| Irish Cup | |
| Year: | 2018–19 |
| Num Teams: | 126 |
| Defending Champions: | Coleraine |
| Champions: | Crusaders (4th win) |
| Runner-Up: | Ballinamallard United |
| Matches: | 123 |
| Goals: | 530 |
| Prevseason: | 2017–18 |
| Nextseason: | 2019–20 |
The 2018–19 Irish Cup (known as the Tennent's Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) was the 139th edition of the Irish Cup, the premier knockout cup competition in Northern Irish football. The competition began on 11 August 2018 and concluded with the final at Windsor Park on 4 May 2019.
Coleraine were the defending champions, having defeated Cliftonville in the 2018 final. Crusaders were the eventual winners, defeating second-tier side Ballinamallard United 3–0 in the final to lift the Cup for the fourth time overall, and the first time in the 10 years since winning the 2009 final.[1]
All ties level after 90 minutes used extra time to determine the winner, with a penalty shoot-out to follow if necessary.
126 clubs entered this season's competition – a reduction of four clubs compared with the 2017–18 total of 130 clubs. 90 regional league clubs from tiers 4–7 in the Northern Ireland football league system entered the competition in the first round, with 76 of them drawn into 38 first round fixtures and the remaining 14 clubs receiving a bye into the second round. The 38 first-round winners were joined by the 14 byes and the 12 clubs of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League in the second round. After two further rounds, the eight surviving clubs joined the 24 senior NIFL Premiership and NIFL Championship clubs in the fifth round. All ties level after 90 minutes used extra time to determine the winner, with a penalty shoot-out to follow if necessary.
| Round | First match date | Fixtures | Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 11 August 2018 | 38 | 126 → 88 | |
| Second round | 28 September 2018 | 32 | 88 → 56 | |
| Third round | 3 November 2018 | 16 | 56 → 40 | |
| Fourth round | 1 December 2018 | 8 | 40 → 32 | |
| Fifth round | 5 January 2019 | 16 | 32 → 16 | |
| Sixth round | 2 February 2019 | 8 | 16 → 8 | |
| Quarter-finals | 1 March 2019 | 4 | 8 → 4 | |
| Semi-finals | 30 March 2019 | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | 4 May 2019 | 1 | 2 → 1 |
| Tiers | Leagues | No. of Entries | Entry round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NIFL Premiership | 24 | Fifth round |
| 2 | NIFL Championship | ||
| 3 | NIFL Premier Intermediate League | 12 | Second round |
| 4 | Ballymena & Provincial Football League Premier Division Mid-Ulster Football League Intermediate A Northern Amateur Football League Premier Division Northern Ireland Intermediate League | 90 | First round, or Second round if byed |
| 5 | Mid-Ulster Football League Intermediate B Northern Amateur Football League Division 1A | ||
| 6 | Northern Amateur Football League Division 1B | ||
| 7 | Northern Amateur Football League Division 1C |
Ties played on 11 and 18 August 2018.[2]
The twelve members of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League joined the competition at this stage as well as the first-round winners and byes.
Ties played on Saturday 29 September 2018.
Ties were played Saturday 3 November 2018.
Ties were played on Saturday 1 December 2018.
Ties were played on Saturday 5 January 2019.
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Four ties were played on 2 February 2019, with four ties postponed to 11 February.
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Ties were played on 1 and 2 March 2019.
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Ties were played on 30 March 2019.
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The final was played on 4 May 2019.