2019–20 Irish Cup


The 2019–20 Irish Cup was the 140th edition of the premier knock-out cup competition in Northern Irish football since its inauguration in 1881. The competition began on 17 August 2019, and concluded with the final at Windsor Park on 31 July 2020. The final was the first football match in the United Kingdom to host fans since the COVID-19 outbreak led to a pause in the season in March, with 250 fans from each team permitted at the final at Windsor Park.
Crusaders are the defending champions, having defeated NIFL Championship side Ballinamallard United 3–0 in the 2019 final to lift the cup for the first time since winning the 2009 final ten years earlier. It was also their fourth Irish Cup win overall.
The winners will qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League preliminary round.

Format and schedule

All ties level after 90 minutes use extra time to determine the winner, with a penalty shoot-out to follow if necessary.
125 clubs entered this season's competition - one fewer compared with the 2018–19 total of 126 clubs. Along with 35 of the 36 Northern Ireland Football League clubs, 90 regional league clubs from tiers 4–7 in the Northern Ireland football league system also entered the competition. All 101 clubs from level 3 and below entered in the first round, with 74 of them drawn into 37 first round fixtures and the remaining 27 clubs receiving a bye. The 37 first round winners were then joined by the 27 byes in the second round. After two further rounds, the eight surviving clubs join the 24 senior NIFL Premiership and NIFL Championship clubs in the fifth round. All ties level after 90 minutes use extra time to determine the winner, with a penalty shoot-out to follow if necessary.
RoundFirst match dateFixturesClubs
First Round17 August 201937125 → 88
Second Round27 September 20193088 → 56
Third Round2 November 20191656 → 40
Fourth Round30 November 2019840 → 32
Fifth Round4 January 20201632 → 16
Sixth RoundFebruary 2020816 → 8
Quarter-FinalsMarch 202048 → 4
Semi-FinalsMarch 202024 → 2
Final2 May 202012 → 1

TiersLeaguesNo. of EntriesEntry round
1NIFL Premiership12Fifth Round
2NIFL Championship12Fifth Round
3NIFL Premier Intermediate League11First Round
4Ballymena & Provincial Football League Premier Division
Mid-Ulster Football League Intermediate A
Northern Amateur Football League Premier Division
Northern Ireland Intermediate League		90First Round
5Mid-Ulster Football League Intermediate B
Northern Amateur Football League Division 1A		90First Round
6Northern Amateur Football League Division 1B90First Round
7Northern Amateur Football League Division 1C90First Round

Results

The league tier of each club at the time of entering the competition is listed in parentheses.
The draw for the first round took place on 5 July 2019. All clubs from level 3 and below entered in the first round, with 74 of them drawn into 37 first round fixtures and the remaining 27 clubs receiving a bye into the second round. The ties were played on 17 August 2019.

Second round

64 clubs entered the second round – the 37 first round winners along with the 27 byes. The matches were played on 27 and 28 September 2019. Crumlin Star and Hanover automatically advanced to the third round, after their opponents Trojans and Oxford United Stars both withdrew from the competition.

Third round

The 30 second round winners entered the third round along with the two byes. The matches were played on 2 November 2019.

Fourth round

The 16 third round winners entered the fourth round. The matches were played on 30 November 2019.

Fifth round

32 clubs entered the fifth round. The 24 clubs from the NIFL Premiership and NIFL Championship entered the competition at this stage, and were joined by the 8 fourth round winners. The matches were played on 4 January 2020.

Sixth round

The 16 fifth round winners entered the sixth round. The matches were played on 1 February 2020.

Quarter-finals

The 8 sixth round winners entered the quarter-finals, which were played on 28 and 29 February 2020.

Semi-finals

The four quarter-final winners will enter the semi-finals, which were originally scheduled to be played on 28 March 2020. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the semi-finals were postponed until 27 July 2020.

Final

The 2 semi-final winners will enter the final. The final was originally scheduled to be played in May 2020 at Windsor Park. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the final was postponed until 31 July 2020.