The FA Cup is the premier cup competition in the English football league system and it never fails to generate interest in the sports betting markets.
It’s a tournament that remains sacred to all fans and teams, but importantly for those teams, it pays rather well – particularly once the Championship and Premier League clubs are invited to play.
Progressing far in the FA Cup can prove to be a real boon for both the prize money earned and the other unlocked revenue streams that flow with each win. So, here’s a look at how FA Cup prize money is distributed at each phase.
Complete FA Cup Prize Money List
Here is the complete list of FA Cup prize money distribution, showing how much teams earn for winning each round, as well as how much losing teams take should a payment to the losing team be made available by the FA:
- Extra Preliminary Round Winners £1,125 (Losers £375)
- Preliminary Round Winners £1,444 (Losers £481)
- First Round Qualifying Winners £2,250 (Losers £750)
- Second Round Qualifying Winners £3,375 (Losers £1,125)
- Third Round Qualifying Winners £5,625 (Losers £1,875)
- Fourth Round Qualifying Winners £9,375 (Losers £3,125)
- First Round Proper Winners £45,000 (Losers £15,000
- Second Round Proper Winners £75,000 (Losers £20,000)
- Third Round Proper Winners £115,000 (Losers £25,000)
- Fourth Round Proper Winners £120,000
- Fifth Round Proper Winners £225,000
- Quarter-final Winners £450,000
- Semi-final Winners £1 million (Losers £500,000)
- Final Winners £2 million (Losers £1 million)
How Much FA Cup Prize Money Does the Winning Team Get?
How much in FA Cup prize money the winning team will get varies a fair bit depending on where they begin their FA Cup journey.
The most successful FA Cup teams all remain in the Premier League today, which adds backing to the idea that the eventual cup winner will almost certainly enter the tournament in the Third Round Proper.
From the Third Round, a team can collect payouts of £115,000, £120,000, £225,000, £450,000, £1 million, and £2 million to amass £3.91 million in FA Cup prize money for lifting the trophy.
As a team outside of the top tier of English football hasn’t won the FA Cup since West Ham United in 1980, and given the FA Cup odds each season, it’d be safe to say that the winners get £3.91 million in total FA Cup prize money.
How Do Gate Receipt Splits Compare to the FA Cup Prize Money?
For clubs competing in League Two, League One, and many in the Championship, the FA Cup prize money on offer isn’t anywhere near as lucrative as the potential earnings from a gate receipt split for an away game.
Progressing from the Extra Preliminary Round all the way to winning the Second Round Proper would net a club £143,194 in FA Cup prize money.
Enter the Third Round Proper and draw a Premier League team, and their gate receipt split alone could easily eclipse that figure.
Generally, teams in the top flight range from getting £5.1 million and £900,000 in average gate receipts, but for cup games, most slash their ticket prices in certain parts of the ground.
In the FA Cup, the rules state t92hat teams pay ten per cent to the competition and then receive an equal 45-45 split of the gate receipts. This is regardless of whether the match is played at a Premier League stadium or a League Two ground.
If not at a mega stadium owned by a Premier League team, a host team will still get a chunk of cash by way of facilities fees for hosting a live TV broadcast. Still, the gate receipt split at a big stadium would pay much better.
