A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country |  England Wales |
| Defending champions | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Arsenal (3rd title) |
| Runner-up | Liverpool |
The 1949–50 FA Cup was the 69th season of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup. Arsenal won the competition for the third time, beating Liverpool 2–0 in the final at Wembley, through two goals from Reg Lewis.
Matches were scheduled to be played at the stadium of the team named first on the date specified for each round, which was always a Saturday. Some matches, however, might be rescheduled for other days if there were clashes with games for other competitions or the weather was inclement. If scores were level after 90 minutes had been played, a replay would take place at the stadium of the second-named team later the same week. If the replayed match was drawn further replays would be held until a winner was determined. If scores were level after 90 minutes had been played in a replay, a 30-minute period of extra time would be played.
Calendar
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Extra preliminary round | Saturday 3 September 1949 |
| Preliminary round | Saturday 17 September 1949 |
| First round qualifying | Saturday 1 October 1949 |
| Second round qualifying | Saturday 15 October 1949 |
| Third round qualifying | Saturday 29 October 1949 |
| Fourth round qualifying | Saturday 12 November 1949 |
| First round proper | Saturday 26 November 1949 |
| Second round proper | Saturday 10 December 1949 |
| Third round proper | Saturday 7 January 1950 |
| Fourth round proper | Saturday 28 January 1950 |
| Fifth round proper | Saturday 11 February 1950 |
| Sixth round proper | Saturday 4 March 1950 |
| Semi-finals | Saturday 18 March 1950 |
| Final | Saturday 29 April 1950 |
First round proper
At this stage clubs from the Football League Third Division North and South joined the 25 non-league clubs having come through the qualifying rounds. Rotherham United, Reading and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, as the strongest Third Division finishers in the previous season, were given a bye to the Third Round. To make the number of matches up, non-league Yeovil Town and Bromley were given byes to this round. 34 matches were scheduled to be played on Saturday, 26 November 1949. Three were drawn and went to replays.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester | 4–1 | Goole Town | 26 November 1949 |
| 2 | Darlington | 2–2 | Crewe Alexandra | 26 November 1949 |
| Replay | Crewe Alexandra | 1–0 | Darlington | 30 November 1949 |
| 3 | Hastings United | 1–3 | Gillingham | 26 November 1949 |
| 4 | Weymouth | 2–2 | Aldershot | 26 November 1949 |
| Replay | Aldershot | 2–3 | Weymouth | 30 November 1949 |
| 5 | Yeovil Town | 4–1 | Romford | 26 November 1949 |
| 6 | Notts County | 4–0 | Tilbury | 26 November 1949 |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | Bristol City | 26 November 1949 |
| 8 | Swindon Town | 1–0 | Bristol Rovers | 26 November 1949 |
| 9 | Doncaster Rovers | 5–1 | New Brighton | 26 November 1949 |
| 10 | Wrexham | 4–1 | Grantham | 26 November 1949 |
| 11 | Ipswich Town | 2–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 26 November 1949 |
| 12 | Tranmere Rovers | 2–1 | Halifax Town | 26 November 1949 |
| 13 | Stockport County | 3–0 | Billingham Synthonia | 26 November 1949 |
| 14 | Leytonstone | 1–2 | Chelmsford City | 26 November 1949 |
| 15 | Accrington Stanley | 0–1 | Hartlepools United | 26 November 1949 |
| 16 | Northampton Town | 4–1 | Walthamstow Avenue | 26 November 1949 |
| 17 | Bromley | 1–2 | Watford | 26 November 1949 |
| 18 | Rhyl | 0–3 | Rochdale | 26 November 1949 |
| 19 | Bradford City | 9–0 | Fleetwood | 26 November 1949 |
| 20 | Millwall | 3–5 | Exeter City | 26 November 1949 |
| 21 | Carlisle United | 1–0 | Lincoln City | 26 November 1949 |
| 22 | Oldham Athletic | 4–0 | Stockton | 26 November 1949 |
| 23 | Crystal Palace | 0–3 | Newport County | 26 November 1949 |
| 24 | Witton Albion | 0–1 | Mossley | 26 November 1949 |
| 25 | Mansfield Town | 4–1 | Walsall | 26 November 1949 |
| 26 | Port Vale | 1–0 | Wealdstone | 26 November 1949 |
| 27 | Southport | 1–1 | Barrow | 26 November 1949 |
| Replay | Barrow | 0–1 | Southport | 1 December 1949 |
| 28 | Hereford United | 3–0 | Bromsgrove Rovers | 26 November 1949 |
| 29 | Netherfield (Kendal) | 4–3 | North Shields | 26 November 1949 |
| 30 | Gloucester City | 2–3 | Norwich City | 26 November 1949 |
| 31 | Gateshead | 3–1 | York City | 26 November 1949 |
| 32 | Leyton Orient | 0–2 | Southend United | 26 November 1949 |
| 33 | Nuneaton Borough | 2–1 | King's Lynn | 26 November 1949 |
| 34 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 1–3 | Torquay United | 26 November 1949 |
Second round proper
The matches were played on Saturday, 10 December 1949. Six matches were drawn, with replays taking place later the same week. One of these replays went to a second replay.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rochdale | 1–2 | Notts County | 10 December 1949 |
| 2 | Watford | 6–0 | Netherfield (Kendal) | 10 December 1949 |
| 3 | Weymouth | 2–1 | Hereford United | 10 December 1949 |
| 4 | Yeovil Town | 3–1 | Gillingham | 10 December 1949 |
| 5 | Nottingham Forest | 0–2 | Stockport County | 10 December 1949 |
| 6 | Crewe Alexandra | 1–1 | Oldham Athletic | 10 December 1949 |
| Replay | Oldham Athletic | 0–0 | Crewe Alexandra | 13 December 1949 |
| Replay | Crewe Alexandra | 0–3 | Oldham Athletic | 19 December 1949 |
| 7 | Doncaster Rovers | 1–0 | Mansfield Town | 10 December 1949 |
| 8 | Wrexham | 2–2 | Southend United | 10 December 1949 |
| Replay | Southend United | 2–0 | Wrexham | 15 December 1949 |
| 9 | Northampton Town | 4–2 | Torquay United | 10 December 1949 |
| 10 | Carlisle United | 2–0 | Swindon Town | 10 December 1949 |
| 11 | Exeter City | 2–0 | Chester | 10 December 1949 |
| 12 | Hartlepools United | 1–1 | Norwich City | 10 December 1949 |
| Replay | Norwich City | 5–1 | Hartlepools United | 16 December 1949 |
| 13 | Port Vale | 1–0 | Tranmere Rovers | 10 December 1949 |
| 14 | Newport County | 1–1 | Gateshead | 10 December 1949 |
| Replay | Gateshead | 1–2 | Newport County | 15 December 1949 |
| 15 | Southport | 2–1 | Bradford City | 10 December 1949 |
| 16 | Chelmsford City | 1–1 | Ipswich Town | 10 December 1949 |
| Replay | Ipswich Town | 1–0 | Chelmsford City | 15 December 1949 |
| 17 | Nuneaton Borough | 0–0 | Mossley | 10 December 1949 |
| Replay | Mossley | 0–3 | Nuneaton Borough | 17 December 1949 |
Third round proper
The 44 First and Second Division clubs entered the competition at this stage, along with the three strongest finishers from the previous season's Third Division, Rotherham United, Reading and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. The matches were scheduled for Saturday, 7 January 1950. Nine matches were drawn and went to replays, with one of these going to a second replay.