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
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Teams | 674 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Liverpool (7th title) |
| Runner-up | West Ham United |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Neil Danns Paul Hayes Steve Basham (5 goals each) |
The 2005–06 FA Cup was the 125th staging of the world's oldest football competition, the FA Cup.
The competition began on 20 August 2005, with the lowest-ranked of the 674 entrants competing in the Extra preliminary round. For the top 44 clubs, the FA Cup began in the third round in January.
For information on the matches played from the Extra preliminary round to the fourth round qualifying, see 2005–06 FA Cup qualifying rounds.
Ties are all single-legged and take place at the stadium of the club drawn first. If scores are level at the end of a match, it is replayed at the away club's stadium, usually 10 days later. If the scores are still level, extra-time and penalties (if necessary) are used to determine a winner. However, from the semi-finals onwards, the ties take place at a neutral stadium, and there are no replays. That is to say, extra-time and penalties are played if necessary to determine a winner in a single match.
At the special request of England national team manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, the quarter-finals (i.e., 6th round proper) were held on weeknights (they would normally take place at weekends). This action was made to ensure that the season finishes as early as possible, allowing players a full month's rest before the 2006 World Cup finals.
The semi-finals were staged at neutral venues and, like the final, would not be replayed in the event of a draw.
The Football Association had hoped to stage the final at the newly rebuilt Wembley Stadium, London on 13 May 2006, but due to the uncertainty of the new stadium being completed in time, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff hosted the final, which was contested between Liverpool and West Ham United.
Calendar
| Round | Date | Matches | Clubs | Byes | Prize money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra preliminary round | Saturday 20 August 2005 | 86 | 674 → 588 | none | £500 |
| Preliminary round | Saturday 27 August 2005 | 182 | 588 → 406 | 278: 225th-502nd | £1,000 |
| First round qualifying | Saturday 10 September 2005 | 124 | 406 → 282 | 66: 159th-224th | £2,250 |
| Second round qualifying | Saturday 24 September 2005 | 84 | 282 → 198 | 44: 115th-158th | £3,750 |
| Third round qualifying | Saturday 8 October 2005 | 42 | 198 → 156 | none | £5,000 |
| Fourth round qualifying | Saturday 22 October 2005 | 32 | 156 → 124 | 22: 93rd-114th | £10,000 |
| First round proper | Saturday 5 November 2005 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 48: 45th-92nd | £16,000 |
| Second round proper | Saturday 3 December 2005 | 20 | 84 → 64 | none | £24,000 |
| Third round proper | Saturday 7 January 2006 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44: 1st-44th | £40,000 |
| Fourth round proper | Saturday 28 January 2006 | 16 | 32 → 16 | none | £60,000 |
| Fifth round proper | Saturday 18 February 2006 | 8 | 16 → 8 | none | £120,000 |
| Sixth round proper | Wednesday 22 March 2006 | 4 | 8 → 4 | none | £300,000 |
| Semi-finals | Saturday 22 April 2006 | 2 | 4 → 2 | none | £900,000 |
| Final | Saturday 13 May 2006 | 1 | 2 → 1 | none | £1,000,000 |
Results
The results listed below start at the first round proper, where the 32 non-league clubs to have made it through the preliminary rounds meet the 24 clubs from League Two and the 24 clubs from League One.
First round proper
All ties took place on the weekend of Saturday 5 November 2005. Replays, played in the week of 14 November 2005, are shown in italics. Ties are shown in order of the draw.
Second round proper
The 40 clubs to have made it through the first round, play off to reduce the number of remaining clubs to 20.
All ties took place between Friday 2 and Sunday 4 December 2005. Replays took place on 13 December. Ties are shown in order of the draw.