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FA Cup third round draw: Every tie as Arsenal face Man Utd and other Premier League clubs find out fate

FA Cup third round draw: Every tie as Arsenal face Man Utd and other Premier League clubs find out fate

The draw for the third round of the FA Cup has been made as the 20 Premier League sides learned their opponents for their opening fixtures in the oldest cup competition in football.

The 20 top-flight sides and all 24 Championship teams enter at this stage, joining the 20 clubs who made it through the second round this weekend, including the remaining non-league representatives Dagenham & Redbridge and Tamworth.

And Tamworth have earned themselves a plum tie, with Tottenham Hotspur bringing a touch of glamour to the Lamb Ground with Ange Postecoglou’s side drawn against the Staffordshire Club. The Daggers, meanwhile, make a short hop across east London to take on Milwall.

The pick of the all-Premier League ties is between Arsenal and Manchester United, a famous FA Cup rivalry, while Manchester City will take on Salford City - owned by the Class of ‘92. Ties will be played across the weekend of 11-12 January 2025.

Find our every third-round tie and reaction from the draw below:

FA Cup third round draw LIVE

  • Arsenal draw Manchester United in the FA Cup third round

  • Non-league Tamworth host Tottenham Hotspur in plum tie

  • Struggling Manchester City take on Salford City, owned by Gary Neville et al.

  • Liverpool welcome Accrington Stanley to Anfield

  • Morecambe travel to Stamford Bridge for a meeting with Chelsea

FA Cup third round draw in full: Arsenal face Manchester United as non-league Tamworth host Tottenham

20:10 , Harry Latham-Coyle

The two most successful sides in FA Cup history will meet in the third round after Arsenal were drawn to host Manchester United.

The 14-time champions will welcome Ruben Amorim’s side, who have one fewer competition crown, to the Emirates Stadium in January in the pick of the all-Premier League ties.

Tamworth, one of only two non-league representatives remaining, have secured a glamour fixture with Tottenham Hotspur set to come to the Lamb Ground in Staffordshire. Fellow National League club Dagenham & Redbridge will make a short trip to Millwall.

Elsewhere, struggling Manchester City also face local opposition in the form of Salford City, owned by Gary Neville and the rest of Manchester United’s Class of ‘92.

FA Cup third round draw: Every tie as Arsenal face Man Utd and Tamworth host Spurs

FA Cup third round draw - Harrogate Town face short trip to Leeds

19:29 , Harry Latham-Coyle

“It’s an amazing draw for us,” Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver says to the BBC after being drawn against fellow Yorkshire side Leeds United.

“We won’t need an overnight stop, which will please the boys. It will be a special experience. Just getting on the coach, making that short journey to a magnificent stadium in Elland Road with all that rich history. It’ll be a very memorable day for the club.”

FA Cup third round draw

19:25 , Harry Latham-Coyle

And that’s your lot!

Plenty of tasty ties to tuck our teeth into - Arsenal vs Manchester United, Tamworth vs Tottenham and Manchester City vs Salford City among them.

FA Cup third round draw

19:24 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Nottingham Forest vs Luton Town

Sheffield United vs Cardiff City

Ipswich vs Bristol Rovers

Fulham vs Watford

Crystal Palace vs Stockport County

FA Cup third round draw

19:23 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Newcastle vs Bromley

Everton vs Peterborough United

Wycombe Wanderers vs Portsmouth

Birmingham City vs Lincoln City

Leeds United vs Harrogate Town

 (PA Wire)
(PA Wire)

FA Cup third round draw

19:21 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Hull vs Doncaster Rovers

Sunderland vs Stoke City

Leicester vs QPR

Brentford vs Plymouth Argyle

Coventry City vs Sheffield Wednesday

FA Cup third round draw

19:20 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Chelsea vs Morecambe

Middlesbrough vs Blackburn

Bournemouth vs West Brom

Mansfield vs Wigan

Tamworth vs Tottenham

A cracking tie for the non-league side

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

FA Cup third round draw

19:18 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Manchester City vs Salford City

Millwall vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Liverpool vs Accrington Stanley

Bristol City vs Wolves

Preston vs Charlton

 (PA Wire)
(PA Wire)

FA Cup third round draw

19:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Exeter vs Oxford United

Leyton Orient vs Derby County

Reading vs Burnley

Aston Villa vs West Ham

Norwich City vs Brighton

FA Cup third round draw

19:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Tasty! Arsenal vs Manchester United

 (Man Utd via Getty)
(Man Utd via Getty)

FA Cup third round draw

19:14 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Right, here we go. In the balls drop.

And the first tie out is..

Southampton vs Swansea City

FA Cup third round draw

19:13 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Mark Hughes and Dion Dublin have their hands at the ready, the former clad in a rather fetching shacket and roll neck combo. The Homes Under the Hammer host alongside him has gone for a suit and t-shirt.

“I just love the competition,” Hughes beams. “It always seemed to figure highly throughout my career. The third round is special - I’ve waited 40 years to get an opportunity to do this.”

FA Cup third round draw

19:11 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Right, it appears we may not be far away from the balls being swirled and plucked out one by one. 32 ties to be confirmed - it’s going to be fast, frenetic, fascinating procedural fun.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim on the magic of the FA Cup

19:05 , Harry Latham-Coyle

“You have to know a bit about the history of Manchester United,” Amorim explains to the BBC. “One FA Cup maybe saved one of the best coaches in history in Alex Ferguson. And then you remember the win over Newcastle in the treble [season]. We want to continue that history.”

 (PA Wire)
(PA Wire)

FA Cup third round draw

19:03 , Harry Latham-Coyle

And the coverage is underway at Old Trafford, Kelly Somers continuing on presenting duties having shepherded the draws rather nicely since the start of the tournament proper. A couple of former Manchester United marksmen will be on drawing duties later in Dion Dublin and Mark Hughes.

Guiseley chief James Pickles: FA Cup replays scrapped to benefit four clubs

18:50 , Harry Latham-Coyle

FA Cup replays have been scrapped for the benefit of four Premier League clubs, according to Guiseley general manager James Pickles.

The West Yorkshire outfit missed out on a second chance to face Stevenage in front of their own fans, having drawn 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes in their first round tie, and believe they could have earned up to an extra £50,000 had the replay been selected for live television coverage.

The Football Association announced in April that replays were being scrapped from this season’s first round onwards, which at the time generated concern among lower-league and non-league clubs over lost revenue.

The FA said replays were being dropped because of the expansion of UEFA’s club competitions and the pressure that placed on the domestic football calendar.

Guiseley chief James Pickles: FA Cup replays scrapped to benefit four clubs

Dagenham & Redbridge into third round for first time since 2015

18:40 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Also hoping for a plum tie are Dagenham & Redbridge, who rather enjoyed a Saturday afternoon trip across London to Plough Lane as they dumped out Wimbledon. Goals from Notts County loanee Junior Morias and substitute Josh Rees proved enough for the Daggers - who would surely love an encounter with West Ham...

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Tamworth stun Burton to earn third round berth

18:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle

There are just two non-league clubs left in the competition, with the removal of replays at the behest of the bigger clubs causing a fair bit of frustration for some of those who might have been eyeing another drawing from the hat. National League side Tamworth, though, dramatically came through their second-round tie with local rivals Burton Albion, prevailing on penalties with goalkeeper Jas Singh the hero with a couple of sharp shootout saves.

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

FA Cup remaining round dates

18:20 , Harry Latham-Coyle

In fact, while we are here, let’s mark your diaries for the remaining round dates for the entirety of the rest of the competition. Calendars at the ready...

Third Round Proper: Saturday 11 January 2025

Fourth Round Proper: Saturday 8 February 2025

Fifth Round Proper: Saturday 1 March 2025

Quarter Final: Saturday 29 March 2025

Semi Final - Saturday 26 April 2025

Final: Saturday 17 May 2025

 (PA Wire)
(PA Wire)

When will the third round ties be played?

18:10 , Harry Latham-Coyle

The third round ties will be played between Friday 10 January 2025 and Monday 13 January 2025, the traditional New Year slot for the FA Cup.

FA Cup third-round draw ball numbers

18:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Here are the ball numbers you need to know tonight:

1. AFC Bournemouth

2. Arsenal

3. Aston Villa

4. Blackburn Rovers

5. Brentford

6. Brighton & Hove Albion

7. Bristol City

8. Burnley

9. Cardiff City

10. Chelsea

11. Coventry City

12. Crystal Palace

13. Derby County

14. Everton

15. Fulham

16. Hull City

17. Ipswich Town

18. Leeds United

19. Leicester City

20. Liverpool

21. Luton Town

22. Manchester City

23. Manchester United

24. Middlesbrough

25. Millwall

26. Newcastle United

27. Norwich City

28. Nottingham Forest

29. Oxford United

30. Plymouth Argyle

31. Portsmouth

32. Preston North End

33. Queens Park Rangers

34. Sheffield United

35. Sheffield Wednesday

36. Southampton

37. Stoke City

38. Sunderland

39. Swansea City

40. Tottenham Hotspur

41. Watford

42. West Bromwich Albion

43. West Ham United

44. Wolverhampton Wanderers

45. Salford City

46. Charlton Athletic

47. Exeter City

48. Leyton Orient

49. Bristol Rovers

50. Dagenham & Redbridge

51. Accrington Stanley

52. Lincoln City

53. Tamworth

54. Birmingham City

55. Mansfield Town

56. Peterborough United

57. Stockport County

58. Wycombe Wanderers

59. Morecambe

60. Bromley

61. Doncaster Rovers

62. Reading

63. Harrogate Town

64. Wigan Athletic

Ruud van Nistelrooy ‘astonished’ by managerial offers after Manchester United stint

17:45 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Former winners Leicester will start life under a former Manchester United star this week, with Ruud van Nistelrooy admitting today that he had been inundated by offers after an impressive caretaker stint at Old Trafford. Can he oversee a deep cup run in a competition he won as a player in 2004?

Ruud van Nistelrooy ‘astonished’ by managerial offers after Manchester United stint

Manchester United’s new star provides key to Ruben Amorim’s pressing machine

17:35 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Cup holders Manchester United are also enjoying something of a purple patch, embracing a pressing style under new boss Ruben Amorim - with Amad Diallo perhaps surprisingly to the fore...

Man Utd’s new star provides key to Ruben Amorim’s pressing machine

Star of Chelsea’s show, Cole Palmer has become an entertainment product in his own right

17:25 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Meanwhile, things are looking better and better for Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea. Lawrence Ostlere was at Stamford Bridge to watch the Cole Palmer show:

Cole Palmer has become an entertainment product in his own right

Why transformed Ryan Gravenberch embodies Liverpool 2.0 under Arne Slot

17:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle

And Richard Jolly has picked out a reinvented Ryan Gravenberch for special praise after Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the table to nine points.

Why transformed Ryan Gravenberch embodies Liverpool 2.0 under Arne Slot

The secret to Arne Slot’s success separating Liverpool from their rivals

17:05 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Let’s start, though, with some reaction to yesterday’s action, and particularly events at Anfield as Liverpool took another significant step towards the title even at this early stage. Miguel Delaney explains why Arne Slot’s first few months in charge have been such a success:

The secret to Arne Slot’s success separating Liverpool from their rivals

FA Cup third round draw LIVE

14:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s LIVE coverage of the draw for the third round of the FA Cup. The competition is set to hot up with the arrival of the 44 clubs from the top two English tiers, with Premier League and Championship teams joining the 20 sides who progressed from the second round this weekend.

We’re expecting the draw to be made at some time around 7.15pm GMT - let’s get going.

 (Action Images via Reuters)
(Action Images via Reuters)