The FA Cup fourth round is upon us, and for the London clubs still flying the flag, there’s more at stake than just silverware we’re talking serious cash.
Arsenal host Wigan at the Emirates on Sunday, Chelsea travel to Hull tonight, and West Ham head to Burton on Valentine’s Day . Win, and they pocket £127,000. Lose, and that’s it. No second chances, no replays this season .
But the real jackpot? That’s waiting at Wembley.
The Full Breakdown
The FA have released the prize fund for this season’s competition, and the numbers are eye watering . For any Premier League side entering at the third round, the potential haul looks like this:
Third round winners: £121,500
Fourth round winners: £127,000
Fifth round winners: £238,500
Quarter final winners: £477,000
Semi final winners: £1,060,000
Semi final losers: £530,000
Final runners up: £1,060,000
Final winners: £2,120,000
Add it up. A club going all the way from round three banks a cool £4.14m . The runners up? Still a tidy £3.08m for their troubles.
Macclesfield’s Magic
The story of the tournament so far, though, belongs to Macclesfield. The National League North side, 117 places below Crystal Palace in the pyramid, dumped the holders out in round three the biggest upset in that sense in FA Cup history . Their reward? A Monday night date with Brentford at the Leasing.com Stadium, live on telly, with another £127,000 on the line .
For a club at that level, it’s life changing. For Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham, it’s a nice bonus but the real prize is the trophy.
Holders Gone
Crystal Palace won’t be retaining their crown. The Eagles’ 100 year record of never losing to non league opposition? Gone. Macclesfield 2-1 Palace. Remember the name .
Now it’s down to the remaining 32. Four rounds to Wembley. Millions in prize money. And for the London clubs, a very real shot at glory.
The Fixtures (London clubs)
Hull City vs Chelsea (Friday, 7.45pm, BBC One/TNT)
Burton Albion vs West Ham United (Saturday, 12.15pm, TNT)
Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic (Sunday, 4.30pm, TNT)
Win, and the money rolls in. Lose, and it’s all over ’til next year. Simple as that.
