| FA Youth Cup | |
| Year: | 2024–25 |
| Num Teams: | 633 |
| Prev Season: | 2023–24 |
| Next Season: | 2025–26 |
The 2024–25 FA Youth Cup was the 73rd edition of the competition.
The competition consisted of several rounds and was preceded by a qualifying competition, starting with two preliminary rounds which was followed by three qualifying rounds for non-League teams. The Football League teams entered the draw thereafter, with League One and League Two teams entered in the first round proper, and Premier League and Championship teams entered in the third round proper.
A record 633 clubs were accepted into the competition. Although 3 teams Hutton, Newent Town, and Thame United withdrew before the draw began, 630 competed in the competition. The current defending Champions are Manchester City who defeated Leeds United 4–0 at the City of Manchester Stadium in front of 20,000 fans.
| Round | Matches played from | Matches | Clubs | New entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra preliminary round | 12 August 2024 | 93 | 630 → 537 | 186 |
| Preliminary round | 2 September 2024 | 191 | 537 → 346 | 289 |
| First round qualifying | 16 September 2024 | 117 | 346 → 229 | 43 |
| Second round qualifying | 30 September 2024 | 70 | 229 → 159 | 23 |
| Third round qualifying | 14 October 2024 | 35 | 159 → 124 | |
| First round | 2 November 2024 | 40 | 124 → 84 | 45 |
| Second round | 23 November 2024 | 20 | 84 → 64 | |
| Third round | 14 December 2024 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 44 |
| Fourth round | 18 January 2025 | 16 | 32 → 16 | |
| Fifth round | 8 February 2025 | 8 | 16 → 8 | |
| Quarter-finals | 8 March 2025 | 4 | 8 → 4 | |
| Semi-finals | 5 April 2025 | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | 3 May 2025 | 1 | 2 → 1 | |
186 teams from tiers 7-10 competed in the Extra preliminary Round. 9 walkovers occurred in this round as Ardley United, Arundel, Godalming Town, Rochester United, St Blazey, Selsey, Soham Town Rangers, Sutton Athletic and West Didsbury & Chorlton all withdrew from the competition at this stage. The result is 9 total walkovers so far. The Draw was released on 5 July 2024.[1] [2]
382 teams competed in the Preliminary round with the 93 winners from the previous round along with 289 new teams. 17 walkovers occurred in this round as Baldock Town, Barnstaple Town, Bideford, Carlisle City, Crowborough Athletic, Evesham United, Flackwell Heath, Great Wakering Rovers, Hamworthy United, Holmesdale, Lancing, Mousehole, Romford, Shepton Mallet, Silsden, Stapenhill, and Wick all withdrew from the competition at this stage. As a result, we have 26 walkovers so far. The Draw was released on 5 July 2024.[1]
43 clubs from the sixth tier National League North and National League South competed with the 191 winners from the preliminary round. Even though the 6th tier has 48 teams, Chesham United, Farnborough, Peterborough Sports, Scunthorpe United, and Welling United did not apply to compete in the FA Youth Cup this year. Bracknell Town were originally supposed to play in this round, but were disqualified after they fielded an ineligible player so their opponent Ascot United moved on in their place. No walkovers occcured during the round. This results in the same number of walkovers for the tournament 26. The Draw was made on 6 September 2024.[3]
23 clubs from the fifth tier National League competed with the 117 winners from the previous round. 12 teams from tier ten are left with 11 confirmed to be moving on to this round. Although the fifth tier has 24 clubs, Braintree Town did not apply to compete in the FA Youth Cup. No walkovers occcured during the round. This results in the same number of walkovers for the tournament 26. The draw was done on 20 September 2024.[4]
The 70 winners from the Second Round Qualifying compete in this round with the 35 winners progressing to the First Round Proper. Four teams Coalville Town, Hackney Wick, Rising Ballers Kensington, and Wellingborough Whitworth from tier 10 are the lowest ranked teams left in the competition. Seven teams Barking, Guiseley AFC, Gosport Borough, Hackney Wick, Harpenden Town, Kingstonian, and Newcastle Town made it from the Extra Preliminary Round to this round so far. The draw was done on 4 October 2024.[5]
| Tie | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 17 October 2024 | ||||
| 6 | Spennymoor Town (6) | 0–2 | AFC Fylde (5) | 203 |
| 25 | Burgess Hill Town (8) | 2–1 | Erith Town (8) | 181 |
| 32 | Hartpury University (9) | 9–2 | Gosport Borough (7) | 163 |
| 10 | Newcastle Town (8) | 5–0 | Gresley Rovers (9) | 116 |
| 13 | Aylestone Park (9) | 0–3 | Tamworth (5) | |
| 16 | Barking (9) | 5–2 | Histon (9) | 451 |
| 27 | Tring Athletic (9) | 1–1 | Aldershot Town (5) | |
| 34 | Badshot Lea (8) | 4–0 | Cirencester Town (9) | |
| 12 | Wellingborough Whitworth (10) | 1–0 | Handsworth (9) | 80 |
| Friday 18 October 2024 | ||||
| 2 | Macclesfield (7) | 0–3 | Guiseley AFC (7) | 323 |
| 23 | Ramsgate (8) | 0–4 | Woking (5) | 421 |
| 15 | Bury Town (8) | 2–3 | St Albans City (6) | 197 |
| Sunday 20 October 2024 | ||||
| 22 | Rising Ballers Kensington (10) | 6–1 | Jersey Bulls (9) | |
| Match played at AFC Whyteleafe. | ||||
| 19 | Sheringham (9) | 2–0 | Harpenden Town (9) | |
| Match played at The Nest. | ||||
| Wednesday 23 October 2024 | ||||
| 18 | Heybridge Swifts (8) | 3–3 | Hackney Wick (10) | |
| 28 | Eastbourne United (9) | 0–3 | Maidenhead United (5) | |
| Match played at Maidenhead United. | ||||
| Thursday 24 October 2024 | ||||
| 29 | Brislington (9) | 1–2 | Camberley Town (9) | |
45 teams from League One and League Two joined the 35 winners from the previous round. Barrow, Crawley Town, and Wycombe Wanderers will not participate in this round as they did not apply to enter the competition. Coalville Town, Hackney Wick, Rising Ballers Kensington and Wellingborough Whitworth from the tenth tier are the lowest ranked teams left in the competition. Five teams, Barking, Guiseley, Hackney Wick, Merstham FC and Newcastle Town made it all the way from the Extra Preliminary Round to the First Round Proper playing 5 games to make it here. The Draw was made on 18 October 2024.[6]
The winners from the first round would compete in this round. Rising Ballers Kensington from the tenth tier is the lowest tier team left in the tournament. Merstham FC are the only team remaining who played in the Extra-Preliminary round, winning 6 matches to get to this stage. The draw was made on November 1, 2024. [7]
44 teams from the EFL Championship and the Premier League join in this stage of the competition. Burgess Hill Town, Hertford Town, and Merstham from the 8th Tier are the lowest ranked teams remaining in the competition. Merstham are the only team remaining who played in the Extra-Preliminary round, winning 7 matches to get to this stage. The draw was made on 15 November 2024.[8]