The FA Cup or the Football Association Challenge Cup is the oldest club football competition in the world and was first played in 1871-72. Every club in the Football League, Premier League, Welsh clubs who play in the English League and the clubs in the first eight levels of English football take part in this competition. The only criteria for a club’s eligibility for the FA Cup is that they have taken part in the FA Trophy, FA Cup or the FA Vase tournaments in the previous season and that they have a suitable stadium.

FA Cup Bookmakers offering a free bet

Since the criteria for entry for English clubs are not very strict, there has been a large increase in the number of clubs that participate in recent years. The season of 2008-09 saw 762 teams participating in this prestigious competition. Given the large number of clubs that participate, it is no surprise that the competition is a Knock Out tournament.

There are 14 rounds in the FA Cup tournament, with six qualifying rounds, six normal rounds, the semi finals round and then eventually the finals, which decides the winner of the cup. All teams are treated equal in the FA Cup, and there are no seeds. At every round, each of the teams is paired with another.

The pairing takes place at random, and takes place once the previous round has ended. Since it is a knock out tournament, the FA Cup does not have scope for a match ending in a draw, and in case of a draw, the match goes in to extra time, and further to a penalty shootout. Although there is a good chance that one of the minnows in the competition could eventually win the cup, unfortunately till date, none of the smaller teams have reached the finals. Chelsea FC is currently the title holder, having beaten Everton FC in the finals of the previous season. The winner of the FA Cup automatically qualifies for the UEFA Cup.

In case the winning team is part of the Champions League, then the next highest team that is not part of the Champions League qualifies for the UEFA Cup. Since there are so many teams, and so much at stake at the FA Cup, there is also a lot of betting associated with it, and a number of bookmakers from around the Britain have some great free bets for the FA Cup. In recent years, it has become possible to bet on the FA Cup throughout the year. Betfair will match the initial bet worth up to #10, and give bettors a free football bet worth the same amount. This bet is not only available for the finals of the FA Cup, but also for individual matches, semi finals and the various rounds.

Apart from that, there are a number of free bets available to members of freebetshere.com

We have a deal with Bet365 to offer a free #200 on the FA Cup. William Hill is offering members a free bet worth up to #25, Betfred is offering up to #50 in free bets and Bluesquare is offering their customers a #25 free bet on the FA Cup.