2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds


The 2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds open the 138th season of competition in England for The Football Association Challenge Cup, the world's oldest association football single knockout competition. A total of 736 teams were accepted for the competition, one fewer than the previous year's 737.
The large number of non-League teams entering the tournament, from in the English football pyramid, required the competition to start with six rounds of preliminary and qualifying knockout matches. The 32 winning teams from the [|Fourth Qualifying Round] progressed to the First Round Proper, where League teams tiered at Levels 3 and 4 entered the competition.

Calendar

The calendar for the 2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, as announced by The Football Association.
RoundMain DateNumber of FixturesClubs RemainingNew Entries This RoundLosing ClubWinning Club
[|Extra Preliminary Round]11 August 2018184736 → 552368: 369th–736th£ 750£ 2,250
[|Preliminary Round]25 August 2018160552 → 392136: 233rd–368th£ 960£ 2,890
[|First Qualifying Round]8 September 2018116392 → 27672: 161st–232nd£ 6,000
[|Second Qualifying Round]22 September 201880276 → 19644: 117th–160th£ 9,000
[|Third Qualifying Round]6 October 201840196 → 1560£ 15,000
Fourth Qualifying Round20 October 201832156 → 12424: 93rd–116th£ 25,000

Extra Preliminary Round

Extra Preliminary Round fixtures were played on Friday 10, Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 August 2018; replays were to take place no later than Thursday 16 August 2018. The draw was held on Friday 6 July 2018. A total of 368 teams, from Level 8, Level 9 and Level 10 of English football, entered at this stage of the competition. The round included 80 teams from Level 10 of English football, the lowest ranked clubs to compete in the tournament. The results were as follows:

Preliminary Round

Preliminary Round fixtures were played on Friday 24, Saturday 25, Sunday 26 and Monday 27 August 2018; replays were to take place no later than Thursday 6 September 2018. The draw was held on 6 July 2018. A total of 320 teams took part in this stage of the competition, including the 184 winners from the Extra Preliminary Round and 136 entering at this stage from Level 7 and Level 8 of English football. The round included 32 teams from Level 10, the lowest-ranked teams still in the competition. The results were as follows:

First Qualifying Round

First Qualifying Round fixtures were to be played on Friday 7, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 September 2018; replays no later than Thursday 13 September 2018. The draw was held on 28 August 2018. A total of 232 teams took part in this stage of the competition, including the 160 winners from the Preliminary Round and 72 entering at this stage from the four leagues at Level 7 of English football. The round included 8 teams from Level 10, the lowest-ranked teams still in the competition. The results were as follows:

Second Qualifying Round

Second Qualifying Round fixtures were played on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 September 2018; the last replay played on Thursday 7 October 2018. The draw was held on 10 September 2018. A total of 160 teams took part in this stage of the competition, including the 116 winners from the First Qualifying Round and 44 entering at this stage from the two leagues at Level 6 of English football. The round included 3 teams from Level 10, the lowest-ranked teams still in the competition. The results were as follows:

Third Qualifying Round

Third Qualifying Round fixtures were to be played on Saturday 6 October 2018 with all replays completed by Thursday 11 October 2018. The draw took place on 24 September 2018. The 80 winning teams from the Second Qualifying Round took part in this stage of the competition and no additional teams entered at this stage. The round included one team, Dunston UTS, from Level 9 of the football pyramid as the lowest-ranked team still in the competition. The results were as follows:

Fourth Qualifying Round

Fourth Qualifying Round fixtures were played on Saturday 20 October 2018 with all replays completed by Thursday 25 October 2018. The draw took place on 8 October 2018. A total of 64 teams took part in this stage of the competition: the 40 winners from the Third Qualifying Round and the 24 members of the National League who entered at this stage, representing Level 5 of English football. The round included Dunston UTS from Level 9 of the football pyramid, the lowest-ranked team still in the competition. The draw was as follows.

Competition proper

32 winners from the Fourth Qualifying Round advance to the First Round Proper, where 48 teams from League One and League Two of English football, operating in the English Football League, enter the competition.

Broadcasting rights

The Qualifying Rounds aren't covered by the FA Cup's broadcasting contracts held by BBC Sport and BT Sport, although one game per round will be broadcast by the BBC on its media platforms.
The following Qualifying Rounds matches were broadcast live in the UK:
RoundTieBroadcaster
Extra Preliminary RoundHaverhill Rovers vs Haverhill Borough BBC Sport
Preliminary RoundPrestwich Heys vs Radcliffe BBC Sport
First Qualifying RoundMaltby Main vs Frickley Athletic BBC Sport
Second Qualifying RoundLymington Town vs Torquay United BBC Sport
Third Qualifying RoundPeterborough Sports vs Chorley BBC Sport
Fourth Qualifying RoundDunston UTS vs Gateshead BBC Sport