The world’s oldest club competition began back at the start of August, but we have now reached the first round proper, with FourFourTwo providing a comprehensive broadcast guide to TV coverage and live streams wherever you are in the world.
• UK: BBC (FREE), TNT Sports / HBO Max
• US: ESPN Select
• Australia: Stan Sport
• Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk free
This sees the arrival of EFL sides from League One and League Two. Former winners Leicester City, Notts County, Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan Athletic and Barnsley are among those joining the competition at this stage.
We also have plenty of non-league sides still in the competition, with AFC Rushden & Diamonds of the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands and Stafford Rangers of the Northern Premier League Division One West the two lowest-ranked sides. They both face Football League opposition in Burton Albion and Grimsby Town.
Two games have been selected for free coverage by the BBC: Altrincham vs Notts County on Saturday, November 7 and Cray Wanderers vs Stockport County on Sunday, November 8.
Unlike most other football competitions, the FA Cup gets some airing on free-to-air television in the UK. BBC's coverage has diminished though as TNT Sports continues as the main broadcaster for this season.
There are plenty of international options, with ESPN in the US and Stan Sport in Australia showing all games from every round of the FA Cup.
Where to watch the FA Cup in the UK
UK broadcast rights for the 2026/27 FA Cup are split between TNT Sports / HBO Max and the BBC.
The BBC has been limited to 14 games throughout the competition (from the First Round Proper) while TNT Sports will show a minimum of 47 games, including every single fixture that is on the BBC.
How to watch the FA Cup in the US
Sports broadcasting giant ESPN is the exclusive US rights-holder for the 2025/2026 FA Cup. Every game from now on is available to stream live through the ESPN Select streaming platform.
❗Coverage is geo-restricted. If you're not in the States right now, you can still access your ESPN+ subscription by using a VPN such as NordVPN.
How to watch the FA Cup in Australia
The FA Cup now resides on Stan Sport in Australia.
❗Coverage is geo-restricted. If you're not in Australia right now, you can still access your Stan Sport subscription by using a VPN such as NordVPN.
Watch the FA Cup from anywhere
If you’re overseas when the FA Cup is on, that doesn't mean you have to miss out on the action. Geo-restrictions will apply to major broadcasters but there's a simple way around this: a VPN.
A Virtual Private Network - to give it the full name - is a piece of software that sets your IP address to make it look like your device is still back at home. Assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs, you can use a VPN to unblock your streaming services when abroad, and you'll get a host of internet security benefits on top.
There are plenty of good-value options out there, but FourFourTwo’s brainy office mates TechRadar are big fans of NordVPN.
FA Cup Fixtures
The first round proper takes places this weekend (November 6-9):
Friday, November 6
7:30pm
Bristol Rovers vs Cambridge United
7:45pm
Oxford City vs Leicester City
Saturday 7 November
3pm
Dover Athletic vs Wealdstone
Mansfield Town vs Macclesfield
Huddersfield Town vs Exeter City
Luton Town vs Forest Green Rovers
Kidderminster Harriers vs Doncaster Rovers
Leyton Orient vs Harborough Town
Accrington Stanley vs Wycombe Wanderers
MK Dons vs Swindon Town
Newport County vs Walsall
Bromley vs Rotherham United
Barnet vs Tranmere Rovers
Fleetwood Town vs Rochdale
Barnsley vs Aldershot Town
Chesterfield vs Yeovil Town
Gillingham vs Barrow
Harrogate Town vs AFC Fylde
Crewe Alexandra vs AFC Wimbledon
Oxford United vs Stevenage
Burton Albion vs AFC Rushden & Diamonds
Port Vale vs Scunthorpe United
Cheltenham Town vs FC Halifax Town
Colchester United vs Worcester City
Eastleigh vs Shrewsbury Town
Plymouth Argyle vs Alvechurch
Hornchurch vs Blackpool
Guiseley vs Sutton United
Stafford Rangers vs Grimsby Town
Bradford City vs Marine
York City vs Northampton Town
Boreham Wood vs Wigan Athletic
Carlisle United vs Salford City
Salisbury vs Sholing
5:30pm
Altrincham vs Notts County
8pm
Peterborough United vs Reading
Sunday 8 November
12pm
Stafford Rangers vs Grimsby Town
2:15pm
Cray Wanderers vs Stockport County
3pm
Wimborne Town vs Crawley Town
5:15pm
Oldham Athletic vs Sheffield Wednesday
Monday 9 November
7:30pm
Plymouth Parkway vs Berkhamsted
We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
