
FA Youth Cup
About FA Youth Cup
FA Youth Cup History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
The FA Youth Cup, officially known as the Football Association Youth Challenge Cup, is an annual knockout competition for under-18 football teams in England. It is administered by the FA and was founded in 1952, seven years after the FA County Youth Cup.
The FA Youth Cup attracts over 400 youth football clubs nationwide, who must compete in a Youth League or similar competition to qualify. Teams must also be fully integrated within the structure of their senior football club. Furthermore, with the FA Youth Cup taking place between August and April/May, players must be under 18 years of age as of August 31 of the current season to participate.
The competition begins with preliminary qualifying rounds to reduce the pool to roughly 120+ teams. The FA Youth Cup then proceeds through five rounds, culminating in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final. All matches are single-elimination, including the final, which previously occurred over two legs.
Historically, the FA Youth Cup has been dominated by some of England's most prominent clubs, such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool. Chelsea notably won the title seven times between 2010 and 2018, while Manchester United claimed victory in the first five editions.
The FA Youth Cup has also helped the careers of many iconic names in British football, including George Best, Paul Gascoigne, David Beckham, Michael Owen, John Barnes, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and Wayne Rooney—many of whom either won the competition or reached the finals.