Best 10 FA Cup Betting Sites & Offers UK for 2023

Top FA Betting Sites:

#1 FA Cup Betting Site - 888sport

#2 FA Cup Betting Site - bet365

#3 FA Cup Betting Site - BetVictor

#4 FA Cup Betting Site - LeoVegas Sport

#5 FA Cup Betting Site - Coral

#6 FA Cup Betting Site - Grosvenor Sport

#7 FA Cup Betting Site - Betiton

#8 FA Cup Betting Site - Spreadex

#9 FA Cup Betting Site - Quinnbet

Ah, the magic of the FA Cup. Despite all the money that enters the modern football world, this is still a competition that anybody can win. It’s also a competition that generates many shocks and upsets every single year.

Introduction

Who can forget Wrexham beating Arsenal in 1992? Or Leeds defeating Manchester United back in 2010? Even after this, we could point to Wigan beating Manchester City in the final, Bradford knocking four goals past Chelsea, and a whole lot more.

Among other things, it’s the fact that anybody can beat anybody that makes FA Cup betting so exciting.  Winning an FA Cup bet is more exciting than other football bets, and this is why we’ve compiled this guide here today.  As the new season of FA Cup football dawns, we have everything you need to know today!

Most Successful Teams

Founded in 1871, the FA Cup has written many stories over the years.  This year, it’s the 150th anniversary of the competition and around 730 clubs are expected to enter.  Come May, only one team will remain standing, something that has happened to Arsenal 14 times.  With this in mind, they are the most decorated team in the competition’s history.  Despite problems in other competitions, Arsenal have won the FA Cup four times since 2014 alone.

Meanwhile, Manchester United have won the competition 12 times.  Alongside Everton, they have also lost in the final the most times (8).  Chelsea have had a successful spell in the 21st century and now have eight competition wins alongside Tottenham Hotspur.  However, the latter haven’t won the competition since 1991.

As mentioned, this is a trophy where anybody can win and one-time winners include Bradford City, Ipswich Town, Blackpool, Burnley, Leicester City, Leeds United, Southampton, Barnsley, Wigan Athletic, and Notts County.

What is the FA Cup?

If you’re more into betting than football (or soccer, depending on where you are from), here is the lowdown on the FA Cup.  The Football Association Challenge Cup is an annual English football competition and one of the oldest and most famous in the UK.  The first ever FA Cup was held in 1871-1872 and – aside from during the World Wars – has been played every year since.  For the last one hundred years, the FA Cup Final has been played in Wembley Stadium, the only exception being a five-year stint at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff during the 00s while Wembley was undergoing redevelopment.

During the competition, teams are randomly selected via a draw that often happens on live TV.  It is also decided which teams will play at home and which will play away, and the loser of the match is then knocked out while the winner progresses to the next round.  As the tournament is open to any club from the Premier League to the more amateur teams, non-league teams compete when the competition starts in August.  The professional teams tend to enter the tournament in January, and the final match is usually held on the second Saturday of May.

It is the wide scope of talent and teams that draws many to the FA Cup.  Over seven hundred teams compete, from the superstars of the footballing world to hobbyists that play on their days off from work.  Although the larger teams usually end up at Wembley, the competition has had its fair share of surprise victors over the years, which makes betting on the FA Cup all the more exciting.  The number of underdog victories and unknowns catapulted into fame means that each year hope springs eternal for everyone’s favourite team.

FA Cup Schedule

The table below shows the FA Cup schedule for 2022/23 to give you a rough idea of how the FA Cup plays out over the season

What	When	Why
Extra Preliminary Round	August 6th	Clubs from levels 8-10 of the English football league compete to secure a place in the later rounds
Preliminary Round	August 20th	Clubs from level 8 enter the competition
1st Round Qualifying	September 3rd	Level 7 starts to compete
2nd Round Qualifying	September 17th	Level 6 enter, with clubs from the National League North and South joining the competition
3rd Round Qualifying	October 1st	The winners from the previous rounds compete against each other
4th Round Qualifying	October 15th	The 40 winners from the previous round are joined by 24 clubs from the National League at level 5
1st Round Proper	November 5th	The first wave of full-time professional clubs enters the arena.  This is an interesting round as some amateur clubs may have lasted long enough to take on the professionals
2nd Round Proper	November 26th	The winners from the previous round compete to stay in the competition
3rd Round Proper	January 7th	Clubs from the Premier League and Championship enter the competition.  Another one to watch out for where the scrappy underdogs have the chance to take on the polished top dogs of UK football
4th Round Proper	January 28th	With no more clubs entering, from this point it’s a countdown to the final
5th Round Proper	March 1st	The 300+ clubs that compete have been whittled down to just 16.
Quarterfinals	March 18th	The 8 remaining teams compete for a place in the semi-finals.
Semi-finals	April 22nd and 23rd	The four teams that have made it to Wembley battle it out to go all the way to the final
FA Cup Final	June 3rd	The match everybody has been waiting for, to decide who wins this year’s FA Cup.

How to bet on the FA Cup

So, how do you bet on the FA Cup?  Well, with so many games there are a multitude of ways to place a bet.  In fact, pretty much the only thing you can’t bet on is the draws.  As this is done completely randomly, the sportsbooks tend to stay away from offering bets on which teams will be picked to face each other.

Moneyline

Moneyline is the most popular and simplest wager in sports betting.  You simply bet on which team will win the match.  As some matches in the FA Cup will end with a draw and the outcome is decided in a future match, FA Cup games often have three-way moneyline; win, lose, or draw.  With as many as forty matches played simultaneously in the early rounds, there is always something to bet on.  In fact, many punters will bet on multiple games that are played on the same day.

Spread Betting

Spread betting is when you bet on different outcomes of the match, not just who wins or loses.  You can place bets on the number of corners, when teams or players will score goals, how many bookings a team or player will get, and much more.  The most common spread bet is how many goals will be scored in the match.  You will often see -0.5/+0.5 on sportsbook sites.  This means that the team most likely to win will need to be up by one or more goals, but the other team only needs to win – essentially giving the underdog a one-goal head start.

A spread bet can be placed at the start of the match, or in-play, but the odds will continually change throughout the match.

Totals or Over/Under

Over/under is another form of spread betting where you bet on the total goals scored in the game by both teams.  The oddsmaker will set a total, such as 2.5, and you then bet on whether you think the total goals will be under or over this amount.  If the final score is three goals, those who bet over would win.  If the total goals were less than 2, anyone betting under would win.  This is the same for betting on the number of corners, bookings, etc.  You can also bet on the game as a whole, on the team, or individual players.

FA Cup Futures or Outright FA Cup bet

You can, of course, bet on who you think will win the FA Cup final.  These bets can be placed months in advance in the hopes of a big win.  Bookmakers will offer outright betting options from before the competition begins, with the odds changing after each round.  You can also bet each-way, which is a wager that essentially consist of two separate bets, a win, and a place.  This means that if your choice makes it to the FA Cup final and loses, you will still get some winnings.

If you are thinking about placing an outright bet, keep in mind that the randomness of the draws plus the length of the competition makes outright betting difficult to gauge.  People tend to bet for their favourite team for luck more than with any hopes of actually winning.  If you do want to bet on the outright winner, or place an each-way bet, don’t bet with more than you are willing to lose.  Luckily, if your team consistently loses you can often cash out your bet as the season goes on.  You won’t get all your money back, but if it looks like you’re going to lose the lot you can save some of your pennies before the competition is over.

In Game Betting

The nature of the FA Cup and advances in betting technology mean that you can now place online bets during the game as well as before.  Odds tend to fluctuate with the game, and these ever-changing odds make the game more exciting.

Accumulator

An accumulator bet can be made of up to twenty different bets in one.  Pay-outs then depend on all aspects of the bet occurring.  These types of bets are usually quite popular during the FA Cup, as there can be up to forty matches being played in one day.

In summary, here is a quick guide to FA Cup betting

Moneyline	Bet on who will win or if the match will result in a draw
Spread	Bet on the outcome of the match statistics, such as how many corners, who will score first, etc
Over/under	Bet on whether the number of goals scored (or anything else) will be over or under the bookie’s predictions
Futures/Outright	Bet on the winner or participants of the FA Cup final
In Game Bets	Bet on various outcomes as the game is being played
Accumulator	Essentially several bets merged into one.

What To Look Out For

When betting on football, what you should look out for really depends on what you hope to achieve.  For many, betting on the FA Cup is not about winning but about going with your gut wagering on your preferred team to win.  However, if you have no emotional ties to any of the teams, can you actually make money by betting on FA Cup matches?  Here are our top tips to win big on the FA Cup.  If you decide to follow these tips, it’s worth mentioning that they are not fool proof and no matter how prepared you are you can still lose.  With that in mind, never bet more than you are willing to lose and always gamble responsibly.

Dos and Don’ts

Do	Don’t
Bet depending on what you want.  If you want to win, bet with your head.  If you just want to support your team (and you don’t mind losing your hard-earned cash) then bet with your heart.	Bet on the underdog to win overall in the hopes that you’ll win big.  This hardly ever works out, and given the schedule and the number of teams that are involved, your chosen team might be knocked out of the competition after their first match,
Study the odds and watch the early matches.  You may see some potential in teams that later come up against the big boys.	Bet for the sake of betting.  If you don’t intend on watching any matches, then best stick to the many other forms of gambling.
Check out predictors and tips.	Take the tips as gospel.  The FA Cup is often full of surprise victories and defeats.
Use a bet to enhance your enjoyment of the game and keep a track of your spending	Rely on winning.  Never bet with more than you can afford to lose.

Find the Right Sportsbook

The first step in successful betting is finding the right site.  With so many to choose from, it’s important you do your research and find one that is reliable and trustworthy.  You can do this in many ways, but here are a few things to look out for when choosing a sportsbook site.

• Check the licencing. Most sportsbooks that offer betting on the FA Cup will be regulated by the UK gambling commission.
• Check the reviews. While most reviews do need to be taken with a pinch of salt (people who lose money don’t tend to give good reviews), you can judge the overall consensus by reading about other people’s experiences on the site.
• Check if the site has a minimum deposit and withdrawal amounts. Occasionally, sites have a high minimum withdrawal amount, so it’s worth checking this out before you make a deposit.
• Check for bonuses and special promotions. Some of the best sites have FA Cup Betting offers and give away FA Cup free bets, especially when it comes to the semi-finals or the final.  These are sometimes given as risk-free bets, which allow you to wager on a game, but the site will refund your money if you lose.  Using FA Cup Free Bets can be a terrific way to start betting on the FA Cup, and with so many matches and ways to bet, having a freebie is a great perk.  However, you should check the terms and conditions of these free bets, as you will have to adhere to all the T&Cs in order to withdraw any winnings that result.

Study the Odds

As with any form of betting, different outcomes have different odds based on how likely that outcome is.  In this case, the odds are presented as a number with either a + or a – sign. – means the team is favoured to win, and + means the underdog.  Betting on a team that has the most chance of winning will win you less than betting on the underdog, but you are less likely to lose your money betting on the favourite.  The odds for spread betting will often change throughout a match, so keep your eye on them when you are betting during play.

Of course, with so many matches, you can earn a tidy sum by betting on the favourite.  You may not win the big bucks on one match, but by consistently placing bets on the teams most likely to come out on top, your winnings can start to add up.  That being said, nothing is a sure thing, and even the biggest teams have had unexpected losses.

Study the Schedule

Get to know the teams that are playing against each other ahead of time.  This will help you get to know which teams are playing against each other and give you time to research before placing your bet.  If you plan on placing multiple bets, studying the schedule will help you decide which matches to bet on.

Use Bankroll Management

This is the most sensible and, yes, most boring way to ensure you actually end up in the black.  By setting aside the total amount of money you want to spend, you can be certain that you won’t part with more than you are willing to lose.  By managing your bankroll carefully, you can better plan what matches to bet on, and asses if you are genuinely up and the end of the day.  Each win can be added to your bankroll, so you can bet more if you want, but the hard part is to be disciplined enough that if your money runs out, you don’t take any more out of your personal finances.  Good bankroll management can lead to more wins as you are more likely to research the matches and bet wisely than throw caution to the wind and bet with your gut.

Check the Predictor Sites

There are so many FA Cup predictor sites that you would struggle to check all of them!  But it is still worth having a glance at one or two.  Checking these sites can become a valuable part of your own research and checking out the stats and tips on these sites can either confirm what you are thinking or give you some information that you may have missed.

Popular Outright Markets

To start, we want to talk about outright markets since we’re still early enough in the competition to get strong odds for most teams.  The longer the competition goes on, the fewer teams remain, and this makes outright betting less rewarding.  As of August 2021, most bookmakers have Manchester City as competition favourites at around 4/1.  Meanwhile, Chelsea is just behind at 5/1.  Other teams come in as follows:

• Manchester United – 7/1
• Liverpool – 7/1
• Tottenham – 12/1
• Arsenal – 12/1

Outside of the so-called ‘big six’, the bookies expect Leicester, Leeds, and Everton to go furthest.

Outright Winner – As we’ve just seen, the outright market is where you choose a team that you expect to win the whole competition.  The beginning of the season is the best time to place an outright winner bet because all teams are still in the competition.  With each win, the favourites get closer to the final, and their odds drop, so keep this in mind.

Finalists – With some bookmakers, you can also bet on who you think will reach the final.  If you don’t want your chosen team to get to the final and then lose, select them to reach the final instead.  For example, you might think that Everton will get to the final before losing to Chelsea.  If so, you can put money on Everton to reach the final.

Top Goalscorer – With squad rotations, lower-league teams playing in the first two rounds alone, and many other variables, it’s not guaranteed that a top player will end the year as the top goalscorer in the FA Cup.  For example, you only need to look back to the 2019/2020 season to see that Carlisle United’s Harry McKirdy scored more than anybody else.  Meanwhile, it was Padraig Amond of Newport County the year before that.

Last year, Tammy Abraham took the accolade alongside Kelechi Iheanacho and a handful of other players.  Do you think that a player from your local team will win the top goalscorer award?  Or will one of the top players score more than anybody else?

Popular Game Markets

While outright markets are fun with the FA Cup, it’s the round-to-round action that brings the competition alive.  For example, this includes accumulators each round.  Remember, shocks and upsets are part of history when it comes to the FA Cup.  If you choose an accumulator for ten of the favourites to win, it’s more likely to go wrong compared to all other competitions.

This year, teams in League Two will probably beat teams in the Championship.  Teams in the Premier League are likely to lose to teams in the Championship.  That’s just the way the FA Cup goes, and it has been the same for 150 years.  Stature and money mean nothing when it’s eleven against eleven on the football pitch.

As well as accumulators, you might also have fun betting on correct scores.  Typically, this will count for the 90 minutes alone rather than extra time and penalties.  Elsewhere, others bet on over/under goals, over/under corners, and all the other football markets that we’ve all come to know and love.  For example, this includes:

• Number of bookings
• Booking points
• Individual player to get booked
• Half-time/full-time
• Both teams to score
• Both teams to score in both halves

Promotions and Specials

While you might find promotions throughout the FA Cup tournament, they become more popular in January because this is when the Premier League teams enter.  Look hard enough, however, and you’ll find fun FA Cup betting offers even in the first two rounds (and qualifiers!).  With dozens of games on these early-round weekends, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into.  Some sites even offer FA Cup free bets, so keep your eyes peeled for these.

As the competition goes on, you’ll find more specials (and this is especially true as big names clash).  For instance, you’ll see special trebles and similar bets – an example would be Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham to all go through to the next round.

Live Betting

We should also note that live betting plays an important role just as it does in other football competitions.  Regardless of the betting platforms you choose, you’ll be able to bet on the many in-play markets surrounding the FA Cup games.

Have Southend United taken the lead against a team three divisions above?  Have Gillingham just scored an early goal against a Premier League team?  The odds will still be with the favourite, but you’ll enjoy a better return for a comeback than you would have done before kick-off.

Placing a bet on the FA Cup

For this example, I chose to go with 888 sport.  There are many other sportsbooks to choose from, five of which are reviewed at the end of this article.

First off, you’ll have to sign up to the site.  Some sites may let you make one-off bets without signing up, but many websites now require you to register with them in order to bet.  To sign up with 888 Sport, press the yellow “Join Now” button at the top right-hand corner of the landing page.

Next, you’ll have to go through a three-stage sign-up process.  Firstly, you’ll need to enter your name, country of residence, email, and date of birth.  You’ll also have to check a box confirming you are over 18 and that you agree to the T&Cs of the site.

Then you can choose your username, pick a password, and set your security question.

Finally, the site will ask you for your address, mobile number, and occupation in order to complete the registration process.  At this stage, you will also choose what currency you plan to use when depositing to the site.

Once you’re logged in, you’ll need to place a deposit before you can place a bet.  The deposit button is located at the top right corner of the screen, where the register button was displayed previously.

You will have to deposit in the currency you choose during the registration process.  You can deposit in increments of £10, with £10 being the minimum deposit you can make in pound sterling.

Once you’ve made a deposit, you’re all set up – time to place a bet!

Navigating this site is pretty easy, and there are a few ways to find what you’re looking for.  The easiest is by just using the search bar to find specific matches or competitions

But you can also find what you need through the category headings.  Click on football on the main menu to take you to all current matches.  To find the FA Cup matches, click on the “competitions” heading.

Then to find the English FA Cup click on the drop-down marked “England” and select “FA Cup.”

You can then choose to select to bet on matches or the outright result.  I decided to go for broke and bet on the outcome of the Cup final.

The teams are listed with the favourites at the top of the list and the underdogs further down.  The odds are displayed next to each team’s name.  I decided to bet on Manchester City.  Simply click on the box that displays the odds next to the team you want to wager on, and it will appear in the column on the right-hand side of the screen.  Then click on the “STAKE” button to enter the amount you want to bet.

You can then choose how much money you want to wager.  Once you’ve entered the amount, the amount you will win if your bet is successful will be displayed on the screen.

You also have the option to select E/W or Each Way, meaning that you will still get some money if your chosen team makes it to the final but doesn’t win.

Once you’ve placed your bet, all you need do now is wait for the outcome and hope your team doesn’t get knocked out in the first round!  If you can’t wait that long, or you want to make some more bets, this site has a great feature that shows you what other bets people have made based on the bet you are placing.  Just hit the drop-down box in the sidebar to find out what other matches you could bet on.

FA Cup Betting Tips

As promised, we’re now going to give you some tips for FA Cup betting!

Watch Games – Firstly, the best way to learn about teams and make good in-play decisions is to watch as many games as possible.  If one team is dominating and have just hit the post twice, you might bet on them to be the next team to score.  Thankfully, plenty of games are broadcast live in the UK, so you can keep abreast of all the action.

Enjoy the Early Rounds – Remember, teams from the Championship and Premier League don’t enter the competition until the Third Round.  Therefore, the first two rounds are all about League One, League Two, and non-league clubs that have made it through the various preliminary and qualifying stages.

In terms of betting, look for on-form teams playing teams on a bad run.  For example, a team top of League Two probably isn’t far away from a team in the relegation zone of League One.  Sometimes, form plays a bigger role than status, and this is why the FA Cup witnesses so many upsets each year.

Go Deeper – If you’re still betting on teams to win, this is the year to take your betting to the next level.  When you enter the booking points, corners, and goals markets, the result no longer matters.  While we love FA Cup upsets when nothing is riding on the games, they become a little frustrating when you’re trying to win a bet.  Suddenly, when you’re betting on there being five goals in a game, it doesn’t matter who wins – the favourite, or the underdog.

This year, play around with the markets that you’ve been ignoring for so long.  This includes goals, corners, booking points, and more.

Utilise Promotions – Every year, bookmakers get into the FA Cup and offer specific promotions and specials for the competition.  With this in mind, take advantage of the special FA Cup betting offers across multiple betting sites.  While some promotions will enhance odds for certain selections, others will boost winnings in an accumulator, and some will give you FA Cup free bets.

Track and Learn – Finally, always track your bets and head into your betting history once in a while.  If you aren’t willing to learn, your betting game will never improve (sorry!).  See what went wrong in the past and learn from it.  Over time, you’ll improve your FA Cup betting while also enjoying the whole experience.

Now you’ve had a comprehensive overview of how to bet, let’s explore some of the many FA Cup betting sites and make sure you’re on the right one for both success and enjoyment!