Women's FA Cup 2023 key dates as five-time winners Chelsea bid to retain trophy
The Women’s World Cup might be in full swing, but dates for the upcoming season’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup have been released with a promise for another heady quest for cup glory.
Last season’s Women’s FA Cup threw up some particularly tasty clashes, from Aston Villa mounting a dramatic 2-1 quarter-final victory over WSL rivals Manchester City to fourth tier Welsh side Cardiff City Ladies fighting to an unexpected fifth-round berth.
Chelsea eventually reclaimed the FA Cup trophy, with Sam Kerr treating a record-breaking crowd of 77,390 at Wembley Stadium to her iconic celebratory backflip as she provided the only goal of the day against Manchester United.
But next season’s campaign promises to be ever more dramatic and the Mirror is here to provide you with all the key dates and information you need to keep on top of the action.
When is the FA Cup?
First Round Qualifying : Sunday 10 September 2023
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Second Round Qualifying : Sunday 1 October 2023
Third Round Qualifying : Sunday 22 October 2023
First Round Proper : Sunday 12 November 2023
Second Round Proper : Sunday 26 November 2023
Third Round Proper : Sunday 10 December 2023
Fourth Round Proper : Sunday 14 January 2024
Fifth Round Proper : Sunday 11 February 2024
Quarter Final : Sunday 10 March 2024
Semi Final : Sunday 14 April 2024
Final : Saturday 11 or Sunday 12 May 2024
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How many teams are in the Women’s FA Cup this year?
This season’s competition will see 456 clubs compete for the trophy, which is 39 more clubs than last year which saw 417 clubs enter the competition.
When are the draws for the first and second round qualifying?
The draws for the first round qualifying and second round qualifying will be released, along with the Competition Rules and 2023-24 prize fund on Friday 4 August.
What teams are exempt from certain rounds?
The 24 clubs that comprise the Women’s National League Premier Division–England’s third tier of women’s domestic football–who will be exempt to the First Round Proper.
Following that, the 12 clubs from the Women’s Championship will be exempt to the Third Round Proper.
And finally, the 12 Women’s Super League sides will join the competition in the Fourth Round Proper.
How will this affect the WSL and Championship domestic season?
The 2023/24 WSL is set to commence during the first weekend of October 2023 with the final round of fixtures to be played during the weekend of 18 May 2024. This means that the FA Cup final will be played the weekend prior to the WSL season's final round of fixtures.
This is different to last season, which saw the FA Cup final played two weeks before the final round of league fixtures to tee up a dramatic and tense ending to the season.
Meanwhile, the Women's Championship will begin during the final weekend of August 2023 and finish during the final weekend of April 2024.
How much money will clubs make?
The 2023-24 prize fund will be confirmed on 4 August.
Last year saw landmark investment injected into the tournament as the competition received an uplift to £3m per year up from £428,915. Consequently, Chelsea received £100,000 for winning the tournament, while Manchester United received £50,000 for their runners-up berth, while the rest of the prize money was spread throughout the competition.
Nevertheless, historic discussions over equal FA Cup prize money was far from subdued as the men's prize pot also rose, from £15.9m to £19.8m, creating an even wider financial gap between the two competitions.
Lewes FC, who became the first club in the world to assign equal playing budgets for its men's and women's teams, called on Karen Carney and the FA to introduce equal prize funds ahead of next season. Lewes reached the quarter-finals to book themselves a heavy weight clash with eventual runners-up United, who beat the Championship club 3-1.
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