The possible winnings from this season's FA Cup have been revealed.placeholder image
The possible winnings from this season's FA Cup have been revealed. | Getty Images
There are stunning figures available to be won in FA Cup prize money this season
FA Cup fourth round weekend is upon us, and this season’s competition has already served up some unforgettable encounters as clubs from across the English football pyramid dream of getting their hands on the trophy at Wembley in May.
The prize money available in this season’s FA Cup has been revealed, with stunning figures up for grabs for making it through each stage of the competition, all the way to the showpiece final at Wembley.
How much money has already been won by sides competing in the FA Cup this season?
Via the FA’s official website, the figures have emerged which will be up for grabs at each stage of the FA Cup this season, with all payments made from the FA’s prize fund.
With prize money going all the way back to extra preliminary round of qualifying, the 223 winners at that stage of the competition earned £1,125 in prize money, with the losers gaining £375 for their efforts. With prize money increasing incrementally with each round, there was £23,194 up for grabs for clubs which bypass all six qualifying rounds to make it into the first round proper – with the qualifying rounds contested by non-league clubs from around the country, before all 48 League One and League Two sides entered in round one.
From there, the winnings continue to increase. There was £47,750 to be won in the first round proper, £79,500 in round two and £121,500 in the third round – which is where clubs from the Premier League and Championship entered proceedings. In this weekend’s round four ties, victorious sides earn £127,000 for their efforts as they take their spot in the last 16 of the competition.
Prize money available to 2026 FA Cup winners revealed
All in all, from the extra preliminary qualifying round all the way through to the winners of the final, there is a potential prize pot of £4.3million to be won by the eventual winners of the competition.
Assuming that the winner is to come from the Premier League, entering at the third-round stage – the last time a club from outside the top flight won the FA Cup was way back in 1980, when West Ham United did it as a second-tier outfit – then the prize money available to the winners is a massive £4.14m, with £2.12m of that figure coming from victory in the final.
There are substantial amounts of money available to losing sides, too – the runners-up earn a huge £3.08m for their efforts across the competition, while losing semi-finalists earn a huge £1.5m for getting to the final four. There is a total prize pot of £23.5m for this season’s competition.
While the money is, of course, not the main attraction for seeking FA Cup glory – such is the immortality which comes with winning a trophy, particularly at a club for which silverware is less common – the prize pot available reflects the ever-increasing money in the modern game, and the weight which the FA Cup still holds in English football in 2026. Crystal Palace earnt £2m for winning in the FA Cup final last season, winning £3.65m across the competition.
The full set of statistics for the prize money available at each stage of the competition can be accessed on the FA website here.
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