Top FA Cup Betting Sites

FA Cup in a Nutshell

The biggest teams enter the FA Cup at the beginning of January, though the road to Wembley starts in August for the smallest teams when the qualifying rounds begin. As teams make it through the rounds and the bigger teams are in the hat, bookmakers go into a frenzy. With 32 ties to be played in the third round of the cup, the number of betting opportunities runs into the thousands.

The history of the FA Cup is rich and diverse, with 43 different teams winning the famous competition. The team with the most FA Cup wins is Arsenal with 14 titles, just ahead of Manchester United who have won the trophy 12 times. A team outside the traditional ‘Big Six’ hasn’t won the FA Cup since 2013, with Wigan’s famous victory over Manchester City the last such occasion. Here’s a comprehensive list of the most successful teams in FA Cup history.

Tournament Format 

Teams from every level of the footballing pyramid are pitted against one another, with Premier League and Championship sides regularly facing League One, League Two and even non-league opposition. One of the most famous mismatches in FA Cup history was in 2021 when Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League travelled to eighth-tier Marine FC. On the day, there were a total of 160 league spaces between the two sides. 

Teams from the lower reaches of the footballing pyramid compete in a series of qualifying rounds before the first round of the competition proper begins. Teams from Leagues One and Two enter the competition at the first round, while Premier League and Championship sides join the fray in the third. If a tie can’t be decided in normal time, it will be replayed at a later date. And if the replay doesn’t provide a winner, then the game will go to extra time and then penalties. In the case of the 2021 season, however, drawn games will automatically go to extra time and penalties, as was the case in Brighton & Hove Albion’s hard-fought victory against Newport County.

The teams that eventually wins the FA Cup will not only receive a financial reward, but will also be entered into the group stages of the Europa League.

Famous FA Cup Upsets

The FA Cup is most well known for the dramatic but regular giant killings. From Nottingham Forest knocking out 2017’s defending champions Arsenal in the third round, to Wimbledon’s famous Wembley win over Liverpool in the 1988 final, upsets can make for some truly exciting FA Cup odds, and there are plenty of other notable examples. 

In 2021, Southampton pulled off one of the results of the tournament by beating holders, Arsenal, 1-0 in the fourth round. The result marked the third time in four seasons that the Gunners have not made the fifth round.

In 2017, non-league Lincoln beat Premier League Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor. Their victory was also a historic one as they became the first non-league side to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals in over a century. In the next round, however, they were denied a chance to play in the semi-finals by Arsenal who beat them 5-0.

In 2010, long-time rivals Manchester United and Leeds United met for the first time in six years. But despite Leeds’ lowly League One status at the time, a Jermaine Beckford goal subjected Man Utd to a humiliating third-round defeat.

How to Get Started at an FA Cup Betting Site

The FA Cup is played right throughout the English football season. Getting started at a great sportsbook to make the most of the excellent football action, however, can seem a little tricky. We’ve laid out a few simple steps you can follow so that you can find the perfect site for you and lay your first FA Cup wagers. 

FA Cup Betting Markets

Betting options for the FA Cup come to life as soon as the top teams enter the fray, opening up a number of pre-match and in-play markets. This means that, if you don’t do your research, you could miss out on some betting gems. Pay attention to these markets when you’re filling out your FA Cup betting slip.

Match Result 

The match result is the simplest of all football betting markets. Here, you’re betting on who you think will win the match. These bets can be placed both in the pre-match and live markets. With upsets being a regular feature of the FA Cup, be prepared to see some great payouts on offer. The odds may be stacked against a Championship club such as Bristol City if they’re drawn against eight-time winners Chelsea, for example. But a combination of packed schedules, second-string squads and good old fashioned luck means that there can be some great value odds on offer

Half Time v Full Time

We’ve all seen a football match turn on its head in the second half, so betting on a result at this point can sometimes be quite rewarding. This market is often overlooked by casual football bettors but can lead to hefty payouts, especially when a lower league team is competing against a Premier League side. There are a number of factors, such as adrenaline and excitement that can help a smaller team get ahead in the first half, but their lower fitness levels might mean they can’t maintain this performance to the final whistle. For this reason, it’s always worth checking the odds for a half time bet.

Asian Handicap

Handicap betting is a type of spread betting which uses a handicapped score to make your bet a fair fight. This gives the weaker team a head start, meaning they’ll need to score fewer goals for your bet to win. Let’s look at an example: Chelmsford (+2) vs West Ham (-2). The +2 is Chelmsford’s head start so, if you’re betting on them, you’re effectively 2-0 up already. If you’re placing your money on a West Ham outright win, they’ll need to beat Chelmsford by at least two goals for your bet to pay out. Football betting in an Asian handicap market means you’ll get better odds on the stronger team, but they’ll need to overcome the handicap for you to win the money.

Both Teams to Score (BTTS)

Both teams to score is another great FA Cup betting market, especially when lower league teams are playing a home tie against stronger opposition. It’s also a great betting option if you’re struggling to separate two sides. If you’re predicting an evenly matched high-scoring game, then you can bet ‘yes’ on the BTTS market. And if you feel like one side are going to walk all over the other, then you can bet ‘no’.

Goalscorer 

The popular goalscorer is a great FA Cup betting market that punters can take advantage of. If you’ve got a solid idea about who you think will score during a match, then you can bet on them to find the back of the net in either the first or second half, or at any time during the match. Any time bets often have shorter odds, but will therefore provide smaller payouts. If you’re planning on wagering on a player to score in either half then we would recommend you do some thorough research before you lay that bet. 

Tournament Outright 

The outright market allows you to bet on who you think will finish as the FA Cup winners. The team with the most FA Cup wins is Arsenal, so it would be no surprise to see them in the latter stages of the tournament. Recent challengers such as Man City, however, should never be written off. Outright bets can be placed before the competition has started, but with shocking results almost guaranteed, you may want to hold off on this market until a few rounds have been played.

FA Cup Betting Tips

The great thing about this football competition is that it’s an open draw, which means it’s possible to get some of the country’s biggest teams competing against the smallest of minnows. But is it better to bet on the household names or the plucky underdogs?

Look at the Matchday Squad

Upsets are a common feature of the FA Cup and a good way to spot them early is by looking at the matchday squads. If a Premier League team are fighting for the title, the Champions League, or even just survival in the league, the FA Cup may not be a priority to them. As such, they may field a weaker side against lower-league opposition. When Europa League hopefuls Leicester City travelled to League Two Newport County in 2019, for example, they rested their regular starters and put out a side largely made up of benchwarmers. As such, Newport took their chance and pulled off a stunning 2-1 victory against odds of 9/1.

Check Out Team Schedules

A good way to see which side will be taking form into an FA Cup fixture is to look at their recent fixtures and upcoming schedule. Even if a side plays their football in the lower reaches of the National League, a few wins on the bounce can do wonders for their confidence. Similarly, team schedules will also show you which sides will come into a fixture low on energy. Premier League sides like Chelsea competing in Europe as well as in domestic competitions may well be worn out, leaving the door open for a potential upset. 

Keep an Eye on Debutants 

The FA Cup has recently become a proving ground for some of the most exciting young players in English football. Academy products given their first chance by the manager will be unknown quantities to the opposition and can change the course of the match. As such, a great FA Cup betting tip is to keep an eye on the players that will come into the match with something to prove.

Boost Your Bankroll with an FA Cup Bonus

Betting bonuses can really make a break an FA Cup betting site. A generous offering and player-friendly wagering requirements can really enhance your betting experience. There are a lot of FA Cup bonus types available to punters, so read on for the lowdown on the key options. 

Matched Deposit 

Matched deposits are one of the most recognisable bonuses available to FA Cup bettors. When you make your first deposit, the sportsbook will give you some extra betting funds. The amount you receive will depend on the size of your deposit. Some sites will match a deposit 50% up to £50, while others will give their customers 100% up to £100. Keep an eye out for wagering requirements when you sign up for a matched deposit. In most instances, the larger the bonus, the more you will have to wager before you can claim your funds. 

Free Bets 

A free bet is essentially a token from your bookmaker that you can use in place of real money funds to place bets. While larger tokens are awarded as part of welcome bonuses, many bookmakers frequently offer smaller free bet tokens to existing customers. Some bookies even reward frequent depositors as part of a ‘free bet club’. Wagering requirements and minimum odds stipulations will often be applied to free bets so make sure you’ve read the full T&Cs before you claim.

Accumulator Bonuses 

Punters can multiply all the odds in their selection and, therefore, boost their potential payout using an accumulator. And with an accumulator bonus, bettors can claim an extra reward if their selection wins. The Soccer Accumulator Bonus at Bet365 offers customers a cash bonus for a correct selection that increases in value the bigger your accumulator. Other bookies offer similar bonuses, but will instead give out free bets as reward for correct selections. It should also be said, however, that accumulators are much harder to win than single bets. The longer odds may increase the size of the potential payout, but they remain a tricky proposition.

Bet on the In-Play Market

The FA Cup is an unpredictable competition, with some of the biggest clubs in the world forced to fight hard against plucky minnows. Big swings in momentum can often happen and you can bet while they happen on the live market. Let’s say Tottenham suddenly go a goal down against Swansea City. The Lilywhites will have been the pre-match favourite, but now with a goal to claw back, the odds on them winning may now be better valued. Watching the game live can be a real benefit when wagering on this market. The best FA Cup betting sites will live stream FA Cup matches for customers who have recently placed a bet or who have a fully-funded account.

Try a New FA Cup Betting Site

New betting sites offer punters a lot, often just for signing up. Player-friendly bonuses are a common feature at the freshest sportsbooks, with punters able to claim bonus funds with minimal wagering requirements attached. New bookies will also offer customers some of the most immersive website designs around as well as some brilliant existing player promotions. 10bet, for example, gives players promotions and enhanced odds on upcoming football matches, including the FA Cup.

Betting on the Go

Betting on your mobile phone is the most convenient way to wager for most of us. The best betting sites will provide a native app, meaning that punters can enable push notifications so they never miss out on the latest promotions. If a sportsbook doesn’t have a native app then there will at least be a fully optimised mobile site you can use. Mobile betting means you can live stream the best FA Cup action right from the palm of your hand, as well as cash out bets and wager on the live market.

Payment Options

Being able to deposit and withdraw betting funds in the way that best suits your needs is of the utmost importance. Luckily, there are a variety of payment options available to fulfil all your requirements.

Ready to Start Betting on the FA Cup?

FA Cup betting is exciting and potentially lucrative if you do your homework and have a little luck on your side. Whether you’re looking to place an accumulator bet on the match favourites or taking a long shot on a smaller team to make it all the way to Wembley, there are plenty of betting opportunities. The Compare.bet team has reviewed the top betting sites to get you on the road to a first-class sportsbook experience. All you need to do is compare, pick your favourite and start betting.

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bbb.co.uk – Burnley 0-1 Lincoln City 

bbc.co.uk – Southampton 1-0 Arsenal

dailymail.co.uk – Manchester United’s top 10 cup upsets: Where do they rank? 

goal.com – Every FA Cup final winner & who has won the cup the most times in English history

goal.com – Newport Count v Leicester Latest Betting Tips and Latest Odds