Betting guide for FA Cup

The FA Cup is one of the most popular English football betting markets with over £200 million wagered on the competition online during the 2006/2007 season.

It is the oldest football Cup competition in the world dating back to 1872 and every season it captures the imagination of football supporters. Over 700 teams enter the competition during the preliminary rounds, which starts in August each season for non league clubs. However, by the time the Premier League and Championship teams join the competition at the third round stage usually only a handful of non league sides remain in the competition. League One and League Two join the competition at the first round stage which kicks off in early November each season. From the first round proper onwards, there is a total of five knock out rounds from, before the quarter finals, semi finals and eventually the final, which is played at Wembley in May, the weekend after the final day of the Premier League season.

It is at the third round stage, which traditionally takes place during the first weekend of January, that the FA Cup really captures the interest of people who enjoy football betting. Antepost betting is the most popular bet type during the third round of competition with supporters keen to back their teams to win the FA Cup. Betting on which player will be the top FA Cup goalscorer is an other increasingly popular football antepost betting market.

Betting on FA Cup Matches

Betting on the outright winners of the FA Cup is always a competitive market. Betting on the winner of the FA Cup at the third round is usually around 5/1 the field given the knockout nature of the competition. The bigger Premier League clubs will always be at the top of the betting attracting plenty of support but many football fans will back their own team to the win the FA Cup. Whether it is £10 on Blackburn Rovers at 20/1 or £1 on Blackpool at 1000/1 it is more tempting than ever before to place a bet on your team winning the Cup with many online bookmakers offering a free bet on the FA Cup during the third round.

During each round of the FA Cup, up to five games are shown live on TV which increases the betting interest in the competition with correct score betting and first goalscorer betting the two most popular FA Cup match bets. Many FA Cup games involve teams from different leagues, when this happens; there is often a difference in the match betting prices with the team in the higher division being made favourite by bookmakers. However, the FA Cup is famous for shock results and many people betting on the FA Cup place bets on the 'underdog' beating their higher league opponents at big odds.

If an FA Cup game finishes in a draw, the two teams must play again in a replay, with away team from the first game gaining home advantage in the re-match. FA Cup replays provide further betting opportunities, particularly with many replays being broadcast on TV.

The FA Cup semi-finals involve the last four remaining teams in the competition and are played at Wembley during April. The two FA Cup semi-finals have become big betting events in recent years with both games receiving prime time TV coverage allowing many of the large audience to watch the semi-final games with the additional interest having place an online bet.

The FA Cup final is traditionally the last match of the English football betting season. It has become one of the world's most watched live sporting events broadcast in over 150 countries and watched by almost 500 million viewers. Betting on the FA Cup final continues to be big business for the betting industry with many fans placing a bet on the game. Anybody placing a bet on the FA Cup online should look to claim one of the many free bets offered by online bookmakers on FA Cup final day along with many different cash back offers on the final. In 2007 Paddypower refunded all FA Cup final stakes as a result of the game being won in extra time. Top 5 FA Cup Bets:

Outright Winner
Football Match betting
Correct score
First goalscorer
Top FA Cup Goalscorer