The 2020

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...

was the 100th edition of the Republic of Ireland's primary national cup competition. This edition featured clubs exclusively from the

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Premier Division ( ga, Príomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland f ...

and the First Division, whereas usually non-league teams are involved. The number of teams was reduced due to the ongoing

Coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. The restrictions also meant that crowds were restricted or prohibited from attending. The competition began on 10 August 2020 with the first of four rounds and concluded on 6 December 2020 with the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 2010. The Cup holders were Premier Division side

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...

and they again reached the final where they were defeated 4-2 by

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

after extra-time. The winners of the FAI Cup earns automatic qualification for the

2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League The 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League was the inaugural season of the UEFA Europa Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA. The final was played at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania, with Roma ...

and would begin play in the first qualifying round. If they have already qualified for European competition through position in the 2020 Premier Division, the spot will go to league's fourth place finisher

Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí Shligigh) is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 ...

First round

The draw for the first round took place on 13 July 2020. Thirteen teams were drawn out to receive a bye into the second round and will join the winners of the first round matches.
Teams in bold advanced to the Second Round.

Second round

The draw for the second round took place on 12 August 2020 and was broadcast live on th
Football Association Ireland Facebook page
with

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

senior manager Stephen Kenny conducting proceedings. 6 of the 8 games from the second round will be shown live on the new streaming service WATCHLOI. Teams in bold advanced to the quarter-finals.

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 18 September 2020 after the league game of

vs.

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

live on

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. Former

winning captain Conor O'Grady drew the games.

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals took place at 6pm on 30 October 2020 live on RTE 2FM.

Final

References

2020 FAI Cup FAI Cup seasons 2020 in Irish sport 2020 in Republic of Ireland association football cups

External links

{{2020–21 in European football (UEFA)