The magic of the FA Cup was on full display this weekend as the third round delivered high octane drama historic upsets and dominant displays from English footballs heavyweights As of Sunday morning 22 teams have officially secured their places in the fourth round of the 2025 26 competition leaving just a handful of spots to be decided by Sundays remaining fixtures and upcoming replays .
From Manchester Citys record breaking goal fest to a non league miracle at Macclesfield the Road to Wembley is heating up .
The Headlines Big Wins and Historic Upsets
The story of the round undoubtedly belongs to Macclesfield The sixth tier side managed by John Rooney pulled off one of the greatest shocks in the competitions history by knocking out the defending champions Crystal Palace with a 2 1 victory It was a result that reminded the world why the FA Cup remains the most prestigious domestic cup in football .
Meanwhile Manchester City showed no mercy to Exeter City recording a staggering 10 1 victory The match saw new signing Antoine Semenyo find the net on his debut while Rico Lewis bagged a brace in what was Citys highest scoring game since 1987 Chelsea also enjoyed a comfortable afternoon under new coach Liam Rosenior brushing aside Charlton Athletic 5 1 .
Full List of Qualified Teams So Far
The 22 teams that have confirmed their progression are spread across the English football pyramid highlighting the diverse nature of the tournament .
| Tier | Number of Teams | Qualified Clubs |
| Premier League | 9 | Aston Villa Brentford Burnley Fulham Man City Newcastle Sunderland Wolves Chelsea |
| Championship | 8 | Birmingham City Bristol City Ipswich Town Leicester City Oxford United Southampton Stoke City Wrexham |
| League One | 3 | Burton Albion Port Vale Wigan Athletic |
| League Two | 1 | Grimsby Town |
| National League North | 1 | Macclesfield |
Key Third Round Results
- Wrexham 3 3 Nottingham Forest Wrexham win 4 3 on pens The Hollywood backed club continues its love affair with the cup after a tense shootout victory .
- Everton 1 1 Sunderland Sunderland win on pens The Black Cats stunned the Toffees at Goodison Park to progress .
- Newcastle 3 3 Bournemouth Newcastle win 7 6 on pens A six goal thriller that required a marathon shootout to separate the Premier League rivals .
- Tottenham 1 2 Aston Villa Villa piled the pressure on Spurs with a disciplined away performance .
What Happens Next
While 22 teams are through several ties remain unresolved High profile matches like Portsmouth vs Arsenal and Manchester United vs Brighton are set to conclude the third round schedule .
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The Fourth Round Draw
The draw for the fourth round proper is scheduled for Monday January 12 2026 It will take place at Anfield hosted by Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist with football legends Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole drawing the balls The draw will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and the TNT Sports YouTube channel starting at approximately 6 35 PM GMT .
Fourth Round Schedule
The qualifying teams wont have to wait long for their next challenge The fourth round matches are slated to take place over the weekend of Saturday February 14 and Sunday February 15 2026 Winning clubs in the fourth round will receive 121500 in prize money providing a significant financial boost especially for lower league survivors like Macclesfield and Grimsby Town .
Disclaimer
The news information presented here is based on available reports and reliable sources Readers should cross check updates from official news outlets .