FA Cup third-round matches: How to watch & stream EPL teams playing in 2021-22

By | January 8, 2022

The Premier League will be taking a short hiatus to allow top-flight clubs to begin their journeys in the 2021-22 FA Cup with the goal of reaching the final at Wembley Stadium on May 14.

The tournament has reached the third round, the juncture when all Premier League and Championship clubs enter the competition and there have already been several upsets: Newcastle United lost at home to Cambridge United, Huddersfield knocked out another Premier League side Burnley, and the lowest-ranked side remaining, Kidderminster Harriers (sixth tier), is still alive after ousting second-tier strugglers Reading.

The complete third-round schedule follows below. Matches that end in a draw after 90 minutes will head to extra time and a penalty-kick shootout if necessary. Three of the 32 matches on tap feature Premier League head-to-heads: Manchester United hosts Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Monday, West Ham faces Leeds United on Sunday and Leicester City beat Watford 4-1.

MORE: FA Cup prize money breakdown

How to watch FA Cup 3rd Round matches

  • Dates: Friday, Jan. 7, through Monday, Jan. 10
  • TV channels: None
  • Streaming: ESPN+ (subscription required)

The entirety of the FA Cup third round will be carried by ESPN+ throughout the weekend. The ESPN streaming platform has exclusive rights to the competition in the USA as well as England’s other domestic cup competition, the Carabao Cup or League Cup

The 32-match slate featured 21 matches during an eight-hour window on Saturday, Jan. 8. The marquee match between Manchester United and Aston Villa closes out the round on Monday, Jan. 10.

And there’s a bonus for fans amid all the action: Sunday, Jan. 9, will also see the fourth-round draw streamed live at 11:50 a.m. ET, also on ESPN+.

FA Cup 3rd Round matches (Jan. 7-10, 2022)

Sixty-four teams were in action in the FA Cup third round (Round of 64), with most of them hailing from the top two divisions of English football: 

  • English Premier League (first tier): 20 clubs
  • English Championship (second tier): 24 clubs
  • League One (third tier): 8 clubs 
  • League Two (fourth tier): 8 clubs
  • National League (fifth tier): 3 clubs (Boreham Wood, Chesterfield, Yeovil Town)
  • National League North/South (sixth tier): 1 club (Kidderminster Harriers)

Lower-division teams are noted in parentheses in the schedule below: CH = Championship (second tier); L1 = League One (third tier); L2 = League Two (fourth tier); NL = National League (fifth tier), NLNS = National League North/South (sixth tier).

Date Match Time (ET) Stream
Fri., Jan. 7 Swindon Town (L2) 1, Manchester City 4 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Mansfield Town (L2) 2, Middlesbrough (CH) 3 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Hartlepool United (L2) 2, Blackpool (CH) 1 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Bristol City (CH) 0, Fulham (CH) 1 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Burnley 1, Huddersfield Town (CH) 2 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Coventry City (CH) 1, Derby County (CH) 0 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Millwall (CH) 1, Crystal Palace 2 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Newcastle United 0, Cambridge United (L1) 1 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Peterborough (CH) 2, Bristol Rovers (L2) 1 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Barnsley (CH) 5, Barrow AFC (L2) 4 (a.e.t.) Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 West Brom (CH) 1, Brighton 2 (a.e.t.) Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Leicester City 4, Watford 1 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Kidderminster Harriers (NLNS) 2, Reading (CH) 1 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Port Vale (L2) 1, Brentford 4 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Wigan Athletic (L1) 3, Blackburn Rovers (CH) 2 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 QPR (CH) 1, Rotherham (L1) 1 (8-7 PKs) Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Boreham Wood (NL) 2, AFC Wimbledon (L1) 0 Highlights  
Sat., Jan. 8 Hull City (CH) vs. Everton 12:30 p.m. ESPN+
Sat., Jan. 8 Chelsea 5, Chesterfield (NL) 1    
Sat., Jan. 8 Birmingham City (CH) vs. Plymouth Argyle (L1) 12:30 p.m. ESPN+
Sat., Jan. 8 Swansea City (CH) vs. Southampton 12:30 p.m. ESPN+
Sat., Jan. 8 Yeovil Town (NL) 1, AFC Bournemouth (CH) 3    
Sun., Jan. 9 Luton Town (CH) vs. Harrogate Town (L2) 7:30 a.m. ESPN+
Sun., Jan. 9 Stoke City (CH) vs. Leyton Orient (L2) 9 a.m. ESPN+
Sun., Jan. 9 Cardiff City (CH) vs. Preston North End (CH) 9 a.m. ESPN+
Sun., Jan. 9 Charlton Athletic (L1) vs. Norwich City 9 a.m. ESPN+
Sun., Jan. 9 Wolverhampton vs. Sheffield United (CH) 9 a.m. ESPN+
Sun., Jan. 9 West Ham United vs. Leeds United 9 a.m. ESPN+
Sun., Jan. 9 Tottenham Hotspur vs. Morecambe (L1) 9 a.m. ESPN+
Sun., Jan. 9 Liverpool vs. Shrewsbury Town (L1) 9 a.m. ESPN+
Sun., Jan. 9 Nottingham Forest (CH) vs. Arsenal 12:10 p.m. ESPN+
Mon., Jan. 10 Manchester United vs. Aston Villa 2:55 p.m. ESPN+

When is the FA Cup 4th Round draw?

  • Date: Sunday, Jan. 9
  • Time: 11:50 a.m. ET
  • TV channel: None
  • Stream: ESPN+

Before the final results of the FA Cup third round are all in, the fourth-round draw will have already taken place. All 16 matchups for the weekend of Feb. 5-6 will be determined.

  • Fourth round: Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 5-6
  • Round of 16 (fifth round): Wednesday, March 2
  • Quarterfinals: Saturday-Sunday, March 19-20
  • Semifinals: Saturday, April 16
  • Final: Saturday, May 14

The fourth-round draw will begin at 11:50 a.m. ET Sunday, prior to the Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal match. The draw will also allow for a slot for the winner of the Aston Villa vs. Manchester United match that takes place a day later. 

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