Betfair Official Blog

FA Cup Betting

Arguably the premier domestic club cup competition in the world, the FA Cup will provide fans from all English clubs with thrills and spills once again this season. As always FA Cup betting is likely to be popular amongst fans looking for bigger odds as they sense potential upsets.

There will be a wide range of markets available to use your FA Cup free bet on and for those who don’t fancy plumping for the shorter FA Cup odds about the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal to win the competition outright. Punters may consider an FA Cup bet on the tournament’s top scorer or the usual in-play options may be the way forward.

There have not been too many shocks as far as the outright winner is concerned over recent years and although the likes of Millwall, West Ham and Tranmere have all enjoyed lucrative runs in the competition, the last real surprise winner was way back in 1988 when Wimbledon stunned Liverpool to lift the coveted trophy at long FA Cup odds.

However, with the Champions League and UEFA Cup ensuring that some of the Premiership’s elite field under strength sides, there could be plenty of betting opportunities for punters who pay due attention to the relevant team news.

As usual the competition will get plenty of exposure both domestically on the BBC and also on Sky as the two broadcasters vie to screen potential upsets when the Premiership teams enter in round three. An FA Cup bet on in-form teams in the Championship prior to round three will be of particular interest to punters looking for an upset, should they be paired up with those in the lower reaches of the top flight.

There will be plenty of punters keeping a keen eye on the qualifying rounds as well as they look for lucrative FA Cup bets when the first round proper comes around on the weekend of Saturday, November 11.

However, the competition moves to the next level in first week of January, when the Premiership ‘big boys’ put their necks on the line against their lower-league counterparts and that’s when FA Cup betting starts in earnest.

Whatever selection you decide to go with to satisfy your FA Cup betting urge this season, make sure that Betfair is the place you head to first to get the best odds for your FA Cup free bet.