The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men\“s domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competition in the world.
The competition is open to any eligible club down to Level 9 of the English football league system with Level 10 clubs acting as standbys. A record 763 clubs competed in 2011–12. The tournament consists of 12 randomly drawn rounds followed by the semi-finals and the final. Entrants are not seeded, although a system of byes based on league level ensures higher ranked teams enter in later rounds – the minimum number of games needed to win the competition ranges from six to fourteen.
The final has been played at the original Wembley Stadium since 1923. In recent years, the growing importance of the Premier League has led to top teams fielding under-strength sides in the FA Cup, and the tournament has struggled to maintain its former prestige. Nevertheless, it remains a key date in the British sporting calendar. |
