FA Cup third round draw review: A new campaign gets fully underway

Jonathan Victoria • 03 Dec 2024 Features

The details on the FA Cup third round draw.

FA Cup third round draw review: A new campaign gets fully underway

No other club competition comes with as much prestige as the FA Cup. The honour of claiming the trophy for the oldest national football competition in the world is worth more than anything else.

The 2024/25 edition of the competition has been underway for some time, but with the third round draw now complete, the fight for the coveted cup is truly underway.

We’ll be here to keep you updated with the results of the campaign, including each draw result, how the last round went and more.

FA Cup 2023/24 result

Last year’s FA Cup result was one of surprise. The run to the final as a whole didn’t spring too many surprises, although Maidstone United can still hold their head high, the non-league side making it all the way to the fifth round.

In the end, it was a rematch of the final from the year prior, a second Manchester Derby FA Cup final. This marked the first time that the final featured the same teams in consecutive seasons since the 1884 & ‘85 finals (Blackburn Rovers vs Queen’s Park, Blackburn victorious in both).

While it may have been the same matchup, it certainly wasn’t the same result, with Manchester United this time surprisingly coming out on top over their blue rivals.

United’s win brought them within one of matching Arsenal’s record of 14 titles, which is rather interesting given this season's third round draw…

Results of the 2024/25 FA Cup third round draw

The 2024/25 FA Cup campaign officially got underway on 3rd August with the qualifying rounds, and while the early stages gives smaller clubs the chance to compete in the reputable competition, the real action doesn’t start until the third round fixtures are drawn.

For the third round this year, there are only half the non-league teams still in the running compared to last year, Dagenham & Redbridge and Tamworth being the two National League sides representing in round three.

The draw happened last night (Monday 2nd December) and it has already thrown up some treats.

Here is a full list of fixtures for the 2024/25 FA Cup third round:

Arsenal vs Manchester United
Manchester City vs Salford City
Aston Villa vs West Ham
Newcastle vs Bromley
Tamworth vs Tottenham
Leyton Orient vs Derby County
Leeds United vs Harrogate Town
Nottingham Forest vs Luton Town
Southampton vs Swansea
Fulham vs Watford
Brentford vs Plymouth Argyle
Sheffield United vs Cardiff City
Ipswich Town vs Bristol Rovers
Chelsea vs Morecambe
Leicester City vs QPR
Bristol City vs Wolves
Hull City vs Doncaster
Crystal Palace vs Stockport
Wycombe vs Portsmouth
Bournemouth vs West Brom
Norwich City vs Brighton
Everton vs Peterborough
Coventry vs Sheffield Wednesday
Mansfield Town vs Wigan Athletic
Millwall vs Dagenham & Redbridge
Preston North End vs Charlton Athletic
Reading vs Burnley
Exeter City vs Oxford United
Sunderland vs Stoke City
Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Rovers
Birmingham vs Lincoln City
Liverpool vs Accrington Stanley

32 matchups, 64 teams in the competition and yet somehow, the draw managed to produce two all-Prem matchups, including the headline fixture for the round - Arsenal vs Manchester United.

One of the two most successful clubs in competition history will not have the chance to advance and add to their tally as the pair will meet at the Emirates.

The other Premier League matchup will see Aston Villa host West Ham, both multi-time FA Cup winners in the past. Villa will be favourites for this one but in the FA Cup, anything can happen.

As for last year’s finalists, City will be getting their campaign underway with an easier tie, being drawn against fellow Manchester-based club Salford City, who play in League Two.

Next FA Cup draw

The full dates of the next round draw are not yet known and won’t likely be revealed until closer to the time of the third round, but you can expect to see the draw come shortly after the final game of the third round is played.

FA Cup 2024/25: Round dates

The dates for the upcoming rounds of the FA Cup are subject to change. The ones listed are when they are scheduled to be played, although the actual dates will change depending on teams to ensure there are no schedule conflicts.