Ball IQEvery FA Cup Winner by Season (1872–2026)
145 entries · verified 2026-07-20 · free · from the Ball IQ football team
The Football Association Challenge Cup is the oldest national football competition in the world. First contested in the 1871-72 season, when Wanderers beat Royal Engineers 1-0 at the Kennington Oval, it predates the Football League by 16 years and has crowned a champion nearly every season since — pausing only for the two World Wars.
Its history spans amateur gentlemen's sides like the Old Etonians and Oxford University, the rise of the northern professional clubs, and the modern dominance of the game's biggest names. The final moved to the original Wembley in 1923, decamped to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium while the new Wembley was built, and returned in 2007. For decades a drawn final meant a replay; the last one came in 1993, and finals level after extra time are now settled on penalties.
The table below lists every FA Cup final winner by season, alongside the runner-up and the score. Where a final needed a replay, went to extra time, or was decided from the penalty spot, that is noted in the Score column. No rows are shown for the seasons the competition was not held during World War I and World War II.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1871-72 | Wanderers | Royal Engineers | 1-0 |
| 1872-73 | Wanderers | Oxford University | 2-0 |
| 1873-74 | Oxford University | Royal Engineers | 2-0 |
| 1874-75 | Royal Engineers | Old Etonians | 2-0 (replay; 1-1 aet) |
| 1875-76 | Wanderers | Old Etonians | 3-0 (replay; 1-1) |
| 1876-77 | Wanderers | Oxford University | 2-1 (aet) |
| 1877-78 | Wanderers | Royal Engineers | 3-1 |
| 1878-79 | Old Etonians | Clapham Rovers | 1-0 |
| 1879-80 | Clapham Rovers | Oxford University | 1-0 |
| 1880-81 | Old Carthusians | Old Etonians | 3-0 |
| 1881-82 | Old Etonians | Blackburn Rovers | 1-0 |
| 1882-83 | Blackburn Olympic | Old Etonians | 2-1 (aet) |
| 1883-84 | Blackburn Rovers | Queen's Park | 2-1 |
| 1884-85 | Blackburn Rovers | Queen's Park | 2-0 |
| 1885-86 | Blackburn Rovers | West Bromwich Albion | 2-0 (replay; 0-0) |
| 1886-87 | Aston Villa | West Bromwich Albion | 2-0 |
| 1887-88 | West Bromwich Albion | Preston North End | 2-1 |
| 1888-89 | Preston North End | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3-0 |
| 1889-90 | Blackburn Rovers | Sheffield Wednesday | 6-1 |
| 1890-91 | Blackburn Rovers | Notts County | 3-1 |
| 1891-92 | West Bromwich Albion | Aston Villa | 3-0 |
| 1892-93 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Everton | 1-0 |
| 1893-94 | Notts County | Bolton Wanderers | 4-1 |
| 1894-95 | Aston Villa | West Bromwich Albion | 1-0 |
| 1895-96 | Sheffield Wednesday | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2-1 |
| 1896-97 | Aston Villa | Everton | 3-2 |
| 1897-98 | Nottingham Forest | Derby County | 3-1 |
| 1898-99 | Sheffield United | Derby County | 4-1 |
| 1899-1900 | Bury | Southampton | 4-0 |
| 1900-01 | Tottenham Hotspur | Sheffield United | 3-1 (replay; 2-2) |
| 1901-02 | Sheffield United | Southampton | 2-1 (replay; 1-1) |
| 1902-03 | Bury | Derby County | 6-0 |
| 1903-04 | Manchester City | Bolton Wanderers | 1-0 |
| 1904-05 | Aston Villa | Newcastle United | 2-0 |
| 1905-06 | Everton | Newcastle United | 1-0 |
| 1906-07 | Sheffield Wednesday | Everton | 2-1 |
| 1907-08 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Newcastle United | 3-1 |
| 1908-09 | Manchester United | Bristol City | 1-0 |
| 1909-10 | Newcastle United | Barnsley | 2-0 (replay; 1-1) |
| 1910-11 | Bradford City | Newcastle United | 1-0 (replay; 0-0) |
| 1911-12 | Barnsley | West Bromwich Albion | 1-0 (replay aet; 0-0) |
| 1912-13 | Aston Villa | Sunderland | 1-0 |
| 1913-14 | Burnley | Liverpool | 1-0 |
| 1914-15 | Sheffield United | Chelsea | 3-0 |
| 1919-20 | Aston Villa | Huddersfield Town | 1-0 (aet) |
| 1920-21 | Tottenham Hotspur | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1-0 |
| 1921-22 | Huddersfield Town | Preston North End | 1-0 |
| 1922-23 | Bolton Wanderers | West Ham United | 2-0 |
| 1923-24 | Newcastle United | Aston Villa | 2-0 |
| 1924-25 | Sheffield United | Cardiff City | 1-0 |
| 1925-26 | Bolton Wanderers | Manchester City | 1-0 |
| 1926-27 | Cardiff City | Arsenal | 1-0 |
| 1927-28 | Blackburn Rovers | Huddersfield Town | 3-1 |
| 1928-29 | Bolton Wanderers | Portsmouth | 2-0 |
| 1929-30 | Arsenal | Huddersfield Town | 2-0 |
| 1930-31 | West Bromwich Albion | Birmingham | 2-1 |
| 1931-32 | Newcastle United | Arsenal | 2-1 |
| 1932-33 | Everton | Manchester City | 3-0 |
| 1933-34 | Manchester City | Portsmouth | 2-1 |
| 1934-35 | Sheffield Wednesday | West Bromwich Albion | 4-2 |
| 1935-36 | Arsenal | Sheffield United | 1-0 |
| 1936-37 | Sunderland | Preston North End | 3-1 |
| 1937-38 | Preston North End | Huddersfield Town | 1-0 (aet) |
| 1938-39 | Portsmouth | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 4-1 |
| 1945-46 | Derby County | Charlton Athletic | 4-1 (aet) |
| 1946-47 | Charlton Athletic | Burnley | 1-0 (aet) |
| 1947-48 | Manchester United | Blackpool | 4-2 |
| 1948-49 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Leicester City | 3-1 |
| 1949-50 | Arsenal | Liverpool | 2-0 |
| 1950-51 | Newcastle United | Blackpool | 2-0 |
| 1951-52 | Newcastle United | Arsenal | 1-0 |
| 1952-53 | Blackpool | Bolton Wanderers | 4-3 |
| 1953-54 | West Bromwich Albion | Preston North End | 3-2 |
| 1954-55 | Newcastle United | Manchester City | 3-1 |
| 1955-56 | Manchester City | Birmingham City | 3-1 |
| 1956-57 | Aston Villa | Manchester United | 2-1 |
| 1957-58 | Bolton Wanderers | Manchester United | 2-0 |
| 1958-59 | Nottingham Forest | Luton Town | 2-1 |
| 1959-60 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Blackburn Rovers | 3-0 |
| 1960-61 | Tottenham Hotspur | Leicester City | 2-0 |
| 1961-62 | Tottenham Hotspur | Burnley | 3-1 |
| 1962-63 | Manchester United | Leicester City | 3-1 |
| 1963-64 | West Ham United | Preston North End | 3-2 |
| 1964-65 | Liverpool | Leeds United | 2-1 (aet) |
| 1965-66 | Everton | Sheffield Wednesday | 3-2 |
| 1966-67 | Tottenham Hotspur | Chelsea | 2-1 |
| 1967-68 | West Bromwich Albion | Everton | 1-0 (aet) |
| 1968-69 | Manchester City | Leicester City | 1-0 |
| 1969-70 | Chelsea | Leeds United | 2-1 (replay aet; 2-2) |
| 1970-71 | Arsenal | Liverpool | 2-1 (aet) |
| 1971-72 | Leeds United | Arsenal | 1-0 |
| 1972-73 | Sunderland | Leeds United | 1-0 |
| 1973-74 | Liverpool | Newcastle United | 3-0 |
| 1974-75 | West Ham United | Fulham | 2-0 |
| 1975-76 | Southampton | Manchester United | 1-0 |
| 1976-77 | Manchester United | Liverpool | 2-1 |
| 1977-78 | Ipswich Town | Arsenal | 1-0 |
| 1978-79 | Arsenal | Manchester United | 3-2 |
| 1979-80 | West Ham United | Arsenal | 1-0 |
| 1980-81 | Tottenham Hotspur | Manchester City | 3-2 (replay aet; 1-1) |
| 1981-82 | Tottenham Hotspur | Queens Park Rangers | 1-0 (replay; 1-1 aet) |
| 1982-83 | Manchester United | Brighton & Hove Albion | 4-0 (replay; 2-2 aet) |
| 1983-84 | Everton | Watford | 2-0 |
| 1984-85 | Manchester United | Everton | 1-0 (aet) |
| 1985-86 | Liverpool | Everton | 3-1 |
| 1986-87 | Coventry City | Tottenham Hotspur | 3-2 (aet) |
| 1987-88 | Wimbledon | Liverpool | 1-0 |
| 1988-89 | Liverpool | Everton | 3-2 (aet) |
| 1989-90 | Manchester United | Crystal Palace | 1-0 (replay; 3-3 aet) |
| 1990-91 | Tottenham Hotspur | Nottingham Forest | 2-1 (aet) |
| 1991-92 | Liverpool | Sunderland | 2-0 |
| 1992-93 | Arsenal | Sheffield Wednesday | 2-1 (replay aet; 1-1 aet) |
| 1993-94 | Manchester United | Chelsea | 4-0 |
| 1994-95 | Everton | Manchester United | 1-0 |
| 1995-96 | Manchester United | Liverpool | 1-0 |
| 1996-97 | Chelsea | Middlesbrough | 2-0 |
| 1997-98 | Arsenal | Newcastle United | 2-0 |
| 1998-99 | Manchester United | Newcastle United | 2-0 |
| 1999-2000 | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 1-0 |
| 2000-01 | Liverpool | Arsenal | 2-1 |
| 2001-02 | Arsenal | Chelsea | 2-0 |
| 2002-03 | Arsenal | Southampton | 1-0 |
| 2003-04 | Manchester United | Millwall | 3-0 |
| 2004-05 | Arsenal | Manchester United | 0-0 (Arsenal won 5-4 pens) |
| 2005-06 | Liverpool | West Ham United | 3-3 (Liverpool won 3-1 pens, aet) |
| 2006-07 | Chelsea | Manchester United | 1-0 (aet) |
| 2007-08 | Portsmouth | Cardiff City | 1-0 |
| 2008-09 | Chelsea | Everton | 2-1 |
| 2009-10 | Chelsea | Portsmouth | 1-0 |
| 2010-11 | Manchester City | Stoke City | 1-0 |
| 2011-12 | Chelsea | Liverpool | 2-1 |
| 2012-13 | Wigan Athletic | Manchester City | 1-0 |
| 2013-14 | Arsenal | Hull City | 3-2 (aet) |
| 2014-15 | Arsenal | Aston Villa | 4-0 |
| 2015-16 | Manchester United | Crystal Palace | 2-1 (aet) |
| 2016-17 | Arsenal | Chelsea | 2-1 |
| 2017-18 | Chelsea | Manchester United | 1-0 |
| 2018-19 | Manchester City | Watford | 6-0 |
| 2019-20 | Arsenal | Chelsea | 2-1 |
| 2020-21 | Leicester City | Chelsea | 1-0 |
| 2021-22 | Liverpool | Chelsea | 0-0 (Liverpool won 6-5 pens, aet) |
| 2022-23 | Manchester City | Manchester United | 2-1 |
| 2023-24 | Manchester United | Manchester City | 2-1 |
| 2024-25 | Crystal Palace | Manchester City | 1-0 |
| 2025-26 | Manchester City | Chelsea | 1-0 |
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Every FA Cup Winner by Season (1872–2026) — FAQ
Which club has won the most FA Cups?
Arsenal has won the FA Cup a record 14 times, most recently in 2020. Manchester United are second with 13 titles, followed by Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Manchester City reached eight wins with their 2025-26 victory over Chelsea.
What is the oldest football competition in the world?
The FA Cup is the oldest national football competition. It was first contested in the 1871-72 season, when Wanderers beat Royal Engineers 1-0 in the final at the Kennington Oval in London.
Has a club from outside England ever won the FA Cup?
Yes. Cardiff City, based in Wales, won the FA Cup in 1927, beating Arsenal 1-0. They remain the only club from outside England to lift the trophy. Cardiff also reached the finals of 1925 and 2008 as runners-up.
When was the last FA Cup final replay?
The last final decided by a replay was in 1993, when Arsenal beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 after extra time in the replay. Finals level after extra time have since been settled by a penalty shoot-out, as in 2005, 2006 and 2022.