When is the 2023/24 FA Cup quarter-final draw and how to watch?
None of Sam Corne, George Elokobi or even the fan dressed as Harry Potter had enough magic to take sixth-tier Maidstone United into the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Ellis Simms ended the fairytale run with a hat-trick in a 5-0 mauling to book Coventry City’s place in the last eight. The Stones may be rolling no more but there is still plenty of intrigue and interest left as the world’s oldest football competition ticks towards the conclusion of another season.
Here’s everything you need to know about the process that will reveal the quarter-final fixtures which Maidstone missed out on.
David Seaman has handled plenty of balls across a glittering career that included four FA Cup triumphs. While he won’t require the otherworldly agility employed to claw away Paul Peschisolido’s point-blank range effort in the 2003 semi-final, Seaman will be wrapping his famously safe hands around the balls for the quarter-final draw.
The former Arsenal goalkeeper will get the process underway on Wednesday 28 February at 19:00 (GMT), with half of the fifth-round ties still to play.
The 1970 FA Cup final between Chelsea and Leeds United remains the most-watched club game in English football history. There probably won’t be quite the same 28.5 million people tuning in for Wednesday’s fifth-round tie between the two clubs, but those who are watching on from home will get to see the quarter-final draw.
Seema Jaswal will host the understated ceremony on ITV4 shortly before Chelsea and Leeds clash at Stamford Bridge. The draw will also be available across the Football Association’s various social media channels.
|
Number |
Team |
|---|---|
|
1 |
Blackburn or Newcastle |
|
2 |
Chelsea or Leeds |
|
3 |
Bournemouth or Leicester |
|
4 |
Liverpool or Southampton |
|
5 |
Nottingham Forest or Man Utd |
|
6 |
Wolves or Brighton |
|
7 |
Coventry City |
|
8 |
Luton or Man City |
The four quarter-finals are scheduled across the weekend of Saturday 16 March.
There is an entire fleet of Premier League fixtures tentatively pencilled in for that same weekend, including a fierce capital clash between Arsenal and Chelsea as well as a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
The FA Cup may be viewed as inferior to the Premier League by plenty of fans (and managers) but it retains top billing when consulting the schedule. As is tradition, any clubs still involved in the cup will play their quarter-final while any clashing league fixtures will be rearranged for a later date.