The 2016–17 FA Cup qualifying rounds open the 136th season of competition in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

for The Football Association Challenge Cup (

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

), the world's oldest

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

single

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competition. For the third successive year, 736 entrants were accepted into the competition. The large number of clubs entering the tournament from lower down ( Levels 5 to 10) in the English football pyramid mean that the competition is scheduled to start with six rounds of preliminary (2) and qualifying (4) knockouts for these

non-League Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to d ...

teams. The 32 winning teams from the fourth qualifying round progress to the

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, when

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teams tiered at Levels 3 and 4 enter the competition.

Calendar and prizes

The calendar for the 2016–17 FA Cup qualifying rounds, as announced by

The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...

Extra preliminary round

Extra preliminary round fixtures were due to be played on Saturday 6 August 2016, with replays taking place no later than Thursday 11 August 2016. A total of 368 teams, from Level 9 and Level 10 of English football, entered at this stage of the competition. The round included 76 teams from Level 10 of English football, being the lowest ranked clubs to compete in the tournament.

Preliminary round

Preliminary round fixtures were due to be played on Saturday 20 August 2016, with replays on or before Thursday 25 August 2016. A total of 320 teams took part in this stage of the competition, including the 184 winners from the Extra preliminary round and 136 entering at this stage from the six leagues at Level 8 of English football. The round included 26 teams from Level 10 still in the competition, being the lowest ranked teams in this round.

First qualifying round

First qualifying round fixtures were due to be played on Saturday 3 September 2016, with replays taking place no later than Thursday 8 September 2016. A total of 232 teams took part in this stage of the competition, including the 160 winners from the

Preliminary round A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

and 72 entering at this stage from the three leagues at Level 7 of English football. The round included twelve teams from Level 10 still in the competition, being the lowest ranked teams in this round.

Second qualifying round

Second qualifying round fixtures were due to be played on Saturday 17 September 2016, with replays no later than Thursday 22 September 2016. A total of 160 teams took part in this stage of the competition, including the 116 winners from the first qualifying round and 44 entering at this stage from the two leagues at Level 6 of English football. The round included 23 teams from Level 9 still in the competition, being the lowest ranked teams in this round.

Third qualifying round

Third qualifying round fixtures were due to be played on Saturday 1 October 2016, with replays taking place no later than Thursday 6 October 2016. A total of 80 teams took part in this stage of the competition, all winners from the second qualifying round. The round included nine teams from Level 9 still in the competition, being the lowest ranked teams in this round.

Fourth qualifying round

Fourth qualifying round fixtures were due to be played on Saturday 15 October 2016, with replays taking place no later than Thursday 20 October 2016. A total of 64 teams took part in this stage of the competition, including the 40 winners from the third qualifying round and 24 entering at this stage from the

Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-professi ...

at Level 5 of English football.

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and Westfields of level 9 were the lowest ranked teams in this round.

Competition proper

Winners from the fourth qualifying round advanced to the

, where teams from League One (Level 3) and League Two (Level 4) of English football, operating in the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...

, first enter the competition.

References

External links

The FA Cup
{{DEFAULTSORT:2016-17 FA Cup Qualifying Rounds 2016–17 FA Cup FA Cup qualifying rounds