25/26 FA Cup Third Round TV, streaming, selections with dates confirmed

25/26 FA Cup Third Round TV, streaming, selections with dates also confirmed in an announcement made on Monday (15 Dec) afternoon.

It will be played from Friday 9th to Monday 12th of January 2026, with 22 matches available for fans to watch live, and the schedule can be seen below (all kick-off times are in GMT).

Initially, just eight were picked to be shown on TNT Sports and the BBC. But now another 14 games have been selected to be shown on discovery+.

The full schedule for the 2025-26 #EmiratesFACup Third Round has now been finalised.

The Third Round will take place from Friday 9 to Monday 12 January 2026, with 22 matches available for fans to watch live 📺

🔗 https://t.co/5NLBXLqGLZ pic.twitter.com/2jRxkqZY2q

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) December 15, 2025

FRIDAY 9 JANUARY 2026

19:30: Milton Keynes Dons v. Oxford United on discovery+
19:30: Port Vale v. Fleetwood Town on discovery+
19:30: Preston North End v. Wigan Athletic on discovery+
19:30: Wrexham v. Nottingham Forest on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+

SATURDAY 10 JANUARY 2026

12:15: Cheltenham Town v. Leicester City on discovery+
12:15: Everton v. Sunderland on discovery+
12:15: Macclesfield v. Crystal Palace on BBC One, iPlayer, TNT Sports 1 and discovery+
12:15: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Shrewsbury Town on discovery+
15:00: Boreham Wood v. Burton Albion
15:00: Burnley v. Millwall
15:00: Doncaster Rovers v. Southampton
15:00: Fulham v. Middlesbrough
15:00: Ipswich Town v. Blackpool
15:00: Manchester City v. Exeter City
15:00: Newcastle United v. AFC Bournemouth
15:00: Salford City v. Swindon Town
15:00: Sheffield Wednesday v. Brentford
15:00: Stoke City v. Coventry City
17:45: Bristol City v. Watford on discovery+
17:45: Cambridge United v. Birmingham City on discovery+
17:45: Tottenham Hotspur v. Aston Villa on BBC One, iPlayer, TNT Sports 1 and discovery+
17:45: Grimsby Town v. Weston Super Mare on discovery+
20:00: Charlton Athletic v. Chelsea on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+

SUNDAY 11 JANUARY 2026

12:00: Derby County v. Leeds United on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+
14:00: Portsmouth v. Arsenal on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+
14:30: Hull City v. Blackburn Rovers on discovery+
14:30: Norwich City v. Walsall on discovery+
14:30: Sheffield United v. Mansfield Town on discovery+
14:30: Swansea City v. West Bromwich Albion on discovery+
14:30: West Ham United v. Queens Park Rangers on discovery+
16:30: Manchester United v. Brighton & Hove Albion on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+

MONDAY 12 JANUARY 2026

19:45: Liverpool v. Barnsley on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+

All 64 clubs will receive guaranteed payments from the competition’s prize fund for winning or losing their tie. Those involved in television broadcast selections on linear channels will receive an additional £80,000, and the fee for clubs participating in the matches streamed on discovery+ only is £40,000.

Live television broadcast selections are scheduled collaboratively with the participating clubs, the local authorities and police, and the broadcasters.

The fourth round draw will be shown live by TNT Sports before Liverpool v. Barnsley on Monday 12 January 2026, and ties will be played around the weekend of Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 February.

FA CUP SECOND ROUND RESULTS

Tie – Home team – (Tier) – Score – Away team – (Tier)
5 December 2025 – Salford City (4) 4–0 Leyton Orient (3)
6 December 2025 – Accrington Stanley (4) 2–2 (a.e.t.)(1–3 p) Mansfield Town (3)
6 December 2025 – Chelmsford City (6) 0–2 Weston-super-Mare (6)
6 December 2025 – Cheltenham Town (4) 6–2 Buxton (6)
6 December 2025 – Exeter City (3) 4–0 Wycombe Wanderers (3)
6 December 2025 – Fleetwood Town (4) 2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) Luton Town (3)
6 December 2025 – Grimsby Town (4) 4–0 Wealdstone (5)
6 December 2025 – Milton Keynes Dons (4) 3–1 Oldham Athletic (4)
6 December 2025 – Peterborough United (3) 0–1 Barnsley (3)
6 December 2025 – Port Vale (3) 1–0 Bristol Rovers (4)
6 December 2025 – Stockport County (3) 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) Cambridge United (4)
6 December 2025 – Swindon Town (4) 4–0 Bolton Wanderers (3)
6 December 2025 – Wigan Athletic (3) 2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) Barrow (4)
6 December 2025 – Sutton United (5) 1–2 (a.e.t.) Shrewsbury Town (4)
6 December 2025 – Chesterfield (4) 1–2 Doncaster Rovers (3)
7 December 2025 – Slough Town (6) 1–3 (a.e.t.) Macclesfield (6)
7 December 2025 – Boreham Wood (5) 3–0 Newport County (4)
7 December 2025 – Gateshead (5) 0–2 Walsall (4)
7 December 2025 – Blackpool (3) 4–1 Carlisle United (5)
8 December 2025 – Brackley Town (5) 1-3 Burton Albion (3)

Here’s how fans reacted as more 25/26 FA Cup Third Round TV, streaming, selections are made with dates confirmed…

@LP15393: You’ve chose Port Vale vs Fleetwood over Man City vs Exeter. Christ you’ve got some absolute clowns working at the FA 😂😂

@James_Nelson20: Paywalls for the FA cup, you fuckers have no idea at all. You’ll ruin the FA cup for generations, shite.

@bradtheobald93: Someone explain how Man City vs Exeter City isn’t on tv at all!!!! Probably lost around £300-400k due to not being on tv! 😡 #ecfc

@Luke180101: Absolutely ridiculous we’ve got Prem fa cup ties on telly, it’s boring, so many clubs that could benefit from the TV payments

@james_flynn: 32 fixtures. 22 televised. Saturday 3pm just isn’t the default football time anymore.

@rkhargreaves: Paywalls and lots of very boring picks. At least someone had sense to pick Macclesfield v Palace

@ColinPep1: It used to be so special when they were pretty much all played Saturday 3pm, with perhaps one Sunday game on match of the day

@harvisterc: Hold on why is Manchester City/Exeter City still not being shown. Tf is going on??

@Baz_GTFC: No Saturday 3pm games & no thought given to the match going fans either. Seriously doing your best to ruin this competition.

@cam__backrath: For the fans as always…

@DanLove866: Nothing but short of a disgrace. I know we aren’t in it, but this is absolutely honking, and it’s only going to get worse. Really wish the clubs were allowed to appeal such decisions for the sake of their own supporters who are willing to attend.

@LSwallow74: RIP The FA Cup

@Andrewick123: Fuck off on a friday at half 7 #oufc

@Callum_OUFC: What a disgrace. So much for football being for the fans. This competition is as good as dead

@United4Life_20: Incredibly harsh on Exeter, 22 matches to watch and no City v Exeter? Someone needs to explain that decision.

@FPL_Insight_: No thoughts for the match going fans yet again. Shock.

@DanLove866: Ah yes, who wants to pay money to watch PORT VALE VS FLEETWOOD on a Friday night? Absolutely fucking nobody.

@deano_cee: Extra 40k for being on discovery plus only… only 1 non-league side not given a slot. Instead you have games like Cheltenham vs. Leicester and Bristol City vs. Watford that dont need the money and wont get views

@WFCJamie2: Discovery+ and TNT are a fucking joke, hardly surprising there’s no regard for the matchgoing fan 🥴

@JellisSzn: 5 games being shown simultaneously on Discovery+ on the Sunday (including us), does ANYONE apart from Walsall and Norwich fans want to see that game? I don’t even think I want to tbh. And not putting Exeter vs. Man City over any of these 🤦‍♂️