2023–24 FA Cup
Football tournament season / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2023–24 FA Cup is the 143rd season of the Football Association Challenge Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world. It is sponsored by Emirates and known as the Emirates FA Cup for sponsorship purposes.
Football Association Challenge Cup | |
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Tournament details | |
Country | England Wales |
Dates | 3 November 2023 – 25 May 2024 |
Teams | 732[1] (all) 640 (qualifying competition) 124 (main competition incl. 32 qualifiers) |
Defending champions | Manchester City |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 147 |
Goals scored | 509 (3.46 per match) |
Attendance | 2,167,257 (14,743 per match) |
Top goal scorer(s) | Sammie Szmodics Ellis Simms (6 goals each) |
(Note: All statistics do not include qualifying play-offs) | |
The final is scheduled to be played on 25 May 2024 and will be contested between the defending champions, Premier League side Manchester City, and local rivals Manchester United, in a repeat of the previous final, which Manchester City won 2–1.[2] This is the first final to feature the same teams in consecutive seasons since the 1884–85 season. The winners of the cup will qualify for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league stage, as well as earn the right to play against the winners of the 2023–24 Premier League in the 2024 FA Community Shield.
The 2023–24 competition will be the last one to feature replays in the non-qualifying rounds, and in future the final will be played before the end of the Premier League season.[3] The changes were made as part of a six-year agreement between the Football Association and the Premier League due to pressure on the domestic calendar from expanded UEFA competitions, but have been criticised as replays can be an important source of revenue for lower league clubs.[4][5]