First played in 1871, the FA Cup is the oldest association football (as the non-US world calls soccer) competition on the planet.
FA stands for Football Association and the cup is competed for by English men’s football clubs in the Premier League and down through level 10. Of the 736 teams that participated in the 2015/2016 FA cup there can be only one highla winner and that team will qualify for the Europa League and get to go head to head with the previous year’s winner in a special match called the FA Community Shield.
The 2014/2015 FA Cup winners were Holloway-based Arsenal FC. They beat Aston Villa (a Birmingham team) in the final by a comfortable 4 – 0. Neither team will make it to the final this year, however. Arsenal is trying to save 4th place, though as last year’s champions they will play the Shield match against this year’s winners. Aston Villa has just been relegated to the Championship League, the league below the Premier League (the top level of English football). Villa has been in the Premier League for the last 29 years, so that’s pretty ouch.
While you wait for the Championship League resutls, take a look back at the 2014 FIFA cup in Brasil.