FA Cup Facts And Records

For a multitude of reasons the FA Cup holds a very special place in football’s heart.

It evokes famous upsets, of teams from far down the pyramid taking on and beating elite opposition, to the astonishment of a nation.

Equally, it conjures up images of Wembley basked in sunshine, of Jim Montgomery pulling off a miraculous double-save, and Charlie George falling to the turf after scoring against Liverpool.

Through its many eras this cherished institution has provided us with an impressive back-catalogue of unforgettable moments, along with an imposing accumulation of facts and stats.

We’ve compiled 16 of the most fascinating below. Long may the oldest cup competition in world football continue to surprise and enthral.

Most Wins: Arsenal (14)

In the 21st century, the Gunners have won 29% of the FA Cups up for grabs, a remarkable streak that puts them clear as the most successful club in the tournament’s history.

Elsewhere, the North London giants may have endured something of a trophy drought, failing to secure a league title since 2004 and last winning a League Cup in 1993. Yet for whatever reason, this competition seems to fit them like a glove.

Arsenal have won a league and FA Cup double on three separate occasions.

Most Consecutive Wins: Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers (3)

An amateur football club in London, Wanderers dissolved in 1887. They had five FA Cups to their name by that point, including three in a row in the late 1870s.

Blackburn Rovers matched the threepeat in the following decade. The Lancashire club have claimed six FA Cups in their history with the most recent coming in 1928, though Mark Hughes led them to semi-finals in 2005 and 2007.

Most Appearances In Finals: Manchester United (22)

The 2024 FA Cup final saw both Manchester clubs duke it out at Wembley for the second year running. In the first instance it was the blue half of the city celebrating. The following May, United got their revenge with two first-half strikes sealing victory.

The Reds were unfancied beforehand in the online betting but their unexpected win placed them just one shy of Arsenal in the all-time winners list. It also puts them one beyond the Gunners for most appearances.

For the record, since changing from Newton Heath to Manchester United in 1902, the Reds have appeared in 18% of all FA Cup finals.

Most Wins By An Individual: Ashley Cole (7)

Arguably the finest left-back England has ever produced, Cole won everything going across an illustrious career. An invincible and European champion, Cole lifted the FA Cup seven times – three with Arsenal, four with Chelsea. That’s a winners medal for every day of the week.

The 107-cap England international put in some superb performances in finals, truly a player for the big occasions.

Most Wins by a Manager: Arsene Wenger (7)

Arsene Wenger is the most decorated manager in FA Cup history with seven final victories.

Le Professeur enjoyed his first cup success in 1998, followed by a streak of three triumphs in four years between 2002 and 2005. He replicated that run between 2014 and 2017 before leaving Arsenal at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

Close behind is George Ramsay whose six cup wins were all attained with Aston Villa at the beginning of the 20th century.

Sir Alex Ferguson and John Nicholson are the only other managers with more than three FA Cup triumphs to their name.

Most Goals In Finals: Ian Rush (5)

Ian Rush won three FA Cups in his career and scored in all three finals. The first two came at the expense of Liverpool’s city rivals Everton, Rush scoring decisive braces in each match.

His fifth, and final, FA Cup final goal came in the 1992 clash with Sunderland, which Liverpool won 2-0.

The Welshman holds an incredible array of records. He’s the highest scorer in Liverpool’s history, and the joint-highest goal scorer in League Cup history. He’s scored more goals in Merseyside derbies than anyone, reserving four of his most important for Wembley.

Most Finals Scored In: Didier Drogba (4)

For just short of a decade Chelsea’s talismanic striker Didier Drogba was the King of Wembley, scoring in four FA Cup finals under the arch and winning the League Cup at the national stadium in 2014/15.

Although in the shadow of his Munich heroics a few days later, Drogba scored and played a pivotal role in Chelsea’s 2012 FA Cup win, just two years after scoring the winner against Portsmouth.

Longest Tie: Oxford vs Alvechurch (660 minutes)

In the fourth qualifying round back in 1971/72, Oxford United and Alvechurch played out six matches over the course of three weeks. Four went to extra-time. Oh for a penalty shoot-out.

Played in freezing conditions as a prolonged cold snap took hold, and across various grounds – replays had to be played at a neutral venue – the players were exhausted and team talks became impossible.

Alvechurch nicked the tie in the sixth match with a 1-0 victory, but were knocked out in the next round as fatigue got the better of them.

Most FA Cup Goals Scored: Kettering Town (912)

Founded in 1872, Kettering Town have had plenty of opportunities to rack up the goals in the FA Cup.

Their total of 912 is the highest ever, despite the club never making it past the fourth round of the competition. They first reached that stage in 1988/89 and matched it in 2008/09, when they were knocked out by Fulham.

The biggest win in the club’s history came in the Cup in 1909 as they hammered Higham YMCI 16-0.

Youngest Player To Score In An FA Cup Final – Norman Whiteside (18 years, 19 days)

Norman Whiteside seemed to emerge as a fully-formed superstar, despite his tender age. Having been unearthed by the same scout who discovered that other Northern Irish boy-wonder George Best twenty years before, the midfielder was a regular in the United starting line-up aged just 17.

He remains the youngest player to take part in a World Cup, the youngest to score in the League Cup and, of course, the youngest to score in an FA Cup final.

The goal came in a replay against Brighton in 1983, Whiteside notching the second in a comfortable 4-0 cruise. He then repeated the feat two years later, this time scoring the only goal – and what a goal it was – as the Red edged past Everton.

United have a proud record of young cup final goal-scorers. Cristiano Ronaldo was a teen when he got his team’s opener in 2004, as too were Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho in 2024.

Biggest Gap Between Teams: 161 difference in rank (Marine and Tottenham)

When eighth-tier Marine faced Tottenham in the Third Round of the FA Cup in 2021, there was a 161-place difference between the sides.

Any hopes of the biggest of FA Cup giant killings were extinguished in the first half. Carlos Vinicius netted a 13-minute hat-trick for the Premier League outfit and Lucas Moura netted before the break to give Spurs a 4-0 lead. The match finished 5-0.

Tottenham were ultimately knocked out by Middlesbrough in the Fifth Round.

Longest Unbeaten Run (Excluding Shootouts): 29 (Chelsea)

Chelsea set an FA Cup record for 29 matches unbeaten in 2013. Their semi-final defeat to Manchester City was their first loss in normal time since a quarter-final upset against Barnsley in 2008.

The Blues won the FA Cup on three occasions during that period, including doing the double in 2009-10.

Most Goals Scored By a Player in a Season: 19 (Jimmy Ross)

Jimmy Ross found the back of the net 19 times for Preston in 1887-88 as his team embarked on a goal frenzy, recording the biggest win in FA Cup history (26-0) during their run to the final, as they outscored opponents 50-5 over seven matches.

Ross was prolific throughout his career, twice winning the Football League with Preston before a string of Second Division titles with Liverpool, Manchester City, and Burnley.

Most Defeats in a Final: 9 (Manchester United)

It stands to reason that the team with the most cup final appearances have also lost the highest number of finals. You can’t win them all.

If defeats in recent times to Arsenal, Chelsea (twice) and Manchester City are simply examples of one big side bettering another, it’s the shocks that stand out, results that would have defied the football odds of the day.

In 1976, nobody gave second-tier Southampton a prayer but a succession of chances were missed by the heavy favourites and the Saints snatched a late winner.

First Non-British Manager to Win FA Cup: Ruud Gullit

Ruud Gullit became the first non-British manager to win the FA Cup when Chelsea defeated Middlesbrough in 1997. The sexy football advocate proved to be something of a trail blazer because since then, non-British managers have won 23 of the 27 FA Cup finals.

Alex Ferguson, Harry Redknapp and Brendan Rodgers are the only British managers to lift the FA Cup in the 21st century.

Managers to Win FA Cup With Multiple Teams: 2 (Herbert Chapman, Billy Walker)

Despite 23 managers winning the FA Cup on multiple occasions, Herbert Chapman and Billy Walker are the only managers to win the competition with different teams.

Chapman, one of the most influential managers of all time, won his first FA Cup with Huddersfield in 1922. He did so again with Arsenal eight years later having transformed football.

Walker was widely considered one of the best players in the English game between the wars and went on to build a successful managerial career.

His first FA Cup win with Sheffield Wednesday came 24 years before he replicated the achievement with Nottingham Forest.