A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
 Chelsea parading their sixth FA Cup title | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Teams | 762 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Chelsea F.C. (6th title) |
| Runner-up | Portsmouth |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | John Carew (6 goals) |
The 2009–10 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON for sponsorship reasons) was the 129th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; the FA Cup. As in the previous year, 762 clubs were accepted for the competition.[1] One club, Newcastle Blue Star, folded before the fixtures were released. As they were scheduled to enter the competition in the first round qualifying, their opponents in this round received a walkover.
The competition commenced on 15 August 2009 with the Extra preliminary round and concluded on 15 May 2010 with the Final, held at Wembley Stadium. The final was contested by 2009 winners Chelsea and 2008 winners Portsmouth. Originally, the winners were to qualify for the play-off round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. However, as Chelsea won the 2009–10 Premier League (and did not need the FA Cup winners' berth), and Portsmouth failed to apply for a UEFA licence for the 2010–11 season in time (making them ineligible to compete in UEFA competitions), the berth was given to Liverpool, the seventh-placed team in the Premier League. Chelsea won 1–0 in the final to retain the trophy.
Teams
Calendar
The calendar for the 2009–10 FA Cup, as announced by The Football Association:[2]
| Round | Main date | Number of fixtures | Clubs | New entries this round | Prize money[3] | Player of the Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra preliminary round | 15 August 2009 | 203 | 762 → 559 | 406: 357th–762nd | £750 | |
| Preliminary round | 29 August 2009 | 167 | 559 → 392 | 131: 226th–356th | £1,500 | |
| First round qualifying | 12 September 2009 | 116 | 392 → 276 | 65: 161st–225th | £3,000 | Bobby Traynor (Kingstonian)[4] |
| Second round qualifying | 26 September 2009 | 80 | 276 → 196 | 44: 117th–160th | £4,500 | Mark Danks (Northwich Victoria)[5] |
| Third round qualifying | 10 October 2009 | 40 | 196 → 156 | none | £7,500 | Adam Webster (Hinckley United)[6] |
| Fourth round qualifying | 24 October 2009 | 32 | 156 → 124 | 24: 93rd–116th | £12,500 | Danny Kedwell (AFC Wimbledon)[7] |
| First round proper | 7 November 2009 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 48: 45th–92nd | £18,000 | Richard Brodie (York City)[8] |
| Second round proper | 28 November 2009 | 20 | 84 → 64 | none | £27,000 | |
| Third round proper | 2 January 2010 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44: 1st–44th | £67,500 | Jermaine Beckford (Leeds United)[10] |
| Fourth round proper | 23 January 2010 | 16 | 32 → 16 | none | £90,000 | Jermaine Beckford (Leeds United)[11] |
| Fifth round proper | 13 February 2010 | 8 | 16 → 8 | none | £180,000 | Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur)[12] |
| Sixth round proper | 6 March 2010 | 4 | 8 → 4 | none | £360,000 | Frédéric Piquionne (Portsmouth)[13] |
| Semi-finals | 10–11 April 2010 | 2 | 4 → 2 | none | Winners: £900,000 Losers: £450,000 |
Didier Drogba (Chelsea)[14] |
| Final | 15 May 2010 | 1 | 2 → 1 | none | Winner: £1,800,000 Loser: £900,000 |
Qualifying rounds
All of the teams that entered the competition, but were not members of the Premier League or The Football League, had to compete in the qualifying rounds.
First round proper
Teams from Leagues One and Two entered at this stage, along with the winners from the Fourth round qualifying. The draw was made on 25 October 2009 with ties played in the week beginning 6 November 2009.
Lowestoft Town and Paulton Rovers of the eighth tier were the lowest ranked teams left in the competition at this stage, but both failed to make it through to the second round.