FA Cup draw LIVE: Former winners Leicester among EFL teams to enter fray in first round

The 2026-27 FA Cup has reached the first-round stage, marking the entry point for some EFL teams who will find out their fate when the draw takes place this evening.

Thirty-two non-league sides, who have battled through the qualifying rounds, have their names in the hat alongside 48 teams from League One and League Two, including plenty of big names and former FA Cup winners.

The likes of Leicester City (2021 winners), Wigan Athletic (2013 winners), Sheffield Wednesday (1896, 1907 and 1935 winners) and Huddersfield Town (1922 winners) are some of the plum ties available, while four teams will be playing in the FA Cup first round proper for the first time in their history.

Eighth-tier AFC Rushden & Diamonds are one of that quartet after stunning National League North side Morecambe 2-1 in the fourth qualifying round, with seventh-tier trio Berkhamsted, Sholing and Plymouth Parkway also there for the first time.

Meanwhile, ninth-tier Tadley Calleva are the lowest-ranked team in the hat after brilliantly securing a replay with National League side Aldershot following a 2-2 draw.

Follow live updates from tonight’s draw below:

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FA Cup first-round draw LIVE

• FA Cup first round draw | Live on TNT Sports and HBO Max from 6.30pm BST
• Former winners Leicester and Wigan Athletic entering the fray
• Four teams playing in first round for first time in their history
• Leicester City draw away against Oxford City, Boreham Wood to host Wigan Athletic
• AFC Rushden & Diamonds drawn against Burton Albion, Berkhamsted to face Plymouth Parkway

FA Cup minnows discover first round opponents as full draw revealed

The draw for the first round of the FA Cup has been completed with the four non-league teams who have reached this stage of the competition for the very first time discovering their opponents.

Northern Premier League Divison One side AFC Rushden & Diamonds made history with a 2-1 victory over Morecambe at the weekend and are now set for a trip to League One’s Burton Albion. Burton are 10th in the third division and will be huge favourites to progress to the next round.

FA Cup minnows discover first round opponents as full draw revealed

Thanks for tuning in!

That’s all from us folks, thanks for tuning in to the FA Cup first round draw and let’s look forward to the weekend of November 7/8 for the fixtures.

The full round up of the draw can be found in the post above. See you soon.

Other fixtures to keep an eye on

One of the delightful match ups pits Peterborough United against Reading.

Robbie Savage is the new manager of Peterborough and his son, Charlie, plays for Leam Richardson’s Reading so that contest has a bit of extra spice.

Oldham Athletic vs Sheffield Wednesday pits two teams with plenty of identity against each other despite the gulf in league positions and highest ranked club in the competiton at present, Bradford City will host Marine.

Fixtures to watch out for

Those a couple of intriguing match ups for the first round.

Former champions Leicester are drawn against Oxford City while 2013 champions Wigan Athletic face a trip to Boreham Wood.

Of the four teams to reach this stage of the competition for the first time, AFC Rushden & Diamonds have perhaps the best draw as they’ll take on Burton Albion.

Coincidentally, Berkhamsted and Plymouth Parkway both play in the same league and will face each other.

Meanwhile, Sholing are set for a trip to Salisbury.

FA Cup first round draw in full.

Okay, lots to digest but first let’s see the fixtures in full:

Dover Athletic vs Wealdstone.

Mansfield Town vs Macclesfield or Anstey Nomads.

Huddersfield Town vs Exeter City.

Luton Town vs Chesham United or Forest Green Rovers.

Bristol Rovers vs Cambridge United.

Oldham Athletic vs Sheffield Wednesday.

Kidderminster Harriers vs Doncaster Rovers.

Leyton Orient vs Harborough Town.

Accrington Stanley vs Wycombe Wanderers.

MK Dons vs Swindon Town.

Newport County vs Walsall.

Bromley vs Rotherham United.

Barnet vs Tranmere Rovers.

Fleetwood Town vs Rochdale.

Barnsley vs Aldershot Town or Tadley Calleva.

Plymouth Parkway vs Berkhamsted FC.

Chesterfield vs Leatherhead or Yeovil Town.

Gillingham vs Barrow or Gloucester City.

Bury or Harrogate Town vs AFC Fylde.

Crewe Alexandra vs AFC Wimbledon.

Oxford United vs Stevenage.

Burton Albion vs AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

Bedford Town or Cray Wanderers vs Stockport County.

Port Vale vs Scunthorpe United.

Cheltenham Town vs FC Halifax Town.

Colchester United vs Chorley or Worcester City.

Eastleigh vs Shrewsbury Town.

Peterborough United vs Reading.

Wimborne Town vs Crawley Town.

Plymouth Argyle vs Spalding United or Alvechurch.

Hornchurch vs Blackpool.

Guiseley vs Sutton United.

Gateshead or Stafford Rangers vs Grimsby Town.

Oxford City vs Leicester City.

Bradford City vs Marine.

York City vs Northampton Town.

Altrincham or FC United of Manchester vs Notts County.

Boreham Wood vs Wigan Athletic.

Carlisle United vs Salford City.

Salisbury vs Sholing.

FA Cup first round draw live

Carlisle United vs Salford City.

Salisbury vs Sholing.

FA Cup first round draw live

Bradford City vs Marine.

York City vs Northampton Town.

Altrincham or FC United of Manchester vs Notts County.

Boreham Wood vs Wigan Athletic.

FA Cup first round draw live

Plymouth Argyle vs Spalding United or Alvechurch.

Hornchurch vs Blackpool.

Guiseley vs Sutton United.

Gateshead or Stafford Rangers vs Grimsby Town.

Oxford City vs Leicester City.

FA Cup first round draw live

Cheltenham Town vs FC Halifax Town.

Colchester United vs Chorley or Worcester City.

Eastleigh vs Shrewsbury Town.

Peterborough United vs Reading.

Wimborne Town vs Crawley Town.

FA Cup first round draw live

Crewe Alexandra vs AFC Wimbledon.

Oxford United vs Stevenage.

Burton Albion vs AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

Bedford Town or Cray Wanderers vs Stockport County.

Port Vale vs Scunthorpe United.

FA Cup first round draw live

Barnsley vs Aldershot Town or Tadley Calleva.

Plymouth Parkway vs Berkhamsted FC.

Chesterfield vs Leatherhead or Yeovil Town.

Gillingham vs Barrow or Gloucester City.

Bury or Harrogate Town vs AFC Fylde.

FA Cup first round draw live

MK Dons vs Swindon Town.

Newport County vs Walsall.

Bromley vs Rotherham United.

Barnet vs Tranmere Rovers.

Fleetwood Town vs Rochdale.

FA Cup first round draw live

Bristol Rovers vs Cambridge United.

Oldham Athletic vs Sheffield Wednesday.

Kidderminster Harriers vs Doncaster Rovers.

Leyton Orient vs Harborough Town.

Accrington Stanley vs Wycombe Wanderers.

FA Cup first round draw live

Here we go. Out of the pot first is...

Dover Athletic vs Wealdstone.

Mansfield Town vs Macclesfield or Anstey Nomads.

Huddersfield Town vs Exeter City.

Luton Town vs Chesham United or Forest Green Rovers.

FA Cup first round draw live

Keown puts the balls in the pot and gives them a shuffle.

Bradford City are the highest ranked team as things stand as they sit top of the League One table.

Leicester City, the former Premier League champions, also come into the competition at this stage.

FA Cup first round draw live

Okay, here we go.

The draw for the first round of the FA Cup is about to begin. There are 80 teams in the draw and that means 40 fixtures for the first round will be made.

The majority come from League One and League Two with the other clubs coming from the National League.

Fara Williams and Martin Keown are conducting the draw and coverage is beginning on TNT Sports 1 right now.

When will the FA Cup first-round ties take place?

The 40 FA Cup first-round matches will be held across the weekend of 7-8 of November, with the second-round draw presumed to take place on the evening of Monday 9 November.

FA Cup first-round draw ball numbers

1. Accrington Stanley

2. AFC Wimbledon

3. Barnet

4. Barnsley

5. Blackpool

6. Bradford City

7. Bristol Rovers

8. Bromley

9. Burton Albion

10. Cambridge United

11. Cheltenham Town

12. Chesterfield

13. Colchester United

14. Crawley Town

15. Crewe Alexandra

16. Doncaster Rovers

17. Exeter City

18. Fleetwood Town

19. Gillingham

20. Grimsby Town

21. Huddersfield Town

22. Leicester City

23. Leyton Orient

24. Luton Town

25. Mansfield Town

26. Milton Keynes Dons

27. Newport County

28. Northampton Town

29. Notts County

30. Oldham Athletic

31. Oxford United

32. Peterborough United

33. Plymouth Argyle

34. Port Vale

35. Reading

36. Rochdale

37. Rotherham United

38. Salford City

39. Sheffield Wednesday

40. Shrewsbury Town

41. Stevenage

42. Stockport County

43. Swindon Town

44. Tranmere Rovers

45. Walsall

46. Wigan Athletic

47. Wycombe Wanderers

48. York City

49. Harborough Town

50. Chorley or Worcester City

51. Gateshead or Stafford Rangers

52. FC Halifax Town

53. Guiseley

54. Barrow or Gloucester City

55. Marine

56. Scunthorpe United

57. Macclesfield or Anstey Nomads

58. Altrincham or FC United Of Manchester

59. Bury or Harrogate Town

60. Spalding United or Alvechurch

61. AFC Rushden & Diamonds

62. Kidderminster Harriers

63. Carlisle United

64. AFC Fylde

65. Salisbury

66. Sutton United

67. Chesham United or Forest Green Rovers

68. Leatherhead or Yeovil Town

69. Bedford Town or Cray Wanderers

70. Hornchurch

71. Aldershot Town or Tadley Calleva

72. Oxford City

73. Wimborne Town

74. Wealdstone

75. Boreham Wood

76. Eastleigh

77. Berkhamsted FC

78. Sholing

79. Plymouth Parkway

80. Dover Athletic

Where to watch FA Cup first-round draw

The draw will be available to watch live in the UK on TNT Sports 1, HBO Max, and on the TNT Sports YouTube channel. Coverage begins at 6.30pm, with the draw itself expected to start around five minutes later.

It will be hosted by Matt Smith, with Martin Keown and Fara Williams in charge of drawing the balls.

When is the FA Cup first-round draw?

The draw for the first round of the 2026-27 FA Cup takes place this evening, Monday October 19, at around 6.35pm.

The television coverage starts at 6:30pm BST, with the draw itself expected to begin at approximately 6:35pm.

Proceedings will be hosted by Matt Smith, with the draw conducted by Martin Keown and Fara Williams.

FA Cup draw live

The 2026-27 FA Cup has reached the first-round stage, with some EFL teams now entering the competition and they will find out their fate when the draw takes place this evening.

Thirty-two non-league sides, who have battled through the qualifying rounds, have their names in the hat alongside 48 teams from League One and League Two, including plenty of big names and former FA Cup winners. The likes of Leicester City (2021 winners), Wigan Athletic (2013 winners), Sheffield Wednesday (1896, 1907 and 1935 winners) and Huddersfield Town (1922 winners) are some of the plum ties available, while four teams will be playing in the FA Cup first round proper for the first time in their history.

Eighth-tier AFC Rushden & Diamonds, who were founded in 2011 after the demise of Rushden & Diamonds, are one of that quartet after stunning National League North side Morecambe 2-1 in the fourth qualifying round, with seventh-tier trio Berkhamsted – who beat Southend 2-1 at Roots Hall to secure their spot – Sholing and Plymouth Parkway also there for the first time.

Meanwhile, ninth-tier Tadley Calleva are the lowest-ranked team in the hat after brilliantly securing a replay with National League side Aldershot following a 2-2 draw.

Good evening!

Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s FA Cup first round draw blog.

The cup action gets underway proper as the professional teams from League One and League Two enter the tournament.

Those include former FA Cup winners Leicester City and Wigan Athletic.

There are also four teams who have qualified for the FA Cup first round for the first time in their history and they’ll be hoping for as long a run as possible.

We’ll have all the latest updates from the draw which is due to kick off in a half an hour’s time.