The Football Association Cup, commonly called the FA Cup is a yearly knockout tournament in England. It is the oldest national football competition in the world, first played in the 1871-72 season. Every year it is organized by the Football Association (FA), hence the name FA Cup. Emirates is the headline sponsor of the competition.
Any eligible club in England from any division can participate in the tournament. Often, there’s a talk in the media about the ‘magic of the cup’ and how the lower division teams upset the top teams in England. Indeed, the Emirates FA Cup has been won 10 times by teams that weren’t in the first division that time. The latest, in 1980, West Ham defeated Arsenal to win the FA Cup.
This season Chelsea face Leicester City in the FA Cup final on 15th May 2021 at the iconic Wembley Stadium. Chelsea defeated Manchester City by a solitary goal in the semifinals. Leicester City defeated Southampton in the semifinals through Iheanacho’s strike in the second half. If Chelsea wins, it will be their ninth FA Cup title. Leicester City have never won a FA Cup, coming short of winning on four occasions as they lost in the final (1949, 1961, 1963 & 1969).
Let’s take a look at the top teams that lead the way with most FA Cup titles:
| Club | No. of titles |
1 | Arsenal | 14 |
2 | Manchester United | 12 |
3 | Chelsea | 8 |
4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
5 | Aston Villa | 7 |
6 | Liverpool | 7 |
7 | Blackburn Rovers | 6 |
8 | Newcastle United | 6 |
9 | Manchester City | 6 |
Arsenal – 14 FA Cups
The reigning FA Cup champions, Arsenal have won the most FA Cups in history, with seven of them coming under their legendary manager Arsene Wenger. They won their first final in 1930 and since then they have added 13 more to their trophy cabinet.
Manchester United – 12 FA Cups
2016 FA Cup champions Manchester United are 2nd in the list of most FA Cup final wins. They have won 12 FA cups, with their first title coming in the year 1909. United also holds the record of most defeats in a final on eight occasions.
Chelsea – 8 FA Cups
This season’s finalists, Chelsea have won FA Cups on eight occasions with the recent one coming in 2018. They lost against Arsenal in the final last year and will be looking to seal the trophy this time around.
Tottenham Hotspur – 8 FA Cups
Tottenham won their first FA Cup in 1901. They last won this trophy in 1991 and have made the final just once, in 1987.
Aston Villa – 7 FA Cups
The Villans have made a total of 11 appearances in the FA Cup final, winning seven of them. However, the last time they won this trophy was in 1957. The first time they won this trophy was in 1887. Aston Villa were runners-up in 2015.
Liverpool – 7 FA Cups
The Reds have won seven FA Cups in their century-old history, the first one coming in 1965. Since then they have added six more to their trophy cabinet with the latest one coming in 2006.
Blackburn Rovers – 6 FA Cups
The only current non-Premier League side in this list, Blackburn have won 6 FA Cups with the first one coming in as early as 1884. They hold the record of winning the FA Cup thrice consecutively in 1884, 1885 & 1886. However, they last won the trophy in 1926 and have failed to reach the final since 1960.
Newcastle United – 6 FA Cups
The Magpies have 13 final appearances in the FA Cup final, winning six of them. They first won this trophy in 1910 and their seventh one in 1955. They made it to the final in 1999 but lost.
Manchester City – 6 FA Cups
The Premier League 2020-21 champions Manchester City have won 6 FA Cups. They first got their hands on this trophy in 1904 and their latest successful FA Cup campaign was in 2019. They were knocked out by Chelsea this season in the semifinals through a solitary goal from Ziyech.
