The FA Cup begun in earnest on Monday with the draw for the first round proper made at Bradford City’s Valley Parade.
32 teams have made it this far through qualifying, and are joined in the first round by the 48 teams from League One and League Two.
Among the eye-catching ties are an encounter between fierce foes MK Dons and Wimbledon, while Harrogate Town host Wrexham having drawn twice with the Welsh club in the league last season. Four-time winners Bolton travel to Walsall.
The 40 first-round fixtures will be held on the first weekend of November as another campaign in the world’s oldest cup competition begins.
Find out the details of every tie in our live blog below:
FA Cup draw LIVE
- The draw for the first round proper has been made
- The draw featured teams from League One and League Two, as well as the 32 clubs who made it through qualifying
- Fixtures will be played on the weekend of 2 November
FA Cup first round draw - pick of the ties
19:34
Harry Latham-Coyle
So another meeting between MK Dons and Wimbledon, opening up old wounds. Harrogate Town will fancy their chances even against Wrexham - the Yorkshire club held Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s side to two draws in the league last season.
Tonbridge Angels vs Harborough Town is an intriguing clash between two clubs for which a second round appearance would be a major success - Harborough have reached this stage for the first time, while Tonbridge fans haven’t been able to watch their side in a first-round tie since 1972. Their last appearance came in the midst of the pandemic.
FA Cup first round draw
19:28
Harry Latham-Coyle
That’s your lot. Those first-round ties will be played on the weekend of 1-4 November.
FA Cup first round draw
19:27
Harry Latham-Coyle
Woking vs Cambridge United
Gillingham vs Blackpool
Tonbridge Angels vs Harborough Town
Sutton United vs Birmingham City
Newport County vs Peterborough United
FA Cup first round draw
19:26
Harry Latham-Coyle
Chesterfield vs Horsham
Southend United vs Charlton
Notts County vs Alfreton Town
Taunton Town or Maidenhead vs Crawley
Harrogate Town vs Wrexham
FA Cup first round draw
19:24
Harry Latham-Coyle
Swindon Town vs Colchester United
Salford City vs Shrewsbury Town
Crewe Alexandra vs Dagenham & Redbridge
Port Vale vs Barnsley
Chesham United vs Lincoln City
FA Cup first round draw
19:23
Harry Latham-Coyle
Stockport County vs Forest Green Rovers
Reading vs Fleetwood Town
Stevenage vs Guiseley
Northampton Town vs Kettering
Rushall Olympic or Peterborough Sports vs Accrington Stanley
FA Cup first round draw
19:21
Harry Latham-Coyle
Walsall vs Bolton Wanderers
Grimsby Town vs Wealdstone
Bristol Rovers vs Weston-super-Mare
Altrincham or Solihull Moors vs Maidstone United
FA Cup first round draw
19:19
Harry Latham-Coyle
Bradford City vs Aldershot Town
Hednesford Town or Gateshead vs Gainsborough Trinity or Boston United
Burton Albion vs Scarborough Athletic
Tranmere Rovers vs Oldham Athletic
Rochdale vs Bromley
FA Cup first round draw
19:18
Harry Latham-Coyle
Exeter City vs Barnet
Carlisle United vs Wigan Athletic
Tamworth vs Huddersfield Town
Hartlepool or Brackley vs Braintree Town
Curzon Ashton vs Mansfield
Wycombe vs York City
FA Cup first round draw
19:16
Harry Latham-Coyle
Barrow vs Doncaster Rovers
Worthing vs Morecambe
Boreham Wood vs Leyton Orient
FA Cup first round draw
19:15
Harry Latham-Coyle
The first tie is...
Rotherham vs Cheltenham Town
FA Cup first round draw
19:09
Harry Latham-Coyle
Plenty of plum ties for the non-league clubs to target, from four-time winners Bolton to Birmingham City, flying high at the top of League One.
FA Cup first round draw
18:59
Harry Latham-Coyle
Right, it’s almost go time. On drawing duties tonight will be former Bradford City player and manager Stuart McCall, and Danny Webber, once of Watford and Sheffield United, among other clubs.
Hednesford Town the lowest-ranked side in the hat
18:50
Harry Latham-Coyle
A home 1-1 draw against Gateshead has earned Hednesford Town a replay, ensuring that the eight-tier club are the lowest-ranked side left in the competition. They went all the way to the fourth round of the FA Cup in 1997, falling to a narrow defeat to then-Premier League Middlesbrough - could another cup run be on the cards?
Rob Stevenson with the most composed of finishes for @Hednesford_Town
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) October 12, 2024
Just listen to what it means to their fans #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/80RI9rvwWD
Which teams have made it through qualifying?
18:40
Chris Wilson
Aside from those 12 sides, another 20 have made it through the four qualifying rounds, including York City, Southend United and Rochdale.
Several National League sides are already out of the competition, including Eastleigh, Fylde and Yeovil Town.
The non-league sides who are definitely in the pot for the next round of the competition are as follows:
York City
Barnet
Forest Green
Gateshead
Rochdale
Curzon Ashton
Boreham Wood
Maidstone United
Woking
Guiseley
Oldham Athletic
Chesham United
Horsham
Sutton United
Braintree Town
Alfreton Town
Tonbridge
Worthing
Southend United
Dagenham & Redbridge
Tamworth
Kettering Town
Weston-super-Mare
Wealdstone
Aldershot Town
Scarborough Athletic
Which ties are still to be played?
18:25
Chris Wilson
32 teams come through the four qualifying rounds to get here, though there are still six ties to be played on 15 October. These are listed below (all kick-off at 7.45pm BST):
Maidenhead United v Taunton Town
Boston United v Gainsborough Trinity
Solihull Moors v Altrincham
Brackley Town v Hartlepool
Peterborough Sports v Rushall Olympic
Gateshead v Hednesford Town
What are the FA Cup fixture dates?
18:15
Chris Wilson
The first-round ties will be played between Friday 1 November 2024 and Monday 4 November 2024.
The main dates for the remaining rounds are as follows:
First Round Proper: Saturday 2 November 2024
Second Round Proper: Saturday 30 November 2024
Third Round Proper: Saturday 11 January 2025
Fourth Round Proper: Saturday 8 February 2025
Fifth Round Proper: Saturday 1 March 2025
Quarter Final: Saturday 29 March 2025
Semi Final - Saturday 26 April 2025
Final: Saturday 17 May 2025
What are the ball numbers for the draw?
18:05
Chris Wilson
- Accrington Stanley
- AFC Wimbledon
- Barnsley
- Barrow
- Birmingham City
- Blackpool
- Bolton Wanderers
- Bradford City
- Bristol Rovers
- Bromley
- Burton Albion
- Cambridge United
- Carlisle United
- Charlton Athletic
- Cheltenham Town
- Chesterfield
- Colchester United
- Crawley Town
- Crewe Alexandra
- Doncaster Rovers
- Exeter City
- Fleetwood Town
- Gillingham
- Grimsby Town
- Harrogate Town
- Huddersfield Town
- Leyton Orient
- Lincoln City
- Mansfield Town
- Milton Keynes Dons
- Morecambe
- Newport County
- Northampton Town
- Notts County
- Peterborough United
- Port Vale
- Reading
- Rotherham United
- Salford City
- Shrewsbury Town
- Stevenage
- Stockport County
- Swindon Town
- Tranmere Rovers
- Walsall
- Wigan Athletic
- Wrexham
- Wycombe Wanderers
- Rushall Olympic or Peterborough Sports
- Tamworth
- Oldham Athletic
- Hartlepool United or Brackley Town
- Kettering Town
- Altrincham or Solihull Moors
- Rochdale
- Scarborough Athletic
- York City
- Harborough Town
- Curzon Ashton
- Gainsborough Trinity or Boston United
- Hednesford Town or Gateshead
- Alfreton Town
- Guiseley
- Taunton Town or Maidenhead United
- Horsham
- Aldershot Town
- Southend United
- Sutton United
- Boreham Wood
- Weston Super Mare
- Wealdstone
- Dagenham & Redbridge
- Barnet
- Chesham United
- Tonbridge Angels
- Woking
- Forest Green Rovers
- Maidstone United
- Worthing
- Braintree Town
How can I watch the draw?
17:55
Chris Wilson
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the draw live on BBC Two, with coverage from 7pm BST. A live stream will be available via the BBC iPlayer.
When is the FA Cup first round draw?
17:47
Chris Wilson
The draw for the first round proper of the FA Cup will be held from 7pm BST on Monday 14 October at Bradford City’s Valley Parade.
FA Cup draw LIVE
17:40
Chris Wilson
The FA Cup intensifies with the draw set to be made for the first round proper.
The 48 League One and League Two teams enter at this stage, joining the 32 clubs who have fought through the qualifying rounds.
40 fixtures will be drawn out of the hat as the road to Wembley begins in earnest, with cup final day at the end of the season on Saturday 17 May 2025.
Who will take a first step towards a deep cup run?
FA Cup draw LIVE
17:31
Chris Wilson
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the FA Cup first round draw.
The 32 teams that made their way through the qualifying rounds will learn their opponents at around 7pm BST, as will the 48 teams from League One and League Two.
Will the draw throw up any derbies, or any potential cupsets? We’ll find out soon.
