When is FA Cup fourth round draw? Start time, ball numbers and how to watch on TV

Macclesfield will discover their next fixture after producing the biggest FA Cup shock in history against holders Crystal Palace, while big-hitters such as Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea are also in the hat

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Macclesfield fans invade pitch as club knock out Crystal Palace in huge FA Cup shock

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The draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup is nearly upon us as big-hitters and underdogs find out who their next opponents will be.

The third round is taking this weekend, and holders Crystal Palace suffered the biggest shock in FA Cup history as they lost to National League North side Macclesfield on Saturday, while Premier League leaders Arsenal cruised past Portsmouth 24 hours later.

Liam Rosenior took charge of Chelsea for his first match in charge, a straightforward 5-1 win over Championship strugglers Charlton on Saturday night, with Darren Fletcher once again in caretaker charge for Manchester United – but he couldn’t stop them falling to a frustrating 2-1 defeat at home to Brighton.

The penultimate of the 32 places in the fourth round (with the postponed Salford v Swindon clash the other remaining tie) will be decided this evening, as Arne Slot’s Liverpool welcome mid-table League One side Barnsley to Anfield, hoping to avoid the sort of shocks that have dotted this weekend of third-round action.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the fourth-round draw.

When is the FA Cup fourth-round draw?

The fourth round draw will take place on Monday 12 January, ahead of Liverpool’s tie against Barnsley at 7:45pm GMT.

The draw will take place in the broadcast before kick-off, which starts at 6:30pm, with the draw set to start at around 6:35pm GMT.

How can I watch the FA Cup draw?

You can watch the FA Cup fourth-round draw live on It will be available to watch on TNT Sports 1, discovery+ and the TNT Sports YouTube channel.

When will the FA Cup fourth round be played?

The fourth round of the FA Cup will be played around the weekend of Saturday 14 February, with games likely to run from Friday to Monday, depending on TV picks.

FA Cup matchdays in full

Here are the dates for the remaining rounds of FA Cup action.

Fourth round: Saturday 14 February 2026

Fifth round: Saturday 7 March 2026

Quarter-finals: Saturday 4 April 2026

Semi-finals: Saturday 25 April 2026

Final: Saturday 16 May 2026

FA Cup draw ball numbers

1. Wolverhampton Wanderers

2. Southampton

3. Aston Villa

4. Port Vale

5. Wigan Athletic

6. Ipswich Town

7. Wrexham

8. Chelsea

9. Manchester City

10. West Ham United

11. Brentford

12. Fulham

13. Sunderland

14. Liverpool or Barnsley

15. Burnley

16. Norwich City

17. Arsenal

18. Leeds United

19. West Bromwich Albion

20. Salford City or Swindon Town

21. Burton Albion

22. Grimsby Town

23. Hull City

24. Newcastle United

25. Oxford United

26. Leicester City

27. Birmingham City

28. Bristol City

29. Stoke City

30. Macclesfield

31. Brighton & Hove Albion

32. Mansfield Town

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