Since the establishment of its current format in 1925, only 11
non-Leaguefootball clubs β that is, clubs outside the divisions of the
Football League and, since 1992, the
Premier League β have reached the Fifth Round of the
FA Cup, to become one of the
last 16 clubs in the competition. To date, only
Lincoln City has subsequently reached the next round, the
quarter-finals (previously known as the Sixth Round).[1][2]
The Football League was founded in 1888; prior to this, all teams entered the FA Cup as equals, and random
byes were used where required based on the number of clubs entering.[a] A qualifying tournament was introduced in
1888β89, giving priority access to the first round for leading Football League clubs, though stronger non-League teams were also given direct entry, ahead of lower-ranked Football League teams.
After the foundation of the Football League, non-League teams reached the FA Cup Final on four occasions:
The Wednesday of the
Football Alliance in
1889β90,
Southampton of the
Southern League in
1899β1900 and
1901β02, and
Tottenham Hotspur of the Southern League, who became the only non-League winners in
1900β01. The Football League continued to strengthen over time, and in 1920β21 it expanded to absorb the 20 strongest Southern League teams, followed by the addition of two more southern teams and 18 leading northern non-League clubs the following year, making the eminent so-called non-League divisions by this point feeders to the Football League rather than be running parallel to it.
The reformatting of the FA Cup to six rounds before the semi-finals was introduced a few years later for the
1925β26 FA Cup.[3] Prior to this new format, the last non-League teams to reach the last 16 were Southampton and
Queens Park Rangers of the Southern League in
1914β15, after the latter had reached the quarter-finals in
1913β14.
Teams
Note: Goals scored by the team involved in the cup run are shown first, irrespective of the match being home, away, or at a neutral venue.
To date, Lincoln City remains the only non-League side to have progressed past the fifth round to the quarter-finals. Prior to this, the last nonβLeague side to reach the quarter finals were
Queens Park Rangers in
1913β14, before the current format was introduced.
^The exception to this was the second tournament, the
1872β73 FA Cup, in which the holders
Wanderers were awarded a bye to the final under the original intention to operate the Cup as a
challenge tournament
^
abTier 4 was the highest non-League level at the time, as the Football League only had three tiers until the
1958β59 season.