TheWomen's FA Challenge Cup[1] is the top annual cup tournament forwomen's clubs inEnglish football.[2][3] Founded in 1970, it has been named theWFA Cup,FA Women's Cup, and nowWomen's FA Cup (currently known as the Adobe Women's FA Cup for sponsorship reasons).
Designed as an equivalent to theFA Cup in men's football, the competition began in1970–71 as the Mitre Challenge Trophy, organised by theWomen's Football Association (WFA).[4] There were 71 entrants, including teams from Scotland and Wales.[5]
The WFA ran the competition for the first 23 editions, during which timeSouthampton won the cup eight times.The Football Association (FA) began administering English women's football in mid-1993.[6]
Arsenal holds the record for most titles overall, having won fourteen times.[7] The current cup holders areChelsea, who defeatedManchester United 3–0 in the2025 final to win their sixth FA Cup title.[8]
Everton players with the FA Women's Cup trophy in 2010
The competition, founded in 1970, was sponsored as theMitre Challenge Trophy until April 1976.[9]
As a Women's Football Association competition until 1992–93, it was known as theWFA Cup or more informally as theWomen's FA Cup. After the running of the competition passed to the FA in 1993–94, the Association renamed it as theFA Women's Cup,[10][11] until 2015.[12][13] The name was officially reworded as theWomen's FA Cup in June 2015,[14] before that year'sfinal.[15][16] The tournament rules, as in the men's FA Cup, name it theWomen's FA Challenge Cup.[1]
The first women's Mitre Challenge Trophy matches were played in1970,[17] and the first final was held on 9 May 1971 atCrystal Palace National Sports Centre.[9] The WFA was initially named theLadies Football Association of Great Britain,[9] and Scottish clubs were successful in reaching the first three finals of this tournament (albeit as runners-up). Two of these clubs were runners-up in England while also winning theScottish Women's Cup in the same season,Stewarton Thistle in 1971 and Westthorn United in 1973.
Women's FA Cup (left) trophy on display beside the men's trophy.
The original Mitre Challenge Trophy has "disappeared", according to the WFA History records.[9] This cup was replaced in May 1979 when the Football Association donated a new trophy for the competition's winners, to mark the WFA's tenth anniversary.[9]
1970–71 cup winnerSue Lopez said it was suspected that a player "tucked it away somewhere in a trophy cabinet", and she was trying to locate the original cup for theNational Football Museum in 2015.[20]
The current Women's FA Cup trophy was one of the first prestigious trophies to be made in theThomas Lyte silver workshop.[21]
In the late 1980s[28] and early 1990s,[29] television coverage of the WFA final was provided byChannel 4.
Between 2001 and 2008, the final of the tournament was covered by theBBC and presented byCelina Hinchcliffe,Rebecca Lowe, Ray Stubbs and Jake Humphrey; the punditry team was usually current players like Sue Scott and commentary usually by Steve Wilson and Lucy Ward or Faye White and always played on the May Day bank holiday. The final was also simulcast onBBC Radio 5 Live. In 2009, the final was shown on most of the stations in theITV1 network, with commentary from Jon Champion and Lucy Ward.Sky Sports secured a three-year deal for live coverage from 2010 until 2012.[30]
The BBC then picked up the rights in 2013 and that lasted until 2025.
On 16 May 2025, the FA officially announced that coverage would be moved toTNT Sports and also make a return back toChannel 4. Under the deal, which lasts until the 2027–28 season, TNT Sports will air 19 matches including one match in the first round and one in the second round for the first time in history. Channel 4 will televise one match per round starting in the third round, with all five of Channel 4's selected matches, and the Final also airing on TNT Sports, with both broadcasters having their own presenters, pundits and commentary teams.[31]
Sponsors of the original WFA competition (1970–1993) includedMitre,[4] Pony Wines andMycil.[29]
In the FA competition, the sponsors have beenUK Living (1995–1998),Axa (1998–2002),Nationwide Building Society (2002–2006) andE.ON[32][33] (2006–2011). From 2007,Tesco obtained additional branding and advertising rights through their partnership agreement with the FA.[34]
Despite sponsorship by these major companies, entering the tournament has actually cost clubs more than they often get in prize money. In 2015 it was reported that even ifNotts County had won the tournament outright the paltry £8,600 winnings would leave them out of pocket.[35] The winners of the men'sFA Cup in the same year received £1.8 million, with teams not even reaching the first round proper getting more than the women's winners.[36]In September 2020, the FA announced that health and life insurance and investment companyVitalityHealth had signed a deal to become the sponsor of the competition until July 2023.[37]
In November 2023, after three years with Vitality, the FA announced thatAdobe Inc. would become the sponsor of the competition for three years, through to July 2026. The partnership would focus on "increasing fan engagement and raising the profile of the competition". In addition, all 460 clubs that participate in the competition would gain access to, and training onAdobe Express, a graphic design tool.[38]
^abcdef"The WFA Cup".History of the Women's Football Association. 29 April 2017. Retrieved6 October 2020.
^Examples of use in 1993: "■ FA SUNDAY CUP".Sandwell Evening Mail. 19 November 1993. p. 69. Retrieved6 October 2020. "Derby day for ladies".Hammersmith & Shepherds Bush Gazette. 3 December 1993. p. 73. Retrieved6 October 2020.
^"And on the following Sunday [1 November] the Lichfield girls visit Leicester City Supporters L.F.C. in the All British Ladies' F.A. Cup." "PALACE".Lichfield Mercury. 23 October 1970. p. 20. Retrieved21 October 2020.
2025–26 Women's FA Cup
for Scotland.
