BBC makes FA Cup announcement as number of free-to-air games from 2025/26 season revealed

The BBC will continue to bring the magic of the FA Cup to homes across the UK, having secured a deal with TNT Sports to broadcast 14 live matches each season for the next four years.

They have agreed a partnership with rights holders TNT Sports to ensure that football's oldest cup competition remains accessible on free-to-air television, much to the relief of fans. There were concerns when TNT announced their acquisition of rights from the 2025/26 season, back in February.

There was fear that the FA Cup might disappear behind a paywall, but the Football Association and TNT had always planned to "sub-let" a portion of the rights to ensure continued terrestrial coverage. The BBC have now won those rights which will see them show 14 games each season, including two live matches from each round through to the quarter-finals, one semi-final, and the FA Cup final.

The BBC will also have rights to show highlights as per the existing Match of the Day coverage. This agreement not only preserves the FA Cup's presence on terrestrial TV but also allows every single match to be shown outside of the traditional 3pm blackout period from the first round onwards.

BBC's interim director of sport Philip Bernie expressed pride in the BBC's longstanding tradition of uniting fans with the excitement of the Emirates FA Cup.

He said: "This partnership for the next four years is brilliant news and, alongside our recent Premier League extension and UEFA Champions League highlights coming this year, means that BBC Sport will deliver fans top class analysis, commentary and coverage of the biggest football competitions free to air and accessible for all."

Mark Bullingham, FA chief executive, added: "We are delighted that the BBC will continue as one of our Emirates FA Cup broadcast partners, under this new deal with TNT Sports.

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"It was always our intention to ensure that this very special competition would be accessible for everyone, and this new broadcast partnership will enable fans to see more of its matches live than ever before from the start of the 2025-26 season, across both TNT Sports and free-to-air on the BBC.

"The BBC has told many of the magical and memorable stories that only the Emirates FA Cup can create, and we look forward to making even more history together in the years ahead."