As English football’s giants prepare to enter this season’s FA Cup, here is a guide to the Third Round draw.
The competition hits the serious stage as reigning champions, Crystal Palace plus teams from Premier League and Championship enter the tournament, alongside the remaining League One and Two teams plus Non League clubs still in the hat.
Weston-Super-Mare meanwhile are making their first appearance at this stage of the competition.
Now, here is a guide to the Third Round draw of 2025-26 FA Cup containing ball numbers and more.
When is the Third Round Draw?
The Third Round draw will take place at approximately 6:40pm GMT on Monday 8 December live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK, hosted by Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist as Joe Cole and Peter Crouch make the draw.
How Many Teams will Feature in Third Round Draw?
44 clubs from across Premier League and Championship will enter the competition at this stage, alongside the 19 Second Round winners plus Brackley and Burton whose tie will be played following the draw.
| Ball Number | Team |
| 1 | AFC Bournemouth |
| 2 | Arsenal |
| 3 | Aston Villa |
| 4 | Birmingham |
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers |
| 6 | Brentford |
| 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 8 | Bristol City |
| 9 | Burnley |
| 10 | Charlton |
| 11 | Chelsea |
| 12 | Coventry |
| 13 | Crystal Palace |
| 14 | Derby County |
| 15 | Everton |
| 16 | Fulham |
| 17 | Hull City |
| 18 | Ipswich Town |
| 19 | Leeds United |
| 20 | Leicester |
| 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 | QPR |
| 33 | Sheffield United |
| 34 | Sheffield Wednesday |
| 35 | Southampton |
| 36 | Stoke City |
| 37 | Sunderland |
| 38 | Swansea City |
| 39 | Tottenham |
| 40 | Watford |
| 41 | West Brom |
| 42 | West Ham |
| 43 | Wolves |
| 44 | Wrexham |
| 45 | Macclesfield |
| 46 | Grimsby |
| 47 | Shrewsbury Town |
| 48 | Swindon |
| 49 | Weston-Super-Mare |
| 50 | Barnsley |
| 51 | Boreham Wood |
| 52 | MK Dons |
| 53 | Wigan |
| 54 | Fleetwood Town |
| 55 | Salford City |
| 56 | Mansfield |
| 57 | Cambridge United |
| 58 | Brackley/Burton Albion |
| 59 | Blackpool |
| 60 | Walsall |
| 61 | Exeter City |
| 62 | Cheltenham |
| 63 | Doncaster Rovers |
| 64 | Port Vale |
When is the Third Round Taking Place?
The Third Round will take place from 9-12 January live across BBC and TNT Sports in the UK, with winners receiving £115,000 of prize money plus a Fourth Round spot.

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