The 2026/27 FA Cup begins with the first round from Friday, November 6 to Monday, November 9, and the outright market points to another strong year for the Premier League's leading clubs. Arsenal opened as slight favourites in the FA Cup winner odds, just ahead of holders Manchester City, while Liverpool are third favourites, though the market can move after each round.
While the top five Premier League teams are all priced under 10/1 to lift the trophy, the competition has recently offered opportunities for lesser sides, with Leicester City and Crystal Palace winning in 2021 and 2025 respectively.
First Round Standout Ties
The first round features several notable fixtures. In-form National League North side Oxford City host 2021 winner Leicester on Friday night. Two of last year's giant killers meet on Saturday afternoon when Mansfield face Macclesfield, who caused one of the biggest upsets in cup history by defeating holders Crystal Palace in last season's third round.
National League Altrincham face League One strugglers in the Saturday teatime slot, while the battle of the Savage family takes place at 8pm on Saturday when Robbie Savage's Peterborough side welcome son Charlie Savage and Reading to London Road.
Winner Odds and Betting Strategies
Punters have two potential strategies when betting on the FA Cup winner. They can wager "on the nose", backing a team outright to win the FA Cup, or bet each-way, which means placing equal stakes on a team to win or place in the market.
Most bookmakers only offer each way to two places at 1/2 the odds, meaning the place part of the bet pays out at half the odds quoted on the bet slip should the selection lose in the final at Wembley. There is no payout for a team reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.
Defending champions Manchester City have won two of the last four editions of the trophy, whilst being runners-up in the other two of the quartet. There are some lively FA Cup odds on outsiders this year, with London or south coast clubs in particular, like Brentford and Brighton, perhaps offering up some value on betting apps.
Key Dates and History
The first round gets underway in early November, with Premier League teams joining in the third round in January. The 2027 FA Cup final takes place on Saturday, 22 May at Wembley Stadium, with the semi-finals getting underway on the weekend of April 24/25.
Manchester City have featured in four of the last eight finals, while Chelsea have lost the FA Cup final in five out of the last ten renewals. The standout theme from the last ten finals shows the dominance of the top Premier League teams reaching the FA Cup final.
Giant-Killings and Betting Trends
Last year alone saw 26 of 123 FA Cup ties won by a team from a lower division than their opponents. In the 2025/26 FA Cup, Macclesfield, from the sixth tier of English football, notably knocked out holders Crystal Palace in the third round. In the same round, Wrexham eliminated Nottingham Forest, while at the fifth round stage, Port Vale claimed the scalp of Sunderland.
Arsenal were also victims of an upset, falling at the quarter-final stage to Championship side Southampton. In the earlier rounds last year, 17 from 60 (28%) ties across rounds 1 and 2 were won by teams from the lower division, before the top flight teams even started their FA Cup campaign. One in seven matches through rounds three to five still saw an upset.
In the 2025/26 FA Cup, the home side won 44% of ties after 90 minutes, the away side won 33%, and 23% were level and went to extra time. Of the 95 ties settled inside 90 minutes, 71% of games saw three or more goals, both teams scored in 54%, and the average number of goals per game was 3.5.
FA Cup replays were scrapped from the first round in 2024/25, so a drawn tie now goes straight to extra time and penalties, meaning the 'draw no bet' and 'to qualify' markets come into play more.
Bettors are reminded to always gamble responsibly by using the safer gambling tools available on UK betting sites, setting a budget, taking regular breaks, and not chasing losses when gambling. Betting should only be viewed as a source of entertainment, never as a way to generate income.
