how many rounds of the fa cup are there

There are 14 rounds in the FA Cup in total: 6 qualifying rounds and 8 “proper” rounds, ending with the final at Wembley.

Quick Scoop

• Total FA Cup rounds: 14 (from early qualifiers to the final).

• Qualifying rounds: 6 rounds for non-league and lower-tier clubs.

• Proper rounds: 8 rounds – First Round Proper, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, Final.

• Premier League entry point: Clubs from the Premier League usually come in at the Third Round Proper, so they need to win 6 matches to lift the cup.

If you ever hear people talk about “the third round magic,” that’s the stage when the big clubs enter and the famous giant‑killings often happen.

At the bottom of it all, a tiny non-league side starting in the very first qualifying stage would have to battle through 13 matches to reach the final, while a top-flight team only has to navigate 6.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.