The 2014–15 FA Cup, also called the 2014–15 FA Challenge Cup, was the 134th occurrence of the FA Cup, the main domestic cup in English football and the oldest knockout competition in the world. It was the first season when the BBC and BT Sport hosted televised matches, seven years after the BBC lost the rights to ITV. The 2014–15 season's Cup also marked the first time that 3G artificial pitches were allowed in all rounds of the competition, designed to lower costs for maintenance. After Queens Park Rangers, Luton Town, Oldham Athletic and Preston North End trialled artificial pitches in the 1980s, they were made illegal in 1995. The defending champions were Premier League side Arsenal, after they beat Hull City 3–2 in the previous final on 17 May 2014. The semi-finals took place at Wembley Stadium, as they have since 2008, to offset the cost of the new stadium, despite protestations from some supporters. The stadium also hosted the final. The winner of the FA Cup earns automatic qualification to the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stages. However, as Arsenal qualified for the UEFA Champions League via their league position, Southampton, the highest placed team in the 2014–15 Premier League not already Europe-qualified took this Europa League place. In a change to Europa League rules, qualifying slots for national cup winners no longer pass to the runners-up if the winners have already qualified through their league. Arsenal retained the trophy, beating Aston Villa 4–0 in the final. Notably, EFL Championship side Reading F.C. reached the semi-finals, for only the second time in their history.
Teams
Prize fund
Qualifying rounds
All of the competing teams that are not members of either the Premier League or the Football League had to compete in the qualifying rounds to win a place in the First Round Proper.
First Round Proper
The First Round draw took place on Monday 27 October at 7pm at St George's Park. A total of 80 teams competed, 32 of which had progressed from the Fourth Qualifying Round and 48 from League One and League Two of the Football League. The lowest ranked sides in this round were Norton United and Warrington Town, both of whom compete at level 8 of English football.
Second Round Proper
The Second Round draw took place on Monday 10 November at 7pm at the National Football Museum. A total of 40 teams competed, all of which had progressed from the First Round. The lowest ranked side in this round is Warrington Town, who compete at level 8 of English football. Chesterfield initially faced expulsion from the tournament after fielding an ineligible player, but were required to play their second round fixture against Milton Keynes Dons again. Scunthorpe United's penalty win over Worcester City set a new competition record for most penalty kicks taken with 32.
The Fifth Round draw took place on Monday 26 January 2015 at 7:20 pm on The One Show, which was broadcast live on BBC One, and the matches took place between 14 and 16 February 2015. In the draw, title holders Arsenal drew Middlesbrough and Bradford City were rewarded a home tie against Sunderland. The lowest ranked sides in this round were Bradford City and Preston North End
Sixth Round Proper
The Sixth Round draw took place on Monday 16 February 2015 at 7:35 pm on BBC One, and the regular matches were played between 7 and 9 March. The lowest ranked side in this round were Bradford City.
Semi-finals
The Semi-finals draw took place on Monday 9 March 2015 at approx 9:45 pm in Old Trafford, Manchester and was broadcast on BBC One after the match between Manchester United and Arsenal. In the draw, title holders Arsenal drew Reading, while Aston Villa drew Liverpool. The matches were played at Wembley Stadium on 18 and 19 April 2015. The lowest ranked side in this round were Reading. ----
Final
Top scorers
Rank
Player
Club
Goals
1
Saido Berahino
West Bromwich Albion
5
1
Paul Gallagher
Preston North End
5
1
Jon Stead
Bradford City
5
4
Robert Dale
Blyth Spartans
4
4
Alexis Sánchez
Arsenal
4
6
22 players
3
Broadcasting rights
The domestic broadcasting rights for the competition are held by the BBC and subscription channel BT Sport. The BBC regained the rights from ITV after six years, while BT Sport extended its existing deal carried over from obtaining ESPN's rights in February 2013. The FA Cup Final must be broadcast live on UK terrestrial television under the Ofcom code of protected sporting events. These matches were broadcast live on UK television: Welsh language channel S4C broadcast the first round proper match between Wrexham and Woking. This was the only FA Cup match of the season that S4C broadcast.
Saido Berahino
Paul Gallagher
Alexis Sánchez