The FA Cup first round proper is this weekend, and this year’s draw is full of clubs from far below the Football League. League One and League Two sides enter the competition at this stage, and several non-league clubs have earned a tie against them. Here is who is in, who is making history, and what a win is worth.
The Key Facts
- Draw: made live on TNT Sports on Monday 19 October 2026
- Round date: the first round proper is scheduled for Saturday 7 November 2026, and one report puts the 40 ties across the weekend of 7 and 8 November
- Kick-off times and TV picks: the FA said these remained subject to confirmation when the draw was made, so check TheFA.com
- Prize money: £47,750 for each winning club and £15,800 for each losing club, according to the FA’s official prize fund
Clubs Reaching the First Round for the First Time
The Independent names three clubs as first-timers at this stage:
- AFC Rushden & Diamonds, an eighth-tier club, beat Morecambe 2-1 in the fourth qualifying round. They face League One side Burton Albion.
- Plymouth Parkway, from the Southern League Premier Division South, were drawn against Berkhamsted, a team from the same league.
- Sholing, also from the Southern League, face fellow non-league side Salisbury.
A LiveScore preview by Hayters counts five first-timers, adding Berkhamsted, who beat National League side Southend 2-1, and Salisbury FC, who were formed in 2015 after the old Salisbury City was liquidated. The two outlets disagree on the number, so we have listed the clubs each one names rather than a single total.
Sholing’s place came at the expense of one of the best-known stories in grassroots football. They beat SE Dons, the former Sunday league side with a huge YouTube following, 2-0 in the fourth qualifying round. We tell that story in our SE Dons FA Cup run piece.
The Full Draw
Home club first. Some ties were still waiting on qualifying-round replays when the draw was made, and the opponents shown below for those ties come from a later update dated 21 October. Check TheFA.com before you plan a trip.
- Dover Athletic v Wealdstone
- Mansfield Town v Macclesfield
- Huddersfield Town v Exeter City
- Luton Town v Forest Green Rovers
- Bristol Rovers v Cambridge United
- Oldham Athletic v Sheffield Wednesday
- Kidderminster Harriers v Doncaster Rovers
- Leyton Orient v Harborough Town
- Accrington Stanley v Wycombe Wanderers
- MK Dons v Swindon Town
- Newport County v Walsall
- Bromley v Rotherham United
- Barnet v Tranmere Rovers
- Fleetwood Town v Rochdale
- Barnsley v Aldershot Town
- Plymouth Parkway v Berkhamsted
- Chesterfield v Yeovil Town
- Gillingham v Barrow
- Harrogate Town v AFC Fylde
- Crewe Alexandra v AFC Wimbledon
- Oxford United v Stevenage
- Burton Albion v AFC Rushden & Diamonds
- Cray Wanderers v Stockport County
- Port Vale v Scunthorpe United
- Cheltenham Town v FC Halifax Town
- Colchester United v Worcester City
- Eastleigh v Shrewsbury Town
- Peterborough United v Reading
- Wimborne Town v Crawley Town
- Plymouth Argyle v Alvechurch
- Hornchurch v Blackpool
- Guiseley v Sutton United
- Stafford Rangers v Grimsby Town
- Oxford City v Leicester City
- Bradford City v Marine
- York City v Northampton Town
- Altrincham v Notts County
- Boreham Wood v Wigan Athletic
- Carlisle United v Salford City
- Salisbury v Sholing
Ties to Watch
Oxford City v Leicester City. A non-league side hosting Leicester, who LiveScore describes as a League One club.
Bradford City v Marine and Boreham Wood v Wigan Athletic. Both feature non-league clubs against Football League opposition. Bradford City top League One, according to the Independent.
Burton Albion v AFC Rushden & Diamonds. A fan-owned phoenix club from the eighth tier, formed in 2011 after Rushden & Diamonds folded, visiting a League One side.
Plymouth Parkway v Berkhamsted and Salisbury v Sholing. Two all-non-league ties guaranteeing a non-league club a place in the second round.
The Road Here
Many of these clubs have already won several rounds. The FA’s report on the third qualifying round records Sholing’s 2-1 win over Ebbsfleet United, Rushden & Diamonds’ 2-1 win over Braintree Town and Plymouth Parkway’s 2-1 win over Horsham. In the same round, ninth-tier Tadley Calleva beat Dartford 2-1 and seventh-tier Brentwood Town beat Dagenham & Redbridge 3-1. For a closer look at how the competition works for lower-league clubs, see our grassroots and non-league calendar for October to December.
What Comes Next
The second round proper is scheduled for Saturday 5 December 2026, with a prize of £79,500 for winners and £21,200 for losers. One report presumes the second round draw will be made on the evening of Monday 9 November. Check TheFA.com for confirmation.