When is the FA Cup first round draw? Ball numbers, date and time as EFL clubs enter draw
The FA Cup steps up a gear as 48 clubs from League One and League Two join the fray, with the draw for the first round of the world's oldest football competition fast approaching
The FA Cup, the world's oldest domestic cup competition, returns for its 145th edition in the 2025/26 season, igniting dreams of giant-killings and glory for underdogs nationwide. Established in 1871, it remains the pinnacle of English football's romantic ethos, where non-league minnows can topple Premier League giants.
This season's first round proper marks the entry of 48 EFL clubs from League One and League Two, joining 32 qualifiers from lower divisions. Eyes will be on big names like Reading, Wigan Athletic, Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers potentially rubbing shoulders with some of non-league football's finest fairytale-chasers, promising early fireworks as the road to Wembley begins in earnest.
Here, Mirror Football breaks down everything you need to know to follow the draw - including the date, start time, TV channel, and which ball numbers to keep an eye on.
When is the FA Cup first round draw?
The draw for the FA Cup first round proper takes place on Monday, October 13, 2025. It will begin at approximately 6.30pm BST.
It follows on from Saturday's fourth qualifying round fixtures, that will determine which non-league sides are in the draw. One fixture, Worthing vs Forest Green Rovers, will, however take place on Monday after the official draw.
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UK viewers can catch the draw exclusively on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 6.30pm ahead of the live broadcast of Worthing vs Forest Green Rovers. It's also available to stream on discovery+ and the TNT Sports YouTube channel for free.
Ball numbers
The 80 clubs in the draw are assigned the following ball numbers: EFL teams 1-48, non-league qualifiers 49-80. You can find the full list below.
1. Accrington Stanley2. AFC Wimbledon3. Barnet4. Barnsley5. Barrow6. Blackpool7. Bolton Wanderers8. Bradford City9. Bristol Rovers10. Bromley11. Burton Albion12. Cambridge United13. Cardiff City14. Cheltenham Town15. Chesterfield16. Colchester United17. Crawley Town18. Crewe Alexandra19. Doncaster Rovers20. Exeter City21. Fleetwood Town22. Gillingham23. Grimsby Town24. Harrogate Town25. Huddersfield Town26. Leyton Orient27. Lincoln City28. Luton Town29. Mansfield Town30. Milton Keynes Dons31. Newport County32. Northampton Town33. Notts County34. Oldham Athletic35. Peterborough United36. Plymouth Argyle37. Port Vale38. Reading39. Rotherham United40. Salford City41. Shrewsbury Town42. Stevenage43. Stockport County44. Swindon45. Tranmere Rovers46. Walsall47. Wigan Athletic48. Wycombe Wanderers49. Darlington or AFC Telford United50. Macclesfield or Stamford51. Gainsborough Trinity or Hartlepool United52. Carlisle United or Boston United53. Rochdale or York City54. Runcorn Linnets or Buxton55. Morecambe or Chester56. South Shields or Spalding United57. Tamworth or Hyde United58. Scunthorpe United or King’s Lynn Town59. Aveley or Gateshead60. Spennymoor Town or Billericay Town61. Southport or FC Halifax Town62. Altrincham or Harborough Town63. Worthing or Forest Green Rovers64. Maldon & Tiptree or Flackwell Heath65. Woking or Brackley Town66. Wealdstone or Whitstable Town67. Slough Town or Enfield Town68. Eastbourne Borough or Boreham Wood69. Hampton & Richmond Borough or Eastleigh70. Southend United or Folkestone Invicta71. Ebbsfleet United or Solihull Moors72. Braintree Town or Farnborough73. Tonbridge Angels or Chatham Town74. Weston Super Mare or Needham Market75. Hemel Hempstead Town or Yeovil Town76. Banbury United or St Albans City77. Chelmsford City or Chippenham Town78. AFC Totton or Truro City79. Dorking Wanderers or Aldershot Town80. Farnham Town or Sutton United
When will the FA Cup first round games be played?
The first round proper ties are scheduled across the weekend of November 1-2, 2025, with kick-off times set for 3pm GMT on Saturday, November 1, and selected matches on Sunday, November 2. All fixtures will be confirmed post-draw, subject to broadcast selections.
When will Premier League and Championship teams enter the draw?
Teams from the top two tiers of English football, the Premier League and the Championship, will enter the hat in the third round. The draw for the third round won't take place until December, with fixtures set to be played in January.
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