THE FA CUP is the oldest football competition in the world – and it is quite simply priceless.
There is no substitute for an epic Cup upset and some of English football’s greatest matches have taken place in this prized tournament.
But one of the issues that has seen the FA Cup lag behind the Premier League in terms of popularity is the prize money.
Clubs can simply earn millions more from moving a few places up in the Prem table, while getting through the rounds in the Cup is not such a priority.
That sad economic reality does not take away from the romance of this competition though – and players from the UK and abroad still marvel at the idea of lifting the cup at Wembley.
The prize pot changes every season and last term the winnings actually went DOWN to £3.4million, but it has increased again.
FA Cup winner odds and free bets
Here we look at how much money clubs can earn from being in the competition.
The FA’s prize fund sees the winner of the final bag £2million, for the match itself.
But they will also cash in increasing sums for winning the previous rounds.
If a team from the Premier League wins the FA Cup – which is likely – they will only play from the third round onwards.
This means if a team goes all the way they will land a £3.9m windfall for winning all the rounds.
Should a team from the first round lift the trophy, which is highly unlikely, they will scoop £4.08m.
