FA Cup Winner Odds 2026/27: Arsenal Edge Man City as Early Favourites

The latest FA Cup winner odds have Arsenal narrowly ahead of defending champions Manchester City, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea completing a competitive group at the top of the market.

The 2026/27 competition is already under way in the qualifying rounds, although the leading clubs will not enter the picture until the new year. The third round is scheduled for 9 January 2027, with the final taking place at Wembley on 22 May.

At Oddspedia, you can compare the latest football odds across domestic and European competitions. Below, we look at the FA Cup winner odds from the leading contenders through to the bigger-priced Premier League and Championship clubs, before giving our early prediction.

FA Cup winner odds 2026/27

The table below compares the latest FA Cup winner odds for the leading contenders.

Team	Odds	Decimal odds	Implied probability
Arsenal	9/2	5.50	18.18%
Manchester City	5/1	6.00	16.67%
Liverpool	13/2	7.50	13.33%
Manchester United	7/1	8.00	12.50%
Chelsea	8/1	9.00	11.11%
Aston Villa	14/1	15.00	6.67%
Tottenham Hotspur	14/1	15.00	6.67%
Newcastle United	20/1	21.00	4.76%
Brighton	25/1	26.00	3.85%
Bournemouth	33/1	34.00	2.94%
Brentford	33/1	34.00	2.94%
Everton	33/1	34.00	2.94%
Crystal Palace	40/1	41.00	2.44%
Fulham	40/1	41.00	2.44%
Leeds United	40/1	41.00	2.44%
Nottingham Forest	40/1	41.00	2.44%
All others	66/1+	67.00+	1.49% or less

Odds provided by bet365, accurate as of 31 August 2026.

The leading Premier League contenders

Arsenal and Manchester City head the market, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea also among the leading contenders. The gap between Arsenal and City is much smaller here than in the Premier League winner odds, which reflects the different demands of a knockout competition.

City have the strongest recent FA Cup record, having beaten Chelsea in 2026 to cap a record fourth consecutive appearance in the competition’s final.

Liverpool, United and Chelsea all have the squad strength to go deep, although European commitments could influence rotation once the competition reaches the later rounds.

The teams just behind the favourites

Aston Villa, Tottenham, Newcastle and Brighton form the next group in the FA Cup winner odds. These clubs do not need to sustain a title challenge over 38 games, which makes them particularly interesting in a knockout competition.

Tottenham and Villa are both adjusting after major summer changes, while Newcastle have also reshaped their squad significantly. Brighton may be less fancied than those three, but their style makes them capable of causing problems for stronger opponents in a one-off tie.

The third-round draw could quickly change the outlook for this group. A favourable route can make a bigger-priced team far more interesting without much changing in its underlying quality.

Premier League outsiders who could make a run

The bigger-priced Premier League clubs should not be dismissed completely. Crystal Palace won the competition in 2025, showing how a side outside the title challengers can put together the right sequence of performances and reach Wembley.

League priorities will matter, though. Clubs involved in a relegation battle may be more willing to rotate in the early rounds, particularly if Premier League survival becomes the main objective. The latest Premier League relegation odds give some context to which teams could face that problem by January.

For these outsiders, the draw is likely to be especially important. Avoiding the leading Premier League sides for the first few rounds can completely reshape their route through the competition.

Can a Championship club win the FA Cup?

Championship clubs are available at much bigger prices, with Burnley, West Ham and Wolves the joint shortest-priced second-tier sides at 100/1. That reflects how difficult it is to beat Premier League opposition repeatedly across a cup run, with one upset far more realistic than putting together enough of them to win the trophy.

The last team from outside the top flight to win the FA Cup was West Ham in 1980, when the Second Division side beat Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley through Trevor Brooking’s goal. Since the Football League was founded in 1888, only eight teams from outside the top division have won the competition, with West Ham still the most recent.

The draw can still create opportunities for a second-tier side to reach the later stages, particularly one with a deep squad and promotion ambitions. The Championship promotion odds provide a useful guide to which clubs are expected to be among the strongest in the division.

Full FA Cup winner odds

FA Cup winner odds prediction

Manchester City to win the FA Cup at 5/1

Manchester City are my early pick at 5/1. Arsenal deserve their place at the top of the market, but there is very little between the two prices and City’s recent record in this competition is difficult to overlook.

City have reached each of the last four FA Cup finals and won the trophy again in May, beating Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley. That does not guarantee another deep run under a new manager, but it shows a level of consistency in this particular competition that none of their main rivals can match.

There is also enough depth in the squad to rotate through the early rounds without making wholesale compromises. At this stage, before the third-round draw is known, I prefer the defending champions at 5/1 to Arsenal at 9/2.

Key FA Cup dates for 2026/27

The 2026/27 FA Cup began in August, with the qualifying stages running through to October before the first round in November. The table below shows the key dates for the competition through to the final at Wembley.

As the tournament develops, our football accumulator tips cover individual matches from each round.

Next FA Cup fixtures

How FA Cup winner odds work

FA Cup winner odds are an outright market on which club will lift the trophy at the end of the competition. A 5/1 selection returns £6 for every £1 staked if it wins, including the original stake, while decimal odds of 6.00 represent the same price.

Prices can change substantially throughout the season. The third-round draw is particularly important because there is a major difference between receiving a lower-league opponent at home and being drawn away to another leading Premier League side.

Form, injuries and squad changes also affect the market, as can progress in other competitions. A club chasing the Premier League and Champions League may have different selection priorities from a side whose main opportunity for silverware is the FA Cup.

It is worth comparing outright prices before placing a bet because bookmakers can disagree significantly on teams outside the favourites. Our guide to the best football betting sites covers operators offering football markets across the season.

FA Cup winner odds FAQs

Who is favourite to win the FA Cup in 2026/27?

Arsenal are the 9/2 favourites in the latest FA Cup winner odds, narrowly ahead of defending champions Manchester City at 5/1. Liverpool are next at 13/2, followed by Manchester United at 7/1 and Chelsea at 8/1. The market is likely to change considerably once the third-round draw is made.

Who won the FA Cup in 2026?

Manchester City are the defending FA Cup champions after beating Chelsea 1-0 in the 2026 final at Wembley. Antoine Semenyo scored the only goal as City lifted the trophy for the eighth time. It was also City’s fourth consecutive appearance in the FA Cup final.

When is the 2027 FA Cup final?

The 2026/27 FA Cup final is scheduled for Saturday 22 May 2027 at Wembley Stadium. The semi-finals will be played around 24 April, with the quarter-finals three weeks earlier on 3 April. Those later rounds can have a major effect on FA Cup winner odds as the number of remaining teams falls.

Why do FA Cup winner odds change after the draw?

The draw has a major effect because FA Cup ties are knockout matches rather than part of a fixed league schedule. A favourite drawn away against another leading Premier League side faces a much harder route than one handed a lower-league opponent at home. Bookmakers can therefore adjust FA Cup winner odds significantly without anything changing in a team’s underlying quality.

Can a Championship team win the FA Cup?

Championship clubs can win the FA Cup, although the current prices show how difficult bookmakers consider the task. Burnley, West Ham and Wolves are the shortest-priced non-Premier League teams in the latest FA Cup winner odds at 100/1. A favourable draw could shorten those prices, but a Championship winner would still need to overcome several stronger squads.