FA Cup 2025-26: New Season Kicks Off With Extra Preliminary Round
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
The FA Cup dream starts here
The FA Cup starts back up again this weekend with a phase of the competition that many fans might not be aware of - the extra preliminary round. Understandably, most of the buzz around the FA Cup starts to pick up in the first round proper, and even more so in the third round when the Premier League and Championship teams join the frey.
For the grassroots English football purists, this is an exciting time. The dream of a potential trip to Old Trafford or Anfield, or welcoming the likes of Man City or Arsenal to their own ground will be one that every club entering at this stage will harbour. However, it’s a long journey to reach the point where that scenario could even be a possibility. To get there, they first have to navigate the preliminary rounds.
What are the preliminary rounds?
The following table will provide you with the essential information for this round of the competition, as well as the following round, so you can compare the two:
| Extra Preliminary Round: 02 August | Preliminary Round; 16 August | |
|---|---|---|
| Leagues entering round: | Level 9, Level 8 | Level 8 (remaining) |
| New entries: | 446 | 49 |
| Entries from previous round: | 0 | 223 |
| Matches this round: | 223 | 136 |
| Winning team prize: | £1,125 | £1,444 |
| Losing team prize: | £375 | £481 |
The extra preliminary rounds see the ninth and eighth tiers of English football, which consists of a number of regional leagues that together form the National League System (NLS).
Approximately 600 games will be played over the six total qualifying rounds in the next few weeks which will see goals totals hit the thousands. Starting with 446 teams, there will only be 32 left standing after the dust has settled.
For the 32 teams that make it all the way through, they will enter the FA Cup proper in the first round where they will be joined by the 48 teams that make up League One and League Two. As a reminder, Premier League sides enter this competition in the third round.
Teams that win in this round will pocket £1,125 while teams that lose take home £375. Obviously, these are amounts that teams in the EFL wouldn’t even notice in their club finances, however, to an amateur or semi-professional team playing at this level, this income could be substantial.
Historical context - notable recent runs
There will be 15 clubs making their first ever appearance in the FA Cup on Saturday. If they’re looking for inspiration, they needn’t look any further than Marine AFC in the 2020-21 season. The Mariners started their run in the preliminary round, winning seven straight games to eventually make it to the third round. They were rewarded with a matchup against Tottenham as they welcomed the massive London side to the humble Rossett Park which seats just 3,185 spectators.
Even though Marine’s run would end against Spurs (in a 5-0 defeat), the memories of playing against one of the biggest clubs in the country in their own backyard is something that the fans will remember for many years to come. More recently, Ramsgate are the latest example of a team starting in the preliminary rounds to make it to the FA Cup proper. They won six straight games in the 2023-24 campaign (which included an upset of fifth tier Woking in the first round) before bowing out in the second round to AFC Wimbledon.
