Women's FA Cup


The Women's FA Challenge Cup is the top annual cup tournament for women's clubs in English football. Founded in 1970, it has been named the WFA Cup, FA Women's Cup, and now Women's FA Cup.
Designed as an equivalent to the FA Cup in men's football, the competition began in 1970–71 as the Mitre Challenge Trophy, organised by the Women's Football Association. There were 71 entrants, including teams from Scotland and Wales.
The WFA ran the competition for the first 23 editions, during which time Southampton won the cup eight times. The Football Association began administering English women's football in mid-1993.
Arsenal holds the record for most titles overall, having won fourteen times. The current cup holders are Chelsea, who defeated Manchester United 3–0 in the 2025 final to win their sixth FA Cup title.

Name

The competition, founded in 1970, was sponsored as the Mitre Challenge Trophy until April 1976.
As a Women's Football Association competition until 1992–93, it was known as the WFA Cup or more informally as the Women's FA Cup. After the running of the competition passed to the FA in 1993–94, the Association renamed it as the FA Women's Cup, until 2015. The name was officially reworded as the Women's FA Cup in June 2015, before that year's final. The tournament rules, as in the men's FA Cup, name it the Women's FA Challenge Cup.

History

Previous national cup competitions included the English Ladies Football Association Challenge Cup in 1922, won by Stoke Ladies.
The first women's Mitre Challenge Trophy matches were played in 1970, and the first final was held on 9 May 1971 at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. The WFA was initially named the Ladies Football Association of Great Britain, and Scottish clubs were successful in reaching the first three finals of this tournament. Two of these clubs were runners-up in England while also winning the Scottish Women's Cup in the same season, Stewarton Thistle in 1971 and Westthorn United in 1973.
Southampton Women's F.C. won eight of the first 11 WFA Cup competitions.
Doncaster Belles reached nearly every final between 1982–83 and 1993–94, and won the trophy six times.

Format

The current entry points as of the 2024–25 season:
All other clubs enter in the first qualifying round.

Trophies

The original Mitre Challenge Trophy has "disappeared", according to the WFA History records. This cup was replaced in May 1979 when the Football Association donated a new trophy for the competition's winners, to mark the WFA's tenth anniversary.
1970–71 cup winner Sue Lopez said it was suspected that a player "tucked it away somewhere in a trophy cabinet", and she was trying to locate the original cup for the National Football Museum in 2015.
The current Women's FA Cup trophy was one of the first prestigious trophies to be made in the Thomas Lyte silver workshop.

List of finals

The following is a list of Women's FA Cup seasons and final results.
SeasonWinnersScoreRunners-upScorersVenue
1970–71
Southampton4–1

Results by team

ClubTitleRunners-upSeasons wonSeasons runner-up
Arsenal1431992–93, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–162009–10, 2017–18, 2020–21
Southampton Women's821970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–811973–74, 1976–77
Doncaster Belles671982–83, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1993–941983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1999–2000, 2001–02
Chelsea622014–15, 2017–18, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2024–252011–12, 2015–16
Croydon/Charlton Athletic341995–96, 1999–2000, 2004–051997–98, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07
Manchester City312016–17, 2018–19, 2019–202021–22
Leasowe Pacific/Everton241988–89, 2009–101987–88, 2004–05, 2013–14, 2019–20
Fulham212001–02, 2002–032000–01
Millwall Lionesses201990–91, 1996–97—
St Helens131979–801980–81, 1982–83, 1986–87
Queen's Park Rangers121976–771975–76, 1977–78
Friends of Fulham121984–851988–89, 1989–90
Manchester United122023–242022–23, 2024–25
Lowestoft Ladies111981–821978–79
Birmingham City112011–122016–17
Fodens101973–74—
Howbury Grange101983–84—
Norwich City101985–86—
Knowsley United/Liverpool03—1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
Stewarton & Thistle/
Lee's Ladies

Media coverage

United Kingdom

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, television coverage of the WFA final was provided by Channel 4.
Between 2001 and 2008, the final of the tournament was covered by the BBC and presented by Celina Hinchcliffe, Rebecca Lowe, Ray Stubbs and Jake Humphrey; the punditry team was usually current players like Sue Scott and commentary usually by Steve Wilson and Lucy Ward or Faye White and always played on the May Day bank holiday. The final was also simulcast on BBC Radio 5 Live. In 2009, the final was shown on most of the stations in the ITV1 network, with commentary from Jon Champion and Lucy Ward. Sky Sports secured a three-year deal for live coverage from 2010 until 2012.
The BBC then picked up the rights in 2013 and that lasted until 2025.
On 16 May 2025, the FA officially announced that coverage would be moved to TNT Sports and also make a return to Channel 4. Under the deal, which lasts until the 2027–28 season, TNT Sports will air 19 matches including one match in the first round and one in the second round for the first time in history. Channel 4 will televise one match per round starting in the third round, with all five of Channel 4's selected matches, and the Final also airing on TNT Sports, with both broadcasters having their own presenters, pundits and commentary teams.

Sponsorship

Sponsors of the original WFA competition included Mitre, Pony Wines and Mycil.
In the FA competition, the sponsors have been UK Living, Axa, Nationwide Building Society and E.ON. From 2007, Tesco obtained additional branding and advertising rights through their partnership agreement with the FA.
Despite sponsorship by these major companies, entering the tournament has actually cost clubs more than they often get in prize money. In 2015 it was reported that even if Notts County had won the tournament outright the paltry £8,600 winnings would leave them out of pocket. The winners of the men's FA Cup in the same year received £1.8 million, with teams not even reaching the first round proper getting more than the women's winners.
In September 2020, the FA announced that health and life insurance and investment company VitalityHealth had signed a deal to become the sponsor of the competition until July 2023.
In November 2023, after three years with Vitality, the FA announced that Adobe Inc. would become the sponsor of the competition for three years, through to July 2026. The partnership would focus on "increasing fan engagement and raising the profile of the competition". In addition, all 460 clubs that participate in the competition would gain access to, and training on Adobe Express, a graphic design tool.