The FA Cup reaches the third round, and this means that Premir League and EFL Championship clubs will join the competition for the first time. The competition of The Football Association, the oldest national competition in the world, is one of the most prestigious titles in English football, and recently made headlines with the victory of Crystal Palace over Liverpool.
Will another upset happen this season? We will find out from the weekend of January 10-11, 2026, as the third round proper will take place, usually placing top clubs (first and second division) with lower ranked clubs that have succeeded in the previous rounds, although there will be four all-Premier League matches and five all-Championship matches, including Manchester United vs. Brighton and Everton vs. Sunderland.
After the draw made on Monday, these are the 32 ties for the FA Cup third round:
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Shrewsbury Town
Doncaster Rovers v Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
Port Vale v Fleetwood Town
Preston North End v Wigan Athletic
Ipswich Town v Blackpool
Wrexham v Nottingham Forest
Charlton Athletic v Chelsea
Manchester City v Exeter City
West Ham United v Queens Park Rangers
Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford
Fulham v Middlesbrough
Everton v Sunderland
Liverpool v Barnsley
Burnley v Millwall
Norwich City v Walsall
Portsmouth v Arsenal
Derby County v Leeds United
Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion
Salford City v Swindon Town
Boreham Wood v Burton Albion
Grimsby Town v Weston Super Mare
Hull City v Blackburn Rovers
Newcastle United v AFC Bournemouth
MK Dons v Oxford United
Cheltenham Town v Leicester City
Cambridge United v Birmingham City
Bristol City v Watford
Stoke City v Coventry City
Macclesfield v Crystal Palace
Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion
Sheffield United v Mansfield Town
When is the FA Cup third round played?
Full schedule for the third round of FA Cup (round of 32) will be announced in the future, following discussions between clubs, broadcast partners and local authorities, but they will take place between Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 January 2026.
Do you think there will be some "giant-killers" in the FA Cup this year? Last year, Arsenal was eliminated at this stage... by Manchester United in penalties.