The FA Cup
The FA Cup
The FA Cup is arguably football's most famous competition - it was first contested in 1894 - and Arsenal have lifted it 10 times, most recently in 2005.
It is a knockout tournament with pairings for each round drawn at random - there is no seeding. If a match is drawn, there is a replay at the ground of the team who were away for the first game. Drawn replays are now settled with extra time and penalty shoot-outs. There are no replays in the Semi-Finals or Final.
There are a total of 14 rounds in the competition with six qualifying rounds, six further rounds, the Semi-Finals and the Final. The competition begins in August but Arsenal, along with the other Premier League and Championship clubs, do not take part until the Third Round Proper (effectively the ninth round). At this point there are 64 teams left in the competition.
The winning team receives the famous old trophy and qualifies for the UEFA Europa League. If the winners have already qualified for the UEFA Champions League via their Premier League placing, the UEFA Europa League place goes to the FA Cup runners-up. If they have also qualified for the UEFA Champions League, the place goes to the next highest placed finisher in the Premier League table.
