Manchester United’s path to another FA Cup glory hits a Premier League roadblock at home against Brighton, while Arsenal must dodge a League One banana skin on the road to Portsmouth in the third round draw that lit up Monday evening. With ties set for the January 10-12 weekend, the 2025/26 Emirates FA Cup proper kicks into high gear as all 20 top-flight clubs join the fray alongside Championship sides, pitching giants against gritty underdogs in the world’s oldest knockout tournament.
The draw unfolded live on TNT Sports from Brackley Town’s ground ahead of their second-round finale against Burton Albion, pulling in former England stars Joe Cole and Peter Crouch to announce the balls. Over 64 teams—Premier League and EFL Championship entrants mixing with 20 second-round survivors—faced off in 32 mouthwatering pairings that promise upsets, rivalries, and magic moments. Crystal Palace, the shock 2024/25 winners after stunning Manchester City in the final, enter at this stage too, drawing a tasty trip to National League North minnows Macclesfield.
This third round marks the real fireworks, where non-league dreamers like Weston-super-Mare or Boreham Wood (pending their second-round result) can dream of glory shots against the elite. Historically, it’s delivered classics: think Wrexham’s 2022 giant-killing of Coventry or Sunderland’s 1973 triumph over Leeds. Prize money alone—£105,000 for winners, £35,000 for losers—fuels the fire, but the romance of the Cup runs deeper, with replays at the away ground if ties dead-lock.
Key eyes fell on the big boys. Manchester United, under Ruben Amorim and smarting from a Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby, welcome Brighton to Old Trafford—a fixture laced with recent Premier League bite, where the Seagulls have nicked points in Manchester before. Tottenham snagged a blockbuster home tie versus Aston Villa, reviving last season’s fourth-round thriller that Villa pinched 1-0 at Villa Park. Newcastle locked horns with Bournemouth in another all-Prem clash, while Everton braced for a tricky tie against Sunderland, a fixture loaded with the Black Cats’ desire for revenge after their 2022 playoff heartbreak against the Toffees.
Arsenal, flying high as Premier League pacesetters, drew a stern test with an away day at Fratton Park against League One’s Portsmouth—echoing their 2020 fifth-round upset loss there. Liverpool sidestepped a horror draw, landing Championship Barnsley at Anfield, but Chelsea face a London derby trek to Charlton in League One. Manchester City, chasing a record-extending eighth win, host League Two’s Exeter, while West Ham eye a cup run against QPR.
Lower down, Wrexham—the Hollywood-backed Welsh sensation—bagged a plum home gig versus Nottingham Forest, channeling their fairy-tale vibe after promotion to League One. National League hopefuls Boreham Wood (if they beat Newport) travel to Brackley or Burton, setting up potential non-league fireworks.
Here is the complete fixture lineup for the 2025/26 FA Cup Third Round, with home teams listed first:
Wolves vs Shrewsbury
Doncaster vs Southampton
Tottenham vs Aston Villa
Port Vale vs Fleetwood
Preston vs Wigan
Ipswich vs Blackpool
Wrexham vs Nottingham Forest
Charlton vs Chelsea
Manchester City vs Exeter
West Ham vs QPR
Sheffield Wednesday vs Brentford
Fulham vs Middlesbrough
Everton vs Sunderland
Liverpool vs Barnsley
Burnley vs Millwall
Norwich vs Walsall
Portsmouth vs Arsenal
Derby vs Leeds
Swansea vs West Brom
Salford vs Swindon
Boreham Wood vs Brackley or Burton
Grimsby vs Weston-super-Mare
Hull vs Blackburn
Newcastle vs Bournemouth
MK Dons vs Oxford
Cheltenham vs Leicester
Cambridge vs Birmingham
Bristol City vs Watford
Stoke vs Coventry
Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace
Manchester United vs Brighton
Sheffield United vs Mansfield
Exact kick-off times, TV picks, and any midweek replays will drop soon, with TNT Sports, discovery+, and BBC sharing the broadcast load in the UK. For Nigerian fans, channels like SuperSport and StarTimes will beam select games, keeping the Cup fever alive across the Atlantic.
