One of the most exciting weekends of the football season is upon us as the FA Cup third round is set to take place from Thursday 4th January to Monday 8th January, with a number of those clashes selected as picks for TV.
In total, there are 64 teams remaining with Maidstone United from the sixth tier the lowest-ranked team left in the competition and Liverpool, as Premier League leaders, the highest-ranked team left.
Over the years the FA Cup third round has produced countless shock results, so picking the right games to show live is a big decision for broadcasters. This year, BBC and ITV have the rights to show six games out of the 32 and they have stretched these selections over five days. See below for the full list of TV picks.
FA Cup Third Round TV Picks
Contents
Thursday 4 January: Crystal Palace vs Everton – 8pm, ITV4
Friday 5 January: Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley – 8pm, ITV1
Saturday 6 January: Sunderland vs Newcastle United – 12:45pm, ITV1
Saturday 6 January: Middlesbrough vs Aston Villa – 5:30pm, BBC One
Sunday 7 January: Arsenal vs Liverpool – 4:30pm, BBC One
Monday 8 January: Wigan Athletic vs Manchester United – 8:15pm, ITV1
How to stream the FA Cup third round?
All six of the matches that have been selected for live coverage for the third round will also be available to be live-streamed. The four matches that are being shown on ITV1 will be available to stream for free on ITVx while the two matches that are being shown on BBC One will be available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
To access both services, fans will need to ensure they are signed up for an account on both platforms and have an active TV licence. All six matches can be streamed via online web browsers or via the ITVX and/or BBC iPlayer apps on a mobile device or tablet.
Which non-league teams are in the FA Cup third round?
There are four non-league teams in the FA Cup third round, all of which will be hoping to repeat Southampton's run to the final in 1900 when they were part of the Southern League. Last season, Wrexham went further than any other non-league club, reaching the fourth round of the competition.
Non-League clubs' third-round fixtures
- Maidstone United vs Stevenage (Saturday, 12:30pm)
- Newport County vs Eastleigh (Saturday, 3pm)
- Watford vs Chesterfield (Saturday, 3pm)
- West Brom vs Aldershot Town (Sunday, 2pm)
Every club that has been selected for a live third-round match will receive £85,000 as a broadcast fee which has left many people slamming the decision not to award any of the four non-league teams left in the competition one of the six live slots.