History and Traditions of the FA Cup
By
Richard Janvrin
Contributor Updated: 02 October 2024
Richard Janvrin Contributor
Richard has been writing about sports since he was a teenager. Still, his first professional role came in 2015, covering all things NFL and fantasy football-related. From there, in December 2018, he started in the sports betting industry, covering sportsbook reviews before arriving to where he is today.
History and Traditions of the FA Cup
Although there are sportsbooks with FA Cup markets that you can bet on today, it’s important to understand how historic of a competition the FA Cup is. The FA Cup dates back to 1871, when it was regarded as a knockout competition.
In addition to the 150+ years of history, there are some rich traditions that we see upheld today. Below, I’ll walk you through the event’s history and discuss some of my favorite traditions.
The History of the FA Cup
Before digging into the traditions, it’s important to understand the F.A. Cup history as the trajectory of the competition has helped give rise to said traditions.
Continue reading below to learn about the various eras, who has the most FA Cups, and more.
The Early Origins
The earliest recorded history of the FA Cup dates back to 1863 when the Football Association published a rulebook, Laws of the Game.
From there, the first FA Cup tournament began in November 1871, and the Wanderers from Leytonstone took home the win. The first tournament was 13 games, and the final was on March 16, 1872.
So, how old is the FA Cup? It’s more than 150 years old.
The Wanderers then won it again the next year.
Starting in 1888, qualifying rounds were introduced, which looks a lot more like the modern way the FA Cup is conducted today.
The FA Cup was suspended after the 1914-15 iteration due to World War I. The FA Cup didn’t start back up until 1919. In the history of the FA Cup, there were stoppages during both World Wars, but other than that, there’s been an FA Cup final every year.
The Wembley Era
Just a few years after the FA Cup resumed post-World War I, the 1923 FA Cup was moved to Wembley Stadium, a newly built arena. Back then, Wembley was known as Empire Stadium.
During the first few years here, traditions like singing “Abide with Me” started.
As mentioned, the FA Cup stopped again during World War II, which lasted from 1938-39 to 1945-46.
Since 1923, the final has been played at Wembley except from 2001 to 2006 due to renovations. During that time, the final was played at Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.
Modern Day
Today, Arsenal has the most FA Cups with 14. Their most recent win came in 2020. Seven of their 14 wins have happened since 2002. The Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers are tied for the most consecutive FA Cups with three each, while Chelsea had three consecutive losses from 2020 to 2022.
Starting during the FA Cup in 2024-25, replays were officially scrapped from the first round following a six-year deal with the Premier League. Before this, replays were removed from the fifth round and on.
No, these aren’t replays like replay reviews. In the FA Cup, if a game ended in a draw after 90 minutes, a replay match would be scheduled. That’ll no longer be the case.
The history of the FA Cup trophy includes two designs. The cup you see today was introduced in 2014. It’s a replica of the design introduced in 1911, which was the second iteration of the trophy.
The Most Recognizable FA Cup Traditions
As seen above, there’s rich F.A. Cup history like Arsenal having the most FA Cups, the fact it was established more than 150 years ago, the stoppages, and more.
Approaching two centuries of action, a number of notable traditions have developed, and below, I’ll discuss some of my favorites and the most noteworthy.
Giant-Killings
Several “giant-killings” have occurred in the history of the FA Cup, which helps make it a must-watch event.
“Giant-killings” is a term that refers to the David vs. Goliath matchups where the underdog upsets the favorite.
A recent example was during the 2017 run when Lincoln upset Burnley 1-0. At this time, Lincoln was simply a National League team while Burnley was in the Premier League.
Of course, the biggest one ever is still Hereford upsetting Newcastle 2-1. Hereford and Newcastle had a 2-2 draw, resulting in a replay. In the replay, Hereford won 2-1 after goals from Ronnie Radford and Ricky George.
Royal Family Attendance
A member of the Royal Family attends each FA Cup Final. In May 2024, the Prince of Wales, Prince William, appeared with his 10-year-old son. William is the president of the Football Association.
He and his son were on hand to see Manchester United defeat Manchester City 2-1.
The Final at Wembley
Wembley Stadium opened in 1923 under the name Empire Stadium. Immediately after it opened, the FA Cup final was played there. There have only been a few times when the games weren’t played there.
These periods include 1938-39 to 1945-46 during World War II and from 2001 to 2006 during renovations.
During the latter period mentioned, the final was played at Millennium Stadium, but it returned in 2007.
In all, more than a dozen finals ended in a draw and were forced to replay. This stopped in 1998.
During the first FA Cup Final at Wembley, the Bolton Wanderers beat West Ham United two goals to none. There were other 126,000 people in attendance. While that’s the official attendance reported, many speculate it was more like 300,000.
This FA Cup Final is also remembered as the “White Horse Final,” as police used a white horse named Billy to help gain control of such a large crowd of people.
Singing “Abide With Me”
“Abide with Me” is a Christian hymn written by Henry Francis Lyte. He wrote it in 1847 as he was dying from tuberculosis, and it’s meant to be a prayer for God to stay with those who sing it from then on until they die.
The first time it was sung during the FA Cup was in 1927. It was sung before the match between Arsenal and Cardiff City. Today, it’s sung about 15 minutes before the FA Cup begins.
While it’s traced back more formally to 1927, it was heard during the 1923 final when the St Luke’s event choir began singing it. It’s also rumored that West Ham supporters sang the song along with them, further adding to the history of the FA Cup.
