When is the FA Cup first-round draw?

The FA Cup first round draw takes place tonight, as the competition truly begins

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The FA Cup first round draw is tonight, as League One and League Two sides enter the tournament.

We're back and we're ready to do it all over again, with the greatest cup competition on Earth welcoming 80 teams into the first round proper, including 32 non-league sides daring to dream of a giant-killing run.

The draw for the first round of the 2026/27 FA Cup takes place on Monday October 19, at around 6:35pm.

The television coverage starts at 6:30pm BST, with the draw itself expected to begin at approximately five minutes later.

The FA Cup first-round draw is live on TNT Sports 1, available to on HBO Max, hosted by Matt Smith.

If you don't have TNT Sports, you can always the draw live on the TNT Sports YouTube channel.

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Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.