The draw for the third round of the FA Cup takes place on Monday night as clubs from the Premier League and Championship join the competition for the first time this season
The FA Cup trophy
The FA Cup has reached the third round
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Image: Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
The draw for the third round of the FA Cup is here!
The most iconic cup competition has reached an exciting stage, when Premier League and Championship sides come up against the lower-league team who have battled it through the earlier rounds.
Joe Cole and Peter Crouch are in charge of drawing the numbers tonight, with coverage being broadcast live by TNT Sports from around 6.40pm, ahead of the final second round tie between Brackley Town and Burton Albion.
Here Mirror Football brings you all you need to know, including those all-important numbers, for the ties that will take place around the weekend of January 10.
20 mins to go!
Are you excited? We are. Palpably.
Joe Cole and Peter Crouch are tasked with drawing the balls out this evening, and we've been told to expect them about 6.40pm.
Let's have some blockbusters, lads.
Last year's winners...
Holders Crystal Palace won their first-ever major trophy having finished runners-up in 1990 and 2016.
Ebere Eze's 16th-minute strike was enough to beat Manchester City 1-0 with Dean Henderson saving a penalty by Omar Marmoush.
They're ball number 13 in tonight's draw.
Crystal Palace won the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history in May
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Image:
Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
One second round tie left to decide
There is still one ball in tonight's draw, namely ball 58, that will seal the potential fate of two sides.
National League side Brackley Town host Burton Albion this evening following the draw, with the winners joining the 63 other sides already confirmed to be in the third round.
It's a 7.30pm kick-off at St James Park (not that one).
Ball numbers
Here are all the ball numbers to look out for this evening.
1. AFC Bournemouth
2. Arsenal
3. Aston Villa
4. Birmingham City
5. Blackburn Rovers
6. Brentford
7. Brighton & Hove Albion
8. Bristol City
9. Burnley
10. Charlton Athletic
11. Chelsea
12. Coventry City
13. Crystal Palace
14. Derby County
15. Everton
16. Fulham
17. Hull City
18. Ipswich Town
19. Leeds United
20. Leicester City
21. Liverpool
22. Manchester City
23. Manchester United
24. Middlesbrough
25. Millwall
26. Newcastle United
27. Norwich City
28. Nottingham Forest
29. Oxford United
30. Portsmouth
31. Preston North End
32. Queens Park Rangers
33. Sheffield United
34. Sheffield Wednesday
35. Southampton
36. Stoke City
37. Sunderland
38. Swansea City
39. Tottenham Hotspur
40. Watford
41. West Bromwich Albion
42. West Ham United
43. Wolverhampton Wanderers
44. Wrexham
45. Macclesfield
46. Grimsby Town
47. Shrewsbury Town
48. Swindon Town
49. Weston-super-Mare
50. Barnsley
51. Boreham Wood
52. Milton Keynes Dons
53. Wigan Athletic
54. Fleetwood Town
55. Salford City
56. Mansfield Town
57. Cambridge United
58. Brackley Town or Burton Albion
59. Blackpool
60. Walsall
61. Exeter City
62. Cheltenham Town
63. Doncaster Rovers
64. Port Vale
The FA Cup third round is one of the most exciting events in every English football season. and Championship clubs are , joining the sides who emerged from their second round ties victorious over the weekend.
The draw will consist of 64 teams, including several non-league clubs. Macclesfield and Weston-super-Mare are the two after progressing against fellow sixth-tier sides.
Most of the lower-league teams in the draw will hope to face Premier League opponents, such as , and , with a glamour tie helping to improve club finances. ahead of the third round draw, including how to watch it for free.
The FA Cup third round draw is set to take place (
Image:
Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)