Editing FA Cup (section)

==Cup runs and giant killings==
The possibility of unlikely victories in the earlier rounds of the competition, where lower ranked teams beat higher placed opposition in what is known as a "giant killing", is much anticipated by the public. Such upsets are considered an integral part of the tradition and prestige of the competition, and the attention gained by giant-killing teams can be as great as that for winners of the cup.<ref>{{cite web|title=The harder they fall|work=ESPN.co.uk |url=http://en.espn.co.uk/facupstories/sport/story/124299.html|publisher=ESPN |access-date=10 February 2016|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030155649/http://en.espn.co.uk/facupstories/sport/story/124299.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Almost every club in the [[English football league system|League Pyramid]] has a fondly remembered giant-killing act in its history.<ref name="times analysis" /> It is considered particularly newsworthy when a top [[Premier League]] team suffers an upset defeat, or where the giant-killer is a non-league club, i.e. from outside [[The Football League]].

One analysis of four years of FA Cup results showed that it was 99.85 per cent likely that at least one team would beat one from its next higher division in a given year. The probability drops to 48.8 per cent for a two-division gap, and 39.28 per cent for a three-division gap.<ref name="times analysis">{{cite news|title=Giant-killing not a tall order in FA Cup|url=https://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7973-1430225,00.html|work=[[The Times]]|date=8 January 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060105024420/https://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0%2C%2C7973-1430225%2C00.html|archive-date=5 January 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Early years===
[[The Football League]] was founded in 1888, 16 years after the first FA Cup competition. Before its establishment as the dominant football competition in England, teams from rival leagues did make the final of the FA Cup. The Wednesday (later Sheffield Wednesday) in 1890 reached the final as a member of the [[Football Alliance]], two years before that competition merged with the Football League.<ref>{{cite web |last1=W |first1=Paul |title=The Football Alliance: Teams Who Didn't Make the League |date=4 April 2020 |url=https://the1888letter.com/the-football-alliance-teams-who-didnt-make-the-league/ |publisher=The 1888 Letter |access-date=14 March 2022 |archive-date=30 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130144219/https://the1888letter.com/the-football-alliance-teams-who-didnt-make-the-league/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Later, with the Football League predominantly in [[Northern England|the North]] and [[Midlands]] of England, leading clubs of the [[Southern Football League]] were of a level with Football League teams, and in 1901 Southern League members [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] became the only non-League side to win the Cup,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Medhurst |first1=James |title=Southern League Division 1, 1900–01 |url=https://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/23-Season-in-brief/1650-southern-league-division-1-1900-01 |publisher=When Saturday Comes |access-date=14 March 2022 |archive-date=2 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702022328/https://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/23-Season-in-brief/1650-southern-league-division-1-1900-01 |url-status=live }}</ref> while fellow Southern League team [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]] were losing finalists in 1900 and 1902. In [[1920–21 Football League|1920–21]], the Football League [[Football League Third Division|expanded]] to incorporate teams from the Southern League's first division, and the following year it added a [[Football League Third Division North|further division]] consisting of leading northern and midlands clubs. This consolidated the Football League's position as the leading competition in English football, and established the hierarchy in which non-League clubs in the [[English football league system]] competing in the FA Cup would face Football League teams as clear [[underdogs]].

===Non-League giant killings===
Since the expansion of the Football League in 1921, the best performance of a team from outside the Football League was [[National League (division)|National League]] side [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]]'s run to the quarter-finals of the [[2016–17 FA Cup]], during which they defeated Championship side [[2016–17 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season|Brighton]] 3–1 in the fourth round and Premier League side [[2016–17 Burnley F.C. season|Burnley]] [[Burnley 0–1 Lincoln City (2017)|1–0 in the fifth]], before falling to ultimate Cup champions [[2016–17 Arsenal F.C. season|Arsenal]] 5–0 at the Emirates. Lincoln's defeat of Burnley was only the third (and most recent) FA Cup victory for a non-league team over a top-flight side since 1989.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21095990 BBC Sport] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126235313/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21095990 |date=26 January 2013 }}, 26 January 2013</ref> Giant-killings can also be applied where the defeated team is from lower down the Football League, particularly where the defeated club is very notable or the winning team particularly obscure. [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], having already won five league titles in their history, were in the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] in [[1958–59 Football League#Second Division|1959]] when they [[1958–59 FA Cup|lost 2–1]] to [[Worcester City F.C.|Worcester City]] of the [[1958–59 Southern Football League|Southern League]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Dan |title=FA Cup archive: Liverpool lose to Worcester |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/35174937 |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=16 March 2022 |archive-date=16 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316094638/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/35174937 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The best-known non-league giant-killing came in the [[1971–72 FA Cup]], when non-league [[Hereford United F.C.|Hereford United]] defeated First Division [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/jan/28/newsstory.hereford |title=It'll never happen |work=[[The Observer]] |date=28 January 2007 |access-date=14 July 2016 |archive-date=12 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512073733/http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2007/jan/28/newsstory.hereford |url-status=live }}</ref> Hereford were trailing 1–0 with less than seven minutes left in the [[1971–72 FA Cup#Third round proper|Third round proper replay]], when Hereford's [[Ronnie Radford]] scored the equaliser – a goal still shown regularly when FA Cup fixtures are broadcast.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dirs |first1=Ben |title=Ronnie Radford: The FA Cup goal that made time stand still |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/30521200 |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=16 March 2022 |archive-date=16 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316092357/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/30521200 |url-status=live }}</ref> Hereford finished the shocking comeback by defeating Newcastle 2–1 in the match. They finished that season as runners-up of the [[1971–72 Southern Football League|Southern League]], behind [[Chelmsford City F.C.|Chelmsford City]], and were [[re-election (Football League)|voted into the Football League]] at the expense of [[Barrow A.F.C.|Barrow]].

Some small clubs gain a reputation for being "cup specialists" after two or more giant killing feats within a few years.<ref name="times analysis" /> [[Yeovil Town F.C.|Yeovil Town]] hold the record for the most victories over league opposition as a non-league team, having recorded 20 wins through the years before they achieved [[Promotion and relegation#English example|promotion]] into The Football League in [[2002–03 Football Conference|2003]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2005/12/FACup_TwentyToTackleAnswers.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20081123025353/http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2005/12/FACup_TwentyToTackleAnswers.htm|url-status=dead|title=TheFA.com – Twenty to tackle answers|date=23 November 2008|archive-date=23 November 2008}}</ref> The record for a club which has never entered the Football League is held by [[Altrincham F.C.|Altrincham]], with 17 wins against league teams.

===Non-League cup runs===

For non-League teams, reaching the third round proper – where all Level 1 sides now enter – is considered a major achievement. In the [[2008–09 FA Cup]], a record eight non-League teams achieved this feat.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/jan/03/fa-cup-third-round-non-league |work=The Guardian |location=London |title=Non-league presence in third round of FA Cup breaks all-time record |first=Anna |last=Kessel |date=3 January 2009 |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-date=5 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105044643/http://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/jan/03/fa-cup-third-round-non-league |url-status=live }}</ref> As of the [[2023–24 FA Cup|2023–24]] season, only [[List of non-League clubs in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup since 1925–26|eleven non-League teams]] have reached the fifth round proper (last 16) since 1925,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/sports_talk/1060082.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=Ask Albert – Number 8 |date=7 December 2000 |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-date=23 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423180227/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/sports_talk/1060082.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> and only [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]] have progressed to the quarter-finals (last 8), during the [[2016–17 FA Cup|2016–17]] edition of the tournament.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38940052 |publisher=BBC News |title=Burnley 0 – 1 Lincoln City |date=18 February 2017 |access-date=18 February 2017 |archive-date=10 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710122819/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38940052 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Chasetown F.C.|Chasetown]], while playing at [[English football league system#The system|Level 8]] of English football during the [[2007–08 FA Cup|2007–08 competition]], were the lowest-ranked team to ever play in the third round proper (final 64, of 731 teams entered that season). Chasetown was then a member of the [[2007–08 Southern Football League|Southern League Division One Midlands]] (a lower level within the [[Southern Football League]]), when they lost to [[Football League Championship]] (Level 2) team [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]], the eventual FA Cup runners-up that year.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7163953.stm Chasetown 1–3 Cardiff] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106183454/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7163953.stm |date=6 January 2008 }}.</ref> Their success earned the lowly organisation over £60,000 in prize money. [[Marine F.C.|Marine]] matched this in the [[2020–21 FA Cup|2020–21 competition]] as a member of the [[Northern Premier League]] Division One North West, and were drawn against [[Premier League]] (Level 1) team [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]], to whom they lost 5–0.

During the [[2023–24 FA Cup|2023–24]] season, [[Maidstone United F.C.|Maidstone United]] in the [[National League South]] (Level 6) had an 8–game cup run, reaching the fifth round when they won 2–1 away at [[EFL Championship]] (Level 2) side [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]].<ref name=":1">{{cite news |date=28 January 2024 |title=Ipswich 1–2 Maidstone: Non-League Stones stun Championship high-flyers in major FA Cup shock |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/ipswich-vs-maidstone-utd/report/502451 |access-date=28 January 2024 |website=Sky Sports}}</ref> Their run ended at the fifth round after losing 5–0 away to another EFL Championship side [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 February 2024 |title=Simms hat-trick sees Coventry end Maidstone's cup run |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68384184 |access-date=26 February 2024 |publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> They became the [[List of non-League clubs in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup since 1925–26|eleventh non–League team]] to reach the fifth round, and the lowest-ranked team to do so since [[Blyth Spartans A.F.C.|Blyth Spartans]] (Level 7) in [[1977–78 FA Cup|1977–78]]. Maidstone's co–owner Oliver Ash stated that their cup run had earned the club 'something like £700,000 before tax'.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 February 2024 |title=FA Cup fifth round: Non-league Maidstone United's cup run nets them '£700,000 before tax' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68309354 |access-date=26 February 2024 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref>

===Giant killings between League clubs===
Giant-killings can apply to matches between league clubs, particularly where teams from tier 4 have defeated tier 1 sides. In games between League sides, one of the most notable results was the [[Wrexham A.F.C. 2–1 Arsenal F.C.|1992 victory]] by [[Wrexham F.C.|Wrexham]], [[1990–91 Football League Fourth Division|bottom]] of the previous season's League (avoiding relegation due to expansion of [[English Football League|The Football League]]), over [[1990–91 Football League#First Division|reigning]] champions Arsenal. Another similar shock was when [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]] beat [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] 2–1 in [[2002–03 FA Cup|2003]]. Everton finished seventh in the [[2002–03 Premier League|Premier League]] and Shrewsbury Town were [[2002–03 Football League#Third Division|relegated]] to the [[2003–04 Football Conference|Football Conference]] that [[2002–03 in English football|same season]]. In 2025, [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]], ranked 12th at the time of play in the Premier League beat [[Manchester City]] ranked 6th.