Ball numbers, how to watch, fixture dates, potential opponents – 2025/26 FA Cup third round draw

Manchester City will find out their opponents for the third round of the 2025/26 FA Cup this week as their fixture list intensifies.

Pep Guardiola and his players continue to find themselves competing on all fronts as the notoriously challenging winter schedule gets underway, firmly engaged in a Premier League title race alongside the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in particular.

Elsewhere across competitions, and despite still having work to do, Manchester City are in a prominent position when it comes to their hopes of securing an automatic route into the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League.

And in the Carabao Cup, there is a quarter-final tie to look forward to later this month as Brentford visit the Etihad Stadium hoping to prevent Manchester City from reaching the final four of a competition they once won four times in a row under Pep Guardiola.

The start of a new FA Cup adventure will add fresh motivation into the legs of stars within the Etihad squad, as they continue to retain the highest of ambitions when it comes to silverware come the end of the campaign.

Now, as Manchester City and their star-studded prepare to find out their fate in their debut round of the latest edition of the FA Cup, here are all of the details for the third round draw procedure!

When is the FA Cup third round draw?

The draw for the FA Cup third round will take place on Monday 8 December 2025, starting at approximately 18:40 (UK) and conducted from Brackley Town before their second round tie against Burton Albion.

How can I watch the FA Cup third round draw live?

Those in the United Kingdom will be able to see the draw in full and live on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+, also available on the TNT Sports YouTube channel.

The draw for the third round of the FA Cup will be presented by Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist, with the draw procedure itself carried out by Joe Cole and Peter Crouch.

City Xtra will also provide live updates on Manchester City’s outcome in the draw.

What are the ball numbers for the FA Cup third round draw?

1. AFC Bournemouth

2. Arsenal

3. Aston Villa

4. Birmingham City

5. Blackburn Rovers

6. Brentford

7. Brighton & Hove Albion

8. Bristol City

9. Burnley

10. Charlton Athletic

11. Chelsea

12. Coventry City

13. Crystal Palace

14. Derby County

15. Everton

16. Fulham

17. Hull City

18. Ipswich Town

19. Leeds United

20. Leicester City

21. Liverpool

22. Manchester City

23. Manchester United

24. Middlesbrough

25. Millwall

26. Newcastle United

27. Norwich City

28. Nottingham Forest

29. Oxford United

30. Portsmouth

31. Preston North End

32. Queens Park Rangers

33. Sheffield United

34. Sheffield Wednesday

35. Southampton

36. Stoke City

37. Sunderland

38. Swansea City

39. Tottenham Hotspur

40. Watford

41. West Bromwich Albion

42. West Ham United

43. Wolverhampton Wanderers

44. Wrexham

45. Macclesfield

46. Grimsby Town

47. Shrewsbury Town

48. Swindon Town

49. Weston Super Mare

50. Barnsley

51. Boreham Wood

52. Milton Keynes Dons

53. Wigan Athletic

54. Fleetwood Town

55. Salford City

56. Mansfield Town

57. Cambridge United

58. Brackley Town or Burton Albion

59. Blackpool

60. Walsall

61. Exeter City

62. Cheltenham Town

63. Doncaster Rovers

64. Port Vale

When will the FA Cup third round fixtures be played?

The third round of the FA Cup will be played around the weekend of Saturday 10 January 2026, with games likely to run from Thursday to Monday.

What are the rest of the FA Cup round dates in 2026?

Fourth round: Saturday 14 February 2026

Fifth round: Saturday 7 March 2026

Quarter-finals: Saturday 4 April 2026

Semi-finals: Saturday 25 April 2026

Final: Saturday 16 May 2026