The FA Cup is a knockout tournament that starts in August and consists of seven rounds. The first six rounds are qualifying rounds where eligible lower teams battle it out to be one of the 32 to advance to the First Round Proper, where they face off against teams from League One and League Two. Premier League teams enter the FA Cup in the Third Round Proper. The competition finishes with the semi-finals and the final. The rounds of the 2023-24 FA Cup are as follows:
- Extra Preliminary Round: August 5, 2023
- Preliminary Round: August 19, 2023
- First Round Qualifying: September 2, 2023
- Second Round Qualifying: September 16, 2023
- Third Round Qualifying: September 30, 2023
- Fourth Round Qualifying: October 14, 2023
- First Round Proper: November 4, 2023
- Second Round Proper: December 2, 2023
- Third Round Proper: January 6, 2024
- Fourth Round Proper: January 27, 2024
- Fifth Round Proper: February 28, 2024
- Quarter-final: March 16, 2024
- Semi-final: April 20, 2024
- Final: May 25, 2024
It is worth noting that the dates listed are the "main dates," and fixtures will actually be held a day before and after that date. The draw for each round will be made a day or two after the completion of the previous round.
