersfield Town 1 Preston North End 0 Stamford Bridge 53,000
1922-23 Bolton Wanderers 2 West Ham United 0 Old Wembley Stadium 126,047
1923-24 Newcastle United 2 Aston Villa 0 Old Wembley Stadium 91,695
1924-25 Sheffield United 1 Cardiff City 0 Old Wembley Stadium 91,763
1925-26 Bolton Wanderers 1 Manchester City 0 Old Wembley Stadium 91,447
1926-27 Cardiff City 1 Arsenal 0 Old Wembley Stadium 91,206
1927-28 Blackburn Rovers 3 Huddersfield Town 1 Old Wembley Stadium 92,041
1928-29 Bolton Wanderers 2 Portsmouth 0 Old Wembley Stadium 92,576
1929-30 Arsenal 2 Huddersfield Town 0 Old Wembley Stadium 92,488
1930-31 West Bromwich Albion 2 Birmingham 1 Old Wembley Stadium 92,406
1931-32 Newcastle United 2 Arsenal 1 Old Wembley Stadium 92,298
1932-33 Everton 3 Manchester City 0 Old Wembley Stadium 92,950
1933-34 Manchester City 2 Portsmouth 1 Old Wembley Stadium 93,258
1934-35 Sheffield United 4 West Bromwich Albion 2 Old Wembley Stadium 93,204
1935-36 Arsenal 1 Sheffield United 0 Old Wembley Stadium 93,384
1936-37 Sunderland 3 Preston North End 1 Old Wembley Stadium 93,495
1937-38 Preston North End 1 Huddersfield Town 0 Old Wembley Stadium 93,497
1938-39 Portsmouth 4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Old Wembley Stadium 99,370
1945-46 Derby County 4 Charlton Athletic 1 Old Wembley Stadium 98,000
1946-47 Charlton Athletic 1 Burnley 0 Old Wembley Stadium 99,000
1947-48 Manchester United 4 Blackpool 2 Old Wembley Stadium 99,000
1948-49 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 Leicester City 1 Old Wembley Stadium 99,500
1949-50 Arsenal 2 Liverpool 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1950-51 Newcastle United 2 Blackpool 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1951-52 Newcastle United 1 Arsenal 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1952-53 Blackpool 4 Bolton Wanderers 3 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1953-54 West Bromwich Albion 3 Preston North End 2 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1954-55 Newcastle United 3 Manchester City 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1955-56 Manchester City 3 Birmingham City 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1956-57 Aston Villa 2 Manchester United 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1957-58 Bolton Wanderers 2 Manchester United 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1958 -59 Nottingham Forest 2 Luton Town 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1959-60 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 Blackburn Rovers 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1960-61 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Leicester City 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1961-62 Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1962-63 Manchester United 3 Leicester City 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1963-64 West Ham United 2 Leeds United 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1964-65 Liverpool 2 Leeds United 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1965-66 Everton 3 Sheffield Wednesday 2 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1966-67 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Chelsea 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1967-68 West Bromwich Albion 1 Everton 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1968-69 Manchester City 1 Leicester City 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1969-70 Chelsea 2 Leeds United 2 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1969-70 (Replay) Chelsea 2 Leeds United 1 Old Trafford 62,078
1970-71 Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1971-72 Leeds United 1 Arsenal 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1972-73 Sunderland 1 Leeds United 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1973-74 Liverpool 3 Newcastle United 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1974-75 West Ham United 2 Fulham 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1975-76 Southampton 1 Manchester United 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1976-77 Manchester United 2 Liverpool 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1977-78 Ipswich Town 1 Arsenal 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1978-79 Arsenal 3 Manchester United 2 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1979-80 West Ham United 1 Arsenal 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1980-81 Tottenham Hotspur 1 Manchester City 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1980-81 (Replay) Tottenham Hotspur 3 Manchester City 2 Old Wembley Stadium 92,000
1981-82 Tottenham Hotspur 1 Queens Park Rangers 1 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1981-82 (Replay) Tottenham Hotspur 1 Queens Park Rangers 0 Old Wembley Stadium 90,000
1982-83 Manchester United 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1982-83 (Replay) Manchester United 4 Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1983-84 Everton 2 Watford 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1984-85 Manchester United 1 Everton 0 Old Wembley Stadium 100,000
1985-86 Liverpool 3 Everton 1 Old Wembley Stadium 98,000
1986-87 Coventry City 3 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Old Wembley Stadium 98,000
1987-88 Wimbledon 1 Liverpool Old Wembley Stadium 98,203
1988-89 Liverpool 3 Everton 2 Old Wembley Stadium 82,500
1989-90 Manchester United 3 Crystal Palace 3 Old Wembley Stadium 80,000
1989-90 (Replay) Manchester United 1 Crystal Palace 0 Old Wembley Stadium 80,000
1990-91 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Nottingham Forest 1 Old Wembley Stadium 80,000
1991-92 Liverpool 2 Sunderland 0 Old Wembley Stadium 80,000
1992-93 Arsenal 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1 Old Wembley Stadium 79,347
1992-93 (Replay) Arsenal 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1 Old Wembley Stadium 62,267
1993-94 Manchester United 4 Chelsea 0 Old Wembley Stadium 79,634
1994-95 Everton 1 Manchester United 0 Old Wembley Stadium 79,592
1995-96 Manchester United 2 Liverpool 0 Old Wembley Stadium 79,007
1996-97 Chelsea 2 Middlesborough 0 Old Wembley Stadium 79,160
1997-98 Arsenal 2 Newcastle United 0 Old Wembley Stadium 79,183
1998-99 Manchester United 2 Newcastle United 0 Old Wembley Stadium 79,101
1999-2000 Chelsea Aston Villa Old Wembley Stadium 78,217
2000-01 Liverpool 2 Arsenal 1 Millennium Stadium 72,500
2001-02 Arsenal 2 Chelsea 0 Millennium Stadium 73,963
2002-03 Arsenal 1 Southampton 0 Millennium Stadium 73,726
2003-04 Manchester United 3 Millwall 0 Millennium Stadium 71.350
2004-05 Arsenal 0 (5) pen Manchester United 0 (4) Millennium Stadium 71,876
2005-06 Liverpool 3 (3) pen West Ham 3 (1) Millennium Stadium 71,140
2006-07 Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0 New Wembley Stadium 89,826
2007-08 Portsmouth 1 Cardiff City 0 New Wembley Stadium 89,874
2008-09 Chelsea 2 Everton 1 New Wembley Stadium 89,391
2009-10 Chelsea 1 Stoke city New Wembley Stadium 88,643
2010-11 Manchester City 1 Stoke City 0 New Wembley Stadium 89,041
2011-12 Chelsea 2 Liverpool 1 New Wembley Stadium 86,254
2012-13 Wigan Athletic 1 Manchester City 0 New Wembley Stadium 89,345
2013-14 Arsenal 3 Hull city 2 New Wembley Stadium 89,283
2014-15 Arsenal 4 Aston Villa 0 New Wembley Stadium 88,619
2015-16 Manchester United 2 Crystal Palace 1 New Wembley Stadium 89,472
2016-17 Arsenal 2 Chelsea 1 New Wembley Stadium 89,472
2017-18 Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0 New Wembley Stadium 87,647
2018-19 Manchester City 6 Watford 0 New Wembley Stadium 85,854
2019-20 Arsenal 2 Chelsea 1 New Wembley Stadium 0
2020-21 Leicester City 1 Chelsea 0 New Wembley Stadium 20,000
2021-22 Liverpool 0 (6) pen Chelsea 0 (5) New Wembley Stadium 84,807

notts county team of the late 1800s

Clubs From Outside The Top Division To Win

Outside the top division winners:

Notts County – 1894

Tottenham Hotspur – 1901

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 1908

Barnsley – 1912

West Bromwich Albion – 1931

Sunderland 1973

Southampton – 1976

West Ham United – 1980

lifting the championsl league trophy

What Do FA Cup Winners Qualify For?

This seems to change each year. In 2022, The rules were:

  • Champions League group stages are reserved for the top four teams in the Premier League.
  • The fifth-place finisher and the FA Cup winner qualify for the Europa League group stage.
  • Winners of the Carabao Cup qualify for the Europa Conference League playoffs.

In light of Liverpool’s FA Cup victory (but they finished second, so they qualified for the Champions League before the FA Cup final), their Europa League qualifying spot will be handed over to the Premier League team who comes in second without qualifying.

In this case, it was the other finalist Chelsea. However, they had also pre-qualified for next season’s Champions League finishing third in the Premier League. The Europa League group stage spot ends up going to Manchester United, who finished 6th in the league at the end of the season.

ashley cole

Who Receives A FA Cup Winners Medal?

Back in the day, only the players starting the match and on the bench would receive a FA Cup winners medal. The manager would also receive a medal. In 2022, the FA provided 40 medals to the winning team to distribute between the players used throughout the tournament and the coaching staff.

Ashley Cole (7 times) holds the record for winning the FA Cup most often, with Arsenal in 2002, 2003, and 2005, and Chelsea in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012. Charles Wollaston (Wanderers), Arthur Kinnaird (Wanderers & Old Etonians), and Jimmy Forrest (Blackburn Rovers) all won 5 FA Cup winners medals

As a manager, Arsène Wenger (7 times) holds the record for most FA Cup wins with Arsenal (in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015, and 2017).

How Much Money Do FA Cup Winners Get?

In 2022, the winner, Liverpool, received £3,412,000.

The breakdown is:

  • Third Round Victory: £82,000
  • Fourth Round Victory: £90,000
  • Fifth Round Victory: £180,000
  • Quarter Final Victory: £360,000
  • Semi-Final Victory: £900,000
  • FA Cup Final winners: £1,800,000

As runners-up, Chelsea would receive £2,512,000 as they only receive £900,000 for long the final. This does not include the gate receipts and tv revenue the clubs would have received in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds and quarter-finals.

Kasper and Peter Schmeichel

Father And Son FA Cup Winners

David Herd and his father Alec were the first father-son duo to win the FA Cup.

Ian Wright and Shaun Wright-Phillips were the second father-son duo to win the FA Cup.

Peter and Kasper Schmeichel became the third father-son duo and the first soccer goalies to win the FA Cup.

Lucas Bergström in his chelsea youth fa cup team photo

FA Youth Cup Winners

Under-18 English football teams compete in The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup. To qualify, a player must be 15 to 18 years old on 31 August of the current season. Following the success of The FA County Youth Cup developed seven years earlier, The FA Youth Cup was established in 1952.

An idea for a youth cup was conceived by Sir Joe Richards, the late Football League President. When he first presented the idea to the league clubs, they weren’t enthusiastic; Richards took his vision to the Football Association, which liked it, and the competition was created.

The FA Youth Cup has been won by Manchester United 11 times, with the last win coming in 2022. Chelsea has won the FA Cup nine times, seven of them in the 2010s. Arsenal’s youth team has won seven trophies.

Several top British players have used the tournament as a stepping stone to the pro game. Some of the most notable FA Youth Cup winners players include Jack Wilshere, Daniel Sturridge, Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Gary Neville, John Barnes, Michael Owen, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and George Best.

rhett lewis

Rhett is an Australian-born, globe trotter who is a UEFA ‘A’ Licence Soccer Coach. With his family, he has traveled and coached soccer in more than 30 countries, while attending World Cups, European Championships, and some of the biggest local derbies in the world!

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