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FA Cup Betting Offers and Free Bets for 2024

Peter Addison
Peter Addison
Senior Betting Writer
Updated: 2 July 2024

This page covers specific FA Cup betting offers and the free bets available at the UK’s leading online betting sites. You’ll also learn how to use such offers to enhance your FA Cup football betting experience.

Best FA Cup Betting Sites

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Bet £10 Get £40 In Free Bets

08/05/24

Bet £10 Get £40 In Free Bets

  • Trusted US brand now available in the UK
  • Ideal for sports on both sides of the pond
  • Numerous promotions and free bet deals
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New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10+ at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 Acca, 1 x £10 Horse Racing, 1 x £10 Football, 1 x £10 Bet Builder. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply. 18+ BeGambleAware.org.

£50 in Free Bets When You Bet £10

22/04/24

£50 in Free Bets When You Bet £10

  • Get the latest betting odds for the FA Cup
  • Fred's Bet Boosts - Enhanced odds
  • Multiple markets for every FA Cup tie
9.8
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New customers only. Register with SUMMER50 between 31/05/24 – 14/07/24. First bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.

Bet £10, Get £40

22/03/24

Bet £10, Get £40

  • Offers both fixed odds and spread betting
  • Ideal venue for live FA Cup betting
  • Best value fixed odds bookie for the FA Cup
9.8
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18+ begambleaware.org. Spread betting losses can exceed deposit. Place a qualifying £10 fixed odds bet at odds of 1/2 or greater. Qualifying bet cannot be placed in-play or cashed out early. Free bet stakes not included in any winnings from the free fixed odds bets. Free bets expire in 28 days if unused.

Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets

22/04/24

Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets

  • Easy to explore thousands of betting markets
  • Football betting specialist
  • Plenty of specials and Price Boosts
9.7
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T&Cs apply. New cust only. Deposit & Place a Bet within 7 days, and settle a £10 minimum bet at odds of 4/5 (1.8) or greater, to be credited with 3x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 Horse Racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder and 1 x £10 Football. 7 day expiry. Stake not returned. 18+ BeGambleAware.org.

Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365

02/04/24

Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365

  • Comprehensive coverage of all FA Cup ties
  • The only site to have live FA Cup streaming
  • Pays out early if your team goes two goals up
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Registration required. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

£35 Free Bet + 10 Free Spins

05/04/24

£35 Free Bet + 10 Free Spins

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We’ve enhanced our UK Sportsbook Welcome Offer. Get 50% Back as a Free Bet up to £35 (normally £25) plus 10 Free Spins! A minimum of 3 bets at odds of evens (2.00) or greater is required to qualify for the max free bet, which is based on 50% back of first day losses. Even if your account is up, a single £10 Bet at the minimum odds, secures a £5 Free Bet & 10 Free Spins. UK 18+T&C’s

Bet £10, Get £20 In Free Bets

01/05/24

Bet £10, Get £20 In Free Bets

  • One of the newest bookies on the market
  • Regular price boosts on big FA Cup ties
  • Free-to-enter games with cash prizes
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New members only. £10 min deposit & bet on sportsbook, placed & settled at 1.5 min odds within 14 days of sign-up. Win part of the E/W bets. 2 non-withdrawable £10 Free Bet Tokens: accept in 7 days, valid for 7 days from acceptance (ex E/Ws & Multiples), stakes not returned. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org. 18+

Bet £20 and get it back as cash if it loses

26/03/24

Bet £20 and get it back as cash if it loses

  • Quirky offers on the FA Cup
  • Look out for Power Prices for the Final!
  • Pays out early on two-goal leads
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Place your FIRST bet on any Sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is €/£20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply

Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Football Bet Builders

05/01/24

Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Football Bet Builders

  • Comprehensive coverage of sports worldwide
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  • Betting Exchange lets you bet like a bookie
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New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly

Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets

02/04/24

Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets

  • Asian handicaps, draw no bet and more
  • Multiple markets for every FA Cup tie
  • Excellent prices for all rounds, qualifying on!
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*New members. Offer not available 15/04/23 £10 min deposit & bet on sportsbook, placed & settled at 1.5 min odds within 14 days of sign-up. Win part of E/W bets. 2 non-withdrawable £10 Free Bet Tokens: accept in 7 days, valid for 7 days from acceptance (ex. E/Ws & Multiples), stakes not returned. Rules & Exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org. T&Cs apply, 18+

Emirates FA Cup 2024/25 Preview

The 2023/24 competition commenced on 5 August 2023 with the extra preliminary round consisting of 416 clubs. Teams from League One and League Two entered the first round proper in November, with Championship and EPL sides joining the fun for the third round on 8 January 2024. The competition reached the Final stage with Manchester United securing a shock victory and preventing Manchester City from winning an historic second successive double.

fa cup liverpool

Eyes will now be turning to the 2024/25 version of the competition, with the first games taking place on the 3rd August. The Final will take place at Wembley on 17th May, kick-off time to be decided.

Best FA Cup Betting Odds 2024/25

Here now are the odds to win the FA Cup in 2025 from three of our favourite sites.

Team William Hill Bet365 BetVictor
Manchester C 3/1 3/1 4/1
Arsenal 6/1 7/1 5/1
Liverpool 15/2 9/1 6/1
Chelsea 8/1 10/1 6/1
Newcastle U 12/1 11/3 16/1
Manchester U 10/1 12/1 8/1
Tottenham H 12/1 14/1 10/1
Aston Villa 18/1 16/1 20/1
Brighton & HA 25/1 20/1 33/1

These FA Cup odds outright were correct at the time of writing, but make sure you check the sites for the very latest FA Cup odds to win the competition, and for FA Cup match odds.

Popular FA Cup Betting Offers

So, what are the kind of FA Cup betting offers and promotions at football betting sites in the UK? Well, we are here to tell you, so below you will find details of the sort of deals offered by the UK’s leading sports betting sites on the FA Cup, with some generic offers you can use for betting on the FA Cup too.

FA Cup Free Bets

SOCCERFree bets on the FA Cup are bets you can place without using your own money. Usually, you have to make an equivalent bet using your own cash first. For example, ‘Bet £10, Get £10’. Such offers come with restrictions, such as only being able to make your qualifying deposit with a debit card, and your qualifying bet having to be placed at minimum odds. In all cases, your free bet stake will not be returned if it’s a winning wager – only your winnings.

FA Cup Enhanced Odds

SOCCEREnhanced odds are special deals where you get better odds than normal as long as you follow the terms and conditions. Say Liverpool are 2/1 to win at Arsenal in the semi. One of the leading sports betting sites offers odds of 4/1, as long as you make a minimum bet of £10.

Note that money won ‘over the odds’ is usually paid in free bets, or money you have to play through first. In our example above you would get £20 back (stake + normal winnings) of real money, with £20 back as free bets or bonus money. FA Cup final odds are usually enhanced at the top FA Cup betting sites in the UK.

FA Cup Price Boosts

SOCCERSimilar to enhanced odds, price boosts are usually restricted to predefined ‘bet builder’ style bets. Going back to our example above, the combined bet could be Mo Salah to score, Alexis Mac Allister to provide an assist and Ben White to be booked. If the normal odds of this were 25/1, a site could offer a price boost up to 33/1, as long as you make a minimum-sized bet. Again, money won in excess of the normal FA Cup odds for the winner is usually paid out as bonus money or in free bets.

FA Cup Early Payouts

SOCCERA very small number of sites offer early payouts on FA Cup ties should your backed team go two goals up. Say in our game above you’ve backed Arsenal and they take an early two-goal lead – an ‘early payout’ site will settle your bet immediately and with no restrictions. Even if Liverpool mounts a comeback and the final score is 3-2 to the Merseysiders, your bet still wins.

FA Cup Money-Back Bets

SOCCERAnother FA Cup betting offer is a promotion that gives you your money back should your bet lose. Again, you have to meet qualification criteria such as a minimum bet amount and minimum odds for your FA Cup winner selection.

If with our fictitious tie, you’d backed Liverpool with a £10 bet as part of a money-back bet offer, then if Liverpool failed to win you would get your stake returned. Most offers will return your stake as bonus money or a free bet, but the best will give your money back as withdrawable cash.

FA Cup Acca Boosts

SOCCERAn acca or accumulator is typically a bet consisting of three single bets or more. The majority of FA Cup betting sites will offer a percentage boost on winnings if you place an acca in line with minimum requirements.

For example, a three £10 acca at combined odds of 12/1 could receive a five per cent boost on winnings, so it will return £136 instead of £130. The more selections in your acca, the higher the percentage boost, up to a maximum. If you are taking up such an offer, don’t forget that the more selections in your acca, the more likely it is to fail.

FA Cup Welcome Offers

SOCCERAll sports betting sites in the UK have welcome offers, and there should be no restrictions that will prevent you from using them on FA Cup matches. A common offer is the ‘Bet X Get X’ as mentioned above. Other sites may return a percentage of your first-day losses back as either withdrawable cash or free bets/bonus money. Look at the best UK online sports betting welcome bonuses to see which one appeals to you the most.

The FA Cup and How it Works

The Football Association was created in 1863. At the time, there were many different types of football (including the kind played at Rugby school which can now be wagered upon at the UK’s leading rugby union betting sites, and rugby league) so the desire was to prevent mix-ups with different teams expecting different rules. To do this a standard code of rules, known as ‘Association Rules’ was drawn up. In an effort to promote this standard code, the secretary of the FA, Charles Alcock, proposed the establishment of a UK-wide football competition, to be played on a knock-out basis.

queens park 1880

Fourteen teams entered the first competition in 1871, with Scottish side Queen’s Park being the only pro-league-level survivors (the team Crystal Palace in the 1871 competition are not the same side that currently played in the EPL). London side Wanderers (which folded in 1887) beat a British Army side called Royal Engineers (which survives as an amateur sports club) 1-0 in the first final. Remarkably, FA secretary Alcock played in the final for the Wanderers. Scotland formed its own FA Cup in 1873, although many Scottish sides continued to compete in the FA Cup until 1887 (not counting the defunct side Gretna who entered the FA Cup between 1993 and 2003). Irish teams competed until 1891 and Welsh sides continue to compete.

The FA Cup has continued every year since, with breaks between 1915 and 1919, and 1939 and 1945 due to World Wars. The 2020 final between Arsenal and Chelsea was held in front of zero spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Arsenal have won the FA Cup the most times with 14, two ahead of Manchester United.

Qualification and Tournament Proper

Entries for the FA Cup are capped at 732. All clubs at Level 9 or higher in the English football pyramid are eligible to enter. Clubs from Level 10 are permitted to enter on a merit basis if there are not enough clubs in the top nine tiers to make up the numbers. All National League, Football League and English Premier League teams are entered automatically, although holders Manchester United declined to enter in 2000 so they could concentrate on the FIFA Club World Championship.

Teams from the National League North and South are given byes until the second qualifying round. National League sides join for the fourth (and final) qualifying round, with League One and League Two joining for the first round proper. Championship and EPL sides are given byes until the third round. Since the creation of league football in 1888, Tottenham Hotspur (then of the Southern League) are the only non-league side to ever win the FA Cup, which they did in 1901. In 2024 Maidstone United of the National League South became the first sixth-tier side to reach the fifth round of the tournament since Blyth Spartans in 1978.

Rules surrounding replays, extra time, penalties and the use of VAR vary from round to round. Tied games lead to a single replay/extra time/penalties until the fourth round after which all games are settled on the day of the game. This is to prevent fixture congestion. Prior to 1991, all tied games were continually replayed until a winner was decided. In 1971 a qualifying match between Alvechurch and Oxford City was replayed five times. The last final to be replayed was in 1993, between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday.

At the time of writing, the 2023-24 FA Cup had reached the sixth round, or quarter-finals. The dates for this and subsequent rounds were as follows:

  • Quarter-finals: Saturday 16th March/Sunday 17th March
  • Semi-finals: Saturday 20th April/Sunday 21st April
  • Final: Saturday 25th May

As the competition nears its end, we suggest you monitor your (and our) favourite betting sites for FA Cup bet offers.

Popular FA Cup Betting Markets

We present for you now all the most popular FA Cup betting markets, from betting on the outright winners to who will present the trophy to Kyle Walker come May 2024.

FA Cup Winner

The most obvious bet of all – betting on who will be the outright winners of the FA Cup at the end of the 2023-24 football season. Look out for FA Cup Final betting offers on the day of the event.

To Reach the Final

Kind of like an each-way bet in horse racing or greyhounds. Bet on a team to at least walk out on the hallowed Wembley turf come FA Cup final day.

To Qualify

The FA Cup is split into two sections, qualifying and proper rounds. Before the first round proper, you can bet on which of the initial 600+ sides not afforded a bye into that first round will be one of the 32 non-league sides to make it as far as beyond qualifying.

Match Winner

Just like any football match, you can bet on the winner of any individual tie (or it ending a draw). One thing to note though – as FA Cup matches are cup ties, they are settled by sports betting sites after 90 minutes plus time added on for stoppages. Extra time and penalties are ignored. This wager is the most commonly used for FA Cup betting offers, with FA Cup Final bets being particularly popular.

Correct Score

One of the most difficult bets to get right – you are betting on the correct final score of an FA tie. Again, correct score ignores any extra time or penalties.

Half-Time/Full-Time

With this bet, you effectively cut a match in two. You bet on the side that will be leading at half-time (or for it to be a draw), and the side that will run out the eventual winners (or for it a draw, extra time and penalties ignored).

Draw No Bet

The draw no bet football betting FA Cup market takes the tie out of the equation. You can only bet on the winner of the match. If the game is a tie after the 90 minutes plus stoppages are up, then your stake is returned to you.

Double Chance

If you want to cover more than one scenario in a given tie, then take a look at the double chance football betting FA Cup markets. You can combine any two outcomes, such as a home win or draw, away win or draw, or home or away win. Your bet only loses if the scenario you didn’t back is the outcome (extra time and penalties ignored).

First Goalscorer

Here you bet on the player who scores the first goal in a match. Own goals do not count, so if your player scores an own goal, your bet doesn’t automatically win. Also, if a player scores an own goal and then your player is the next goalscorer your bet wins as the bet is the first player to score a goal that’s not an own goal. If the tie is 0-0 then moves into extra time all bets lose. You can also bet on a player to score any time in a match (‘anytime goalscorer’ – goals in extra time do not count, neither do own goals), or to be the last player to score a goal that’s not an own goal before the ninety minutes and stoppage time are up.

Asian Handicaps

If you consider yourself to be an FA Cup betting expert, then Asian handicap betting markets could be the way to go. These are handicap bets with a slight twist – if the score of the match is a tie once the handicap is applied then your stake is returned to you. There are several different types of Asian handicap betting markets, so make sure you check them out, and make sure you know what you are betting on.

FA Cup Betting Tips

Betting on the FA Cup is no different to betting on football in general, by and large, but you may have to adapt your football betting strategy a tiny bit. Here is a hat-trick of specific FA Cup betting tips.

  1. Throw the Form Book out of the Window (but not too far)

    It’s a sad state of affairs, but EPL and Championship sides no longer treat the FA Cup with the reverence of old. They will select under-strength sides, especially teams competing in Europe, fighting to avoid relegation or striving for promotion. You can use this to your advantage, for example you could back an EPL side still in the UCL or Europa League to lose to a middling Championship side. As the EPL side may field a weakened line-up, the FA Cup winners odds of the opposition may not truly reflect the chances of an upset.

  2. Try to Get Upset

    The FA Cup is still notorious for upsets. In the 2023-24 competition, football fans were able to chortle at sixth-tier Maidstone United beating League One’s Stevenage in the third round and Championship high-fliers Ipswich Town at Portman Round in the fourth. In 2013 we had relegated Wigan Athletic beating EPL runners-up Manchester City in the final, and also then Conference Premier side Luton Town beating Premier League side Norwich City at Carrow Road. Upsets are rare but if you can spot a potential underdog story and back it with cash, you could be really in the money especially if you use FA Cup betting offers.

  3. Some Players Just Love the Cup

    For some reason, specific players raise their game for cup ties and can be etched onto the list of goalscorers before kick-off. For example, Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero scored an amazing 20 goals in only 22 FA Cup ties. That’s a goal every 99 minutes, eclipsing even his impressive EPL scoring rate (1 goal every 134 minutes). If you can spot a player who just loves to play in the Cup, then backing them as an anytime goalscorer is surely a decent bet.

Emirates FA Cup Live Streaming and TV Coverage

The broadcasting rights to the FA Cup are currently shared between BBC and ITV. Games are shown live on both channels, while streaming is available via the BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and ITVX.

Most ties are also available for streaming at bet365. Note that to watch live FA Cup streams at bet365 you must either have an account there with a positive balance or have placed a bet at the site within the last 24 hours.

No other UK sports betting site has live streaming of FA Cup matches.

Previous FA Cup Final Winners

Below is a summary of the winners of the FA Cup since 2010. The number following the team name is the number of times that team had won the cup at the time, including their latest victory.

Year Winners Runners-up Score Attendance
2024 Manchester United (13) Manchester City 2-1 84,814
2023 Manchester City (7) Manchester United 2-1 83,179
2022 Liverpool (8) Chelsea 0-0* 84,897
2021 Leicester City (1) Chelsea 1-0 20,000**
2020 Arsenal (14) Chelsea 2-1 0***
2019 Manchester City (6) Watford 6-0 85,854
2018 Chelsea (8) Manchester United 1-0 87,647
2017 Arsenal (13) Chelsea 2-1 89,472
2016 Manchester United (12) Crystal Palace 2-1aet 88,619
2015 Arsenal (12) Aston Villa 4-0 89,283
2014 Arsenal (11) Hull City 3-2aet 89,345
2013 Wigan Athletic (1) Manchester City 1-0 86,254
2012 Chelsea (7) Liverpool 2-1 89,041
2011 Manchester City (5) Stoke City 1-0 88,643
2010 Chelsea (6) Portsmouth 1-0 88,335

*Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties

**restricted crowd due to COVID-19 restrictions

***no spectators due to COVID-19 restrictions

Abide With Me

If you’re over 40, then you’ll realise the FA Cup does not hold the charm it once did (“The Crazy Gang Have Beaten the Culture Club” !) but betting on it is a different matter. In the cold light of day, the FA Cup holds better betting opportunities than, say, EPL betting, due to the practice of the big sides purposefully fielding weakened teams, and some other factors as we have explained above that should influence your FA Cup tips. Good luck with your use of FA Cup betting offers, and let’s hope for upsets, as in upsetting the bookies when you land a giant-killing-sized payout.

FAQs

When is the FA Cup Final?

Who are the FA Cup favourites for 2025?

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Who were the first winners of the FA Cup, and what were their FA Cup odds?

 

Peter Addison
Peter Addison
Senior Betting Writer

Peter is one of the most well-known and well-respected names working in the field of online sports betting today. Having a Bachelor of Arts degree, Peter has worked for many high-profile publications in the industry, both online and in the real world. He joined the SafestBettingSites team in 2021 and has provided millions of words ever since. When not writing, Peter enjoys performing and writing music, gaming, reading and he is a massive movie buff, with a particular love of Japanese cinema and anime.

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