The FA Cup is back for its 140th year. An incredible 736 teams have been whittled down to just eight, with clubs just one game away from a semi-final date at Wembley.
The tournament usually runs from August to May, although that may be subject to change due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In order to avoid fixture congestion, the FA have dropped replays in favour of extra-time and penalties for this season’s competition.
Arsenal are the holders, having beaten Chelsea 2-1 in last season’s delayed final to secure a first trophy in management for Mikel Arteta. However, they won’t retain their crown this season, having lost to Southampton in the fourth round. With Man City running away with Premier League, the FA Cup is a great opportunity for other top sides to win some silverware.
Here’s how to watch all the action, including if you’re outside the UK.
Where can you watch the games in the UK?
The BBC and BT share TV rights to the competition for this season. The two broadcasters will share the top picks for each round and one semi-final match, with both channels showing the final on 23 May.
The BBC is free, provided you have a TV licence. This currently costs £157.50 per year, and is a requirement if you watch any live TV or use BBC iPlayer. Once that’s sorted, just navigate to BBC One on your TV or head to iPlayer to start streaming.
However, you’ll need to subscribe to BT Sport to watch their games. The cheapest way of doing this will be with the Sport package, which is currently available for £7.50 per month (£15 per month thereafter) with £20 upfront. Another popular option is to combine it with a BT Broadband deal, with prices currently starting at £44.99 per month. Of course, there’s more great live content on BT Sport, including every single Champions League game.
BT Sport also offers Monthly Passes, considered to be a direct competitor to Now TV’s Sky Sports Pass. For £25 a month, you can now get unlimited access to BT Sport contract-free, including the 4K-enabled BT Sport Ultimate. The flexibility across devices remains, as it can be used on all the Smart TVs, consoles, tablets and phones that are available to paid subscribers. See all the details here.
Both the BBC and BT Sport will broadcast the FA Cup final, which is set to take place on 15 May 2021.
Any ties that aren’t chosen by either broadcaster will be available via the FA Player, but that usually doesn’t apply from the 4th round onwards.
From next season until at least 2026, ITV will partner the BBC to showing the games from the first round onwards. That means all the top matches will be available on free-to-air channels.
FA Cup fixture list
There’s a handy guide to the upcoming games on the FA website. Here are all the quarter-final ties:
Saturday 20 March
- Bournemouth vs Southampton – KO 12.15 – BT Sport 1
- Everton vs Man City – KO 17.30 – BT Sport 1
Sunday 21 March
- Chelsea vs Sheffield United – KO 13.30 – BBC One/BBC iPlayer
- Leicester vs Man Utd – KO 17.00 – BBC One/BBC iPlayer
Not in the UK? Not a problem
You can watch the FA Cup if you have a TV license to watch the BBC, but if you’re on holiday outside the UK you can too by using a VPN. You’ll also need it to watch BT Sport from abroad.
A VPN is software that allows you to access blocked content even if you’re not in the country, and it also improves your privacy.
A particularly good option is NordVPN, which you can look at here. Simply installing on your computer, phone or tablet will allow you to watch the matches if you’re outside the UK. Read our more detailed guide here.
For more great options, check our our best VPN chart.
Want more football? Here’s how to watch the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and Carabao Cup.
