2026 FAI Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Republic of Ireland |
| Dates | 10 May – 8 November 2026 |
| Teams | 44 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 38 |
All statistics correct as of 2 April 2026. | |
The 2026 FAI Cup, known as the Club Orange FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the 106th edition of the Republic of Ireland's primary domestic association football cup competition. It features teams from the League of Ireland Premier Division and the First Division, as well as teams from the regional leagues of the Republic of Ireland football league system.[2]
RTÉ are to broadcast a number of FAI Cup ties including one third round fixture, two quarter-final fixtures, both semi-final fixtures, and the final.[3]
The 2026 FAI Cup winners are set to enter the first qualifying round of the 2027–28 UEFA Europa League.[4]
Round and dates
[edit]| Round | Draw date | Match dates | Number of fixtures | Teams | New entries this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | 2 April | 10–23 May | 12 | 44 → 32 | 24 |
| Second Round | 3 June | 17-19 July | 16 | 32 → 16 | 20 |
| Third Round | TBC | 16-18 August | 8 | 16 → 8 | None |
| Quarter-finals | TBC | 6-8 September | 4 | 8 → 4 | |
| Semi-finals | TBC | 11-13 October | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | — | 8 November | 1 | 2 → 1 |
Teams
[edit]The 2026 FAI Cup is a knockout competition with 44 teams taking part. The competitors consist of the 20 teams from the League of Ireland and 24 teams from the regional leagues of the Republic of Ireland football league system.
First round
[edit]The first round consisted of the clubs who reached the last 16 of the 2025 FAI Intermediate Cup and the eight quarter-finalists from the 2025 FAI Junior Cup.[5]
| 10 May | Bangor Celtic | 4–1 | Rivervalley Rangers | Crumlin, Dublin 12 |
| 11:00 | Daniel Mullen  18'Troy Stedman 29'Hayden Roche 70'Cian Maher 90+1' |
Report | Chris Burgess 4' |
Stadium: Transport Club Attendance: 56 Referee: Alan Carey |
| 14 May | Midleton | 2–0 | Mayfield United | Midleton, County Cork |
| 20:00 | Jake Hegarty 57' 90+3' |
Report | Stadium: Knockgriffin Park Referee: Allan Martin |
| 15 May | Wayside Celtic | 3–4 | St Mochta's | Kilternan, Dublin 18 |
| 19:45 | Cormac Kelly 14' 71' Sean Schutte 27' |
Report | Billy Gilmore 4' Michael Scott 41'Aaron Robinson 45'Chris Lotefa 67' |
Stadium: Jackson Park Referee: David Gallagher |
| 16 May | Liffey Wanderers | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–4 p) | Ringmahon Rangers | Ringsend, Dublin 4 |
| 13:00 | Evan Harte 62' |
Report | Luke Kiely 75' |
Stadium: Irishtown Stadium Attendance: 152 Referee: Declan Troy |
| 16 May | St Michael's | 1–3 (a.e.t.) | Janesboro | Tipperary, County Tipperary |
| 14:00 | Luke Ryan  86'  Daniel O'Dwyer 90+1'Colin Bargary 119' |
Report | Josh O'Rahilly 12' Gavin Carrig  75'Shane Clarke 85'Eoghan Brady 89' Dylan Moriarty 98' 120+4' (pen.) |
Stadium: Cooke Park Referee: Michael Corrigan |
| 16 May | Castlebar Celtic | w/o | North End United | Castlebar, County Mayo |
| 17:00 | Report | Stadium: Celtic Park | ||
| Note: Castlebar Celtic advance as North End United withdraw citing fixture congestion | ||||
| 16 May | Fairview Rangers | 0–3 | Tolka Rovers | Garryowen, County Limerick |
| 17:00 | Report | Tyrick Reilly 18' Dylan Fox 56'Ryan Boyle 90' |
Stadium: Fairgreen Attendance: 73 Referee: Mark Kennedy |
| 17 May | Douglas Hall | 1–0 | Fanad United | Douglas, County Cork |
| 12:00 | Ben Roche-O'Brien 77' |
Report | Adam Carr 90+7' |
Stadium: Monegourney Attendance: 25 Referee: Robert O'Leary |
| 17 May | Baldoyle United | 2–0 | Leicester Celtic | Baldoyle, Dublin 13 |
| 14:00 | Alex Mooney 24' Cian Leeson 86' |
Report | Stadium: Brookstone Road Attendance: 270 Referee: Colin Duffy |
| 17 May | College Corinthians | 2–1 | Killester Donnycarney | Douglas, County Cork |
| 14:00 | Keelan Crowley 59' 71' Faruq Adegboyega 88' |
Report | Cian Whelan 13' |
Stadium: Corinthians Park Referee: Darren O'Sullivan |
| 17 May | Lucan United | 5–2 (a.e.t.) | UCC | Westmanstown, Dublin 15 |
| 14:00 | Andrade Leonardo 73' Gary Gannon 90+3'Conor Clifford 105' (pen.)Marco Chindea 113'Taylor Mooney 117' |
Report | Ronan O'Shea 61' Sam Bailey 68'Ronan O'Shea 118' |
Stadium: Westmanstown Sports Centre Referee: John McCarthy |
| 23 May | Crumlin United | 4–0 | Salthill Devon | Crumlin, Dublin 12 |
| 17:00 | Cian Kenna 6' Cian Kenna 55'Jude Healy 67'Greg Moorhouse 90+2' |
Report | Stadium: Pearse Park Referee: Declan Troy |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Club Soft Drinks announced as new title partner of Men's and Women's FAI Cups in four-year agreement". Archived from the original on 2026-05-10. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
- ^ "Salthill Devon face Crumlin United among games in FAI Cup first round". rte.ie. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ^ "RTÉ and FAI announce two-year broadcast agreement to show record number of Sports Direct Men's FAI Cup ties". rte.ie. RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ^ "Looking good for the League of Ireland UEFA coefficient". extratime.ie. 24 August 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ^ Stafford, Tom (2026-05-13). "Root One - FAI Cup First Round Preview". extratime.com. Retrieved 2026-05-13.