FA Youth Cup fixtures & history: Qualifying rounds underway in 2026/27

The FA Youth Cup is the most prestigious domestic youth football competition in the world and was initiated in 1952 as the great Manchester United team – later christened the ‘Busby Babes' – won five consecutive titles under the tutelage of Jimmy Murphy, assistant to the legendary Sir Matt Busby.

It has since continually proved an excellent grounding for future Premier League and Football League players. It is a fine barometer of the quality of a club's youth ranks.

FA Youth Cup 2026/27 dates

Preliminary Round: Monday 31 August 2026

First Round Qualifying: Monday 14 September 2026

Second Round Qualifying: Monday 28 September 2026

Third Round Qualifying: Monday 12 October 2026

First Round Proper: Saturday 31 October 2026

Second Round Proper: Saturday 21 November 2026

Third Round Proper: Saturday 12 December 2026   

Fourth Round Proper: Saturday 23 January 2027

Fifth Round Proper: Saturday 20 February 2027

Sixth Round Proper: Saturday 13 March 2027

Semi-Final: Saturday 10 April 2027

The Final: Saturday 8 May 2027

The draw has been completed for the second round proper and the fixtures are as follows:

Wigan Athletic v Mansfield Town or Peterborough United

Cheadle Town v Sheffield Wednesday or Gateshead

Stockport County v Blyth Spartans or Doncaster Rovers

Leicester City v Chesterfield or Milton Keynes Dons

Bradford City v Crewe Alexandra

Blackpool or Accrington Stanley v Burton Albion

Solihull Moors v Salford City or Barnsley

Ilkeston Town v Tranmere Rovers

Port Vale or Shrewsbury Town v Fleetwood Town

Grimsby Town v Chorley

Wycombe Wanderers v Chelmsford City or Leyton Orient

Leiston or Bromley v Southend United or AFC Wimbledon

Cobham or Merstham v Exeter City

Chippenham Town v Kingstonian

Luton Town v Slough Town or Gillingham

Bristol Rovers v Oxford United or Hereford

Reading v Street or Swindon Town

Plymouth Argyle v St Ives Town or Racing Club

Warwick or Mangotsfield United

Hertford Town or Worthing v Cambridge United or Walthamstow

Barnet v Colchester United or AFC Sudbury

FA Youth Cup FAQs

Who are the current holders of the FA Youth Cup?

Manchester City are the defending champions after defeating Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup final 2026 at the Joie Stadium.

Who has won the most FA Youth Cups?

Manchester United are the most successful club in FA Youth Cup history, winning the competition a record 11 times. Chelsea are the next best, with nine titles to their name.

Who can play in FA Youth Cup fixtures?

Players must have turned 15 before the season began but must not have yet reached their 18th birthday. If they turn 18 during the season, they are still eligible to play.

Where are FA Youth Cup fixtures played?

Many clubs will host their FA Youth Cup matches at their primary stadiums, but this isn't always the case in the early rounds for the Premier League and Championship sides.

For groundhoppers, though, this can present an equally enticing opportunity to tick off some more stadia. Manchester United, for example, play most of their Youth Cup games at Old Trafford but, on occasion, play them at their regular Academy stadium, Leigh Sports Village.

Across town, United's rivals Manchester City will play their games at their dedicated Academy Stadium, also home to Man City Women. Generally, Academy players and staff are keen to play these games at their club's main stadium, but scheduling issues can make this difficult in the busy month of December, when there are so many fixtures.

List of FA Youth Cup winners

List of FA Youth Cup finals

Until the 2018/19 seasons, all FA Youth Cup finals were played over two legs, with an aggregate score determining the winner. Since the 2018/19 season, all FA Youth Cup finals have been single matches.