Who won the first FA Cup?

The FA Cup has been going for over 150 years, but it's still yet to lose its fabled magic.

It continues to throw up some of the most heart-warming and dramatic stories in football each season, with plenty of memorable giant-killings over the years.

A competition that often creates some peculiar match-ups, especially in the early rounds, the FA Cup remains a much-loved fixture of the English football calendar.

The FA Cup has been running since the 1800s, so who was the first team to ever get their hands on the famous silver trophy?

Who won the first FA Cup?

Funnily enough, the team that won the very first FA Cup doesn't actually exist anymore and hasn't for a very long time.

The first edition of the FA Cup was played way back in 1872 and it was won by a team called Wanderers Football Club. They'd been founded in 1859 as Forest FC but they dissolved in 1887. They were formed in Leytonstone which is an area of east London.

Wanderers actually won the FA Cup five times in its early years but the team's fortunes then swiftly declined as other clubs came into existence that were linked to major schools and players decided to play for their old school teams instead, meaning Wanderers struggled to raise enough numbers to be competitive.

In the very first final, Wanderers beat Royal Engineers at the Kennington Oval in London. There were around 2,000 fans in the stadium who had each paid a shilling to watch the game. At the time, football matches were played without crossbars or goal nets. There were no free kicks or penalties and the pitch markings did not include a centre circle or a halfway line.

The teams also changed ends after every goal went in. The first final ended Wanderers 1-0 Royal Engineers. The favourites to win the game were actually the Engineers; they saw Lieutenant Cresswell break his collarbone after just 10 minutes but he still 'stayed at his post'.

Who has won the most FA Cups?

Given the extensive history of the FA Cup, it's hardly surprising that a wide array of teams have lifted the famous trophy in years gone by. In fact, including disbanded teams and old university and school sides, 44 different clubs have won the competition before.

There are only two teams that have won the FA Cup more than ten times: Manchester United and Arsenal.

The Red Devils have won the competition 12 times, while also appearing as runners-up on nine occasions. Their first victory came in 1909 with a 1-0 win against Bristol City, while their most recent triumph was in 2016 after an extra-time victory over Crystal Palace.

Arsenal are the record winners of England's premier cup competition, taking home the trophy on 14 separate occasions. The Gunners most recently won their favourite competition back in 2020, a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brace helping them defeat Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

Most successful FA Cup teams

Games to look out for in the 2023/24 FA Cup third round

One of the standout fixtures of this year's FA Cup third round comes at record champions Arsenal, the Gunners hosting eight-time winners Liverpool. Both sides have won the trophy since 2020, but one will face an early exit on this occasion.

The other eye-watering tie comes at the Stadium of Light in a now rare Tyne-Wear derby between Sunderland and Newcastle. Due to the Black Cats' struggles in recent years, these two haven't met since 2016, but it promises to be a fiery and memorable occasion this season.

There aren't too many other tantalising ties, with last year's winners Man City hosting Championship Huddersfield Town. The 2022/23 runners-up Man Utd will travel to Wigan Athletic, while Chelsea host Preston North End.

The lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition are Maidstone United, the non-league outfit hosting League One Stevenage.

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