| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Defending champions | Bolton Wanderers |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Cardiff City(1st title) |
| Runners-up | Arsenal |
The1926–27 FA Cup was the 52nd staging of the world's oldestfootballcup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as theFA Cup. Welsh clubCardiff City won the competition for the first time, beatingArsenal 1–0 inthe final atWembley. As of 2024, it is the only FA Cup title won by a club from outside England.
Matches were scheduled to be played at the stadium of the team named first on the date specified for each round, which was always a Saturday. Some matches, however, might be rescheduled for other days if there were clashes with games for other competitions or the weather was inclement. If scores were level after 90 minutes had been played, a replay would take place at the stadium of the second-named team later the same week. If the replayed match was drawn further replays would be held until a winner was determined. If scores were level after 90 minutes had been played in a replay, a 30-minute period ofextra time would be played.
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Extra preliminary round | Saturday 4 September 1926 |
| Preliminary round | Saturday 18 September 1926 |
| First round qualifying | Saturday 2 October 1926 |
| Second round qualifying | Saturday 16 October 1926 |
| Third round qualifying | Saturday 30 October 1926 |
| Fourth round qualifying | Saturday 13 November 1926 |
| First round proper | Saturday 27 November 1926 |
| Second round proper | Saturday 11 December 1926 |
| Third round proper | Saturday 8 January 1927 |
| Fourth round proper | Saturday 29 January 1927 |
| Fifth round proper | Saturday 19 February 1927 |
| Sixth round proper | Saturday 5 March 1927 |
| Semi-Finals | Saturday 26 March 1927 |
| Final | Saturday 23 April 1927 |
Most participating clubs that were not members of theFootball League joined the competition in the qualifying rounds.
The 25 winners from this season's fourth qualifying round wereChilton Colliery Recreation,Bishop Auckland,Crook Town,Bedlington United,Annfield Plain,Carlisle United,Workington,Rhyl,Mexborough Athletic,York City,Boston Town,Wellington Town,Mansfield Town,Kettering Town,Desborough Town,Lowestoft Town,Barnet,Chatham,Sittingbourne,Woking,Kingstonian,Barking Town,Nunhead,Poole andWeymouth.
Those featuring at this stage for the first time were Bedlington United, Annfield Plain, Rhyl, York City, Desborough Town, Lowestoft Town, Kingstonian, Barking, Nunhead and Poole, while Woking progressed to the main draw for the first time since1907-08.
The most successful sides from this season's extra preliminary round wereBurscough Rangers andKidderminster Harriers, who progressed to the third qualifying round before losing toLancaster Town andWillenhall respectively.
At this stage 40 clubs from theFootball League Third Division North andSouth joined the 25non-league clubs who came through the qualifying rounds.Millwall andPlymouth Argyle were givenbyes to the third round, whileDurham City andQueens Park Rangers did not enter this season's competition. TwoSecond Division sides,Reading andGrimsby Town were entered at this stage. To bring the number of participating teams up to 76, nine non-league sides were given byes to this round. These were:
Northern Nomads (who were mainly based inGlossop at this time) and Stockton were the champion and finalist from the previous season'sFA Amateur Cup.
38 matches were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 27 November 1926. Eleven matches were drawn and went to replays in the following midweek fixture, of which two went to another replay.
The matches were played on Saturday, 11 December 1926. Three matches were drawn, with replays taking place in the following midweek fixture.
42 of the 44First andSecond Division clubs entered the competition at this stage, along with Third DivisionMillwall andPlymouth Argyle. Also given a bye to this round of the draw was amateur sideCorinthian.Carlisle United,Poole andRhyl were last teams from the qualifying rounds remaining in the competition.
The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 8 January 1927. Four matches were drawn and went to replays in the following midweek fixture, of which one went to a second replay.
The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 29 January 1927. Five games were drawn and went to replays in the following midweek fixture, of which one went to a second replay.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darlington | 0–2 | Cardiff City | 29 January 1927 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 3–1 | Southport | 29 January 1927 |
| 3 | Preston North End | 0–3 | Middlesbrough | 29 January 1927 |
| 4 | Southampton | 4–1 | Birmingham | 29 January 1927 |
| 5 | Reading | 3–1 | Portsmouth | 29 January 1927 |
| 6 | The Wednesday | 1–1 | South Shields | 29 January 1927 |
| Replay | South Shields | 1–0 | The Wednesday | 2 February 1927 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–0 | Nottingham Forest | 29 January 1927 |
| 8 | Derby County | 0–2 | Millwall | 29 January 1927 |
| 9 | Fulham | 0–4 | Burnley | 29 January 1927 |
| 10 | Barnsley | 1–3 | Swansea Town | 29 January 1927 |
| 11 | West Ham United | 1–1 | Brentford | 29 January 1927 |
| Replay | Brentford | 2–0 | West Ham United | 2 February 1927 |
| 12 | Hull City | 1–1 | Everton | 29 January 1927 |
| Replay | Everton | 2–2 | Hull City | 2 February 1927 |
| Replay | Hull City | 3–2 | Everton | 7 February 1927 |
| 13 | Chelsea | 7–2 | Accrington Stanley | 29 January 1927 |
| 14 | Port Vale | 2–2 | Arsenal | 29 January 1927 |
| Replay | Arsenal | 1–0 | Port Vale | 2 February 1927 |
| 15 | Leeds United | 0–0 | Bolton Wanderers | 29 January 1927 |
| Replay | Bolton Wanderers | 3–0 | Leeds United | 2 February 1927 |
| 16 | Corinthian | 1–3 | Newcastle United | 29 January 1927 |
The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 19 February 1927. There was one replay, played in the next midweek fixture.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Shields | 2–2 | Swansea Town | 19 February 1927 |
| Replay | Swansea Town | 2–1 | South Shields | 24 February 1927 |
| 2 | Southampton | 2–1 | Newcastle United | 19 February 1927 |
| 3 | Reading | 1–0 | Brentford | 19 February 1927 |
| 4 | Bolton Wanderers | 0–2 | Cardiff City | 19 February 1927 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–0 | Hull City | 19 February 1927 |
| 6 | Millwall | 3–2 | Middlesbrough | 19 February 1927 |
| 7 | Chelsea | 2–1 | Burnley | 19 February 1927 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 2–0 | Liverpool | 19 February 1927 |
The four sixth round ties were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 5 March 1927. There were two replays, played in the following midweek fixture.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Millwall | 0–0 | Southampton | 5 March 1927 |
| Replay | Southampton | 2–0 | Millwall | 9 March 1927 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 0–0 | Cardiff City | 5 March 1927 |
| Replay | Cardiff City | 3–2 | Chelsea | 9 March 1927 |
| 3 | Swansea Town | 1–3 | Reading | 5 March 1927 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 2–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5 March 1927 |
The semi-final matches were played on Saturday, 26 March 1927. Cardiff City and Arsenal went on to meet in the final at Wembley.
The 1927 FA Cup Final was won byCardiff City, who beatArsenal 1–0. It is most remembered for ArsenalgoalkeeperDan Lewis' mistake which led to the only goal of the game. It was also the first ever Cup Final to be broadcast byBBC Radio. Commentators wereDerek McCulloch andGeorge Allison, who would later manage Arsenal.
      Cardiff City | Arsenal |
