Tue. Dec 16th, 2025
Macclesfield Town Draw Crystal Palace at Home in FA Cup Third Round

The third round of the FA Cup will see the 20 victorious teams from the second-round matchups joined by the entirety of the Premier League (20 clubs) and 24 teams from the Championship.

Notably, sixth-tier Macclesfield has drawn a home tie against current holders Crystal Palace.

The draw has produced four all-Premier League clashes: Tottenham will host Aston Villa, Sunderland will travel to face Everton, Newcastle will welcome Bournemouth to St James’ Park, and Manchester United will play Brighton at Old Trafford.

Another sixth-tier side, Weston-super-Mare, who have reached this stage for the first time in the club’s 138-year history, are set to travel to League Two side Grimsby.

Premier League leaders Arsenal will visit Portsmouth, while Manchester City are set to host League One side Exeter City, and Liverpool will welcome third-tier Barnsley to Anfield.

Other notable ties involving top-flight clubs include two London derbies: Chelsea will travel to Charlton, and West Ham will host Queens Park Rangers. Meanwhile, Fulham will play Middlesbrough, and Leeds will take on Derby County.

National League side Boreham Wood, the only other non-league team remaining in the competition, will face Burton Albion, following their victory against Brackley on Monday.

All third-round matches are scheduled to take place across the weekend commencing Saturday, January 10, 2026.

In a departure from previous seasons, drawn matches will proceed directly to extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout, eliminating the need for replays.

Wolves v Shrewsbury Town

Doncaster Rovers v Southampton

Tottenham v Aston Villa

Port Vale v Fleetwood

Preston North End v Wigan Athletic

Ipswich Town v Blackpool

Wrexham v Nottingham Forest

Charlton Athletic v Chelsea

Manchester City v Exeter City

West Ham v Queens Park Rangers

Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford

Fulham v Middlesbrough

Everton v Sunderland

Liverpool v Barnsley

Burnley v Millwall

Norwich v Walsall

Portsmouth v Arsenal

Derby County v Leeds United

Swansea v West Brom

Salford v Swindon

Boreham Wood v Burton Albion

Grimsby v Weston-super-Mare

Hull City v Blackburn Rovers

Newcastle United v Bournemouth

MK Dons v Oxford United

Cheltenham Town v Leicester City

Cambridge United v Birmingham City

Bristol City v Watford

Stoke City v Coventry

Macclesfield v Crystal Palace

Manchester United v Brighton

Sheffield United v Mansfield Town

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