2024/25 FA Cup draw review: Quarter-final matchups

Jonathan Victoria • 03 Mar 2025 Features

The details on the FA Cup quarter-final draw.

2024/25 FA Cup draw review: Quarter-final matchups

Wembley beckons as the fifth round went without a hitch - except for the defending champions being dumped out, but considering their season, even their own fans probably didn’t expect to go any further.

With that, the quarter-finals are up next. The ties have been drawn and the eight teams remaining can look forward to a potential fixture at the home of English football in the semi-finals.

2024/25 FA Cup fifth round results

There weren’t any real surprises from the fifth round, but that’s not to say it was a straight-forward affair for all.

As already mentioned, Manchester United will not be making a third FA Cup final in a row, meaning we will get a new champion as they were dumped out by Fulham on penalties.

Wolves also failed to advance due to penalties, falling to Bournemouth in the shootout. As did Ipswich, who failed to best Nottingham Forest from the spot.

Newcastle went ahead against Brighton but failed to see the result through, falling to an extra-time winner from Danny Welbeck.

Three of the four remaining Championship sides weren’t able to continue their run, with Millwall unable to beat fellow London side Crystal Palace, Cardiff City well beaten by Aston Villa, and Plymouth unable to pull off another giant slaying as they were defeated by Manchester City.

But the all-Championship affair meant one side would continue on, and it was a rather surprising result as lowly 15th-placed Preston convincingly beat third-placed Burnley.

Here are the full results from the FA Cup fourth round:

Aston Villa 2-0 Cardiff City
Crystal Palace 3-1 Millwall
Preston 3-0 Burnley
Manchester City 3-1 Plymouth Argyle
Newcastle 1-2 Brighton
Manchester United 1-1 Fulham (Fulham won 4-3 on penalties)
Bournemouth 1-1 Wolves (Bournemouth won 5-4 on penalties)
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Ipswich Town (Nottingham Forest won 5-4 on penalties)

Results of the 2024/25 FA Cup quarter-final draw

Here is the full list of matchups for the fifth round:

Brighton vs Nottingham Forest
Preston vs Aston Villa
Fulham vs Crystal Palace
Bournemouth vs Manchester City

The closest-looking affair for the round is definitely Brighton vs Nottingham Forest. Both sides are experiencing surprisingly strong campaigns, especially so for Forest. Both would love a shot at winning it all, with Forest aiming for their third (first since 1959) and Brighton looking for their first ever.

Preston vs Aston Villa is a matchup between two sides who were once powerhouses in English football, albeit a long time ago. An FA Cup for either would be a good mark in ther history, particularly for Preston, who would be the first side from outside the top division to win the FA Cup since West Ham did so in 1980.

Another all-London matchup for Crystal Palace sees them visiting Craven Cottage to face Fulham, which could be a cagey affair.

Finally, if Manchester City want to make it three FA Cup finals in three years, they’ll have to get by Bournemouth, who are never a fun side to face at home on a standard day, let alone when they’ve been flying high this season and with a real shot at glory on the line.

Next FA Cup draw

The full dates of the next round draw are not yet known and won’t likely be revealed until closer to the time of the fifth round, but you can expect to see the draw come shortly after the final game of the quarter-final is played.

2024/25 FA Cup: Round dates

The dates for the upcoming rounds of the FA Cup are subject to change. The ones listed are when they are scheduled to be played, although the actual dates will change depending on teams to ensure there are no schedule conflicts.