The oldest competition in the history of world football – The FA Cup.
While there have been multiple winners of this prestigious competition, there is a special aura that has always surrounded this tournament. It began way back in the 1870s and is still regarded as the best cup competition in club football.
Multiple winners have been named ever since its inception but few clubs have replicated the success of others. FootTheBall analyses which teams have won the most FA Cup titles.
Arsenal – 14 titles
The most successful team in the history of the FA Cup – The Gunners. Arsenal have won the competition a record 14 times and no other team come even close to them.
They won their first FA Cup in 1930 which began a series of dominance period for them in the tournament. Along with five league titles, the Gunners won another FA Cup in 1936.
Although the real dominant period for Arsenal came under legendary manager Arsene Wenger during the 1990s and 2000s. They have won the FA Cup eight times between 1998 and 2020, with Arsene Wenger winning seven of those.
The French manager is the coach to have won the competition more than any other manager. With that, Wenger is also the only manager in Arsenal’s history to win it more than once.
Mikel Arteta has won the most recent FA Cup for the Gunners in 2020 in his debut season. This is after he won the competition before as a player twice with Arsenal under Arsene Wenger.
Manchester United – 12 titles
The most successful club in the Premier League era. Manchester United have won 12 FA Cup titles in their rich history, just two short of Arsenal’s 14.
They have already gone level with Arsenal for most FA Cup finals played – 21. But that isn’t going to be enough and fans would like to go one better this time. Especially after knowing the fact that, after losing the 2023 FA Cup final, it is their 9th – the most losses by a club in the FA Cup finals.
Sir Alex Ferguson won the most FA Cup titles for Manchester United (5), with their most recent being under Louis van Gaal in 2016. Their most recent final appearance resulted in a 2-1 loss to Manchester City in 2023.
1st season in England for @ErlingHaaland:
✅️ Premier League
✅️ Premier League Golden Boot
✅️ FA Cup#Haaland #ManCity pic.twitter.com/FrCb7rFz3x— FootTheBall FC (@FootTheBallFC) June 3, 2023
Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs – 8 titles
Three Premier League elites follow Arsenal and Manchester United in third place for most FA Cup titles.
Chelsea have had rather inconsistent success in the 21st century when it comes to the FA Cup. They are almost guaranteed to win this competition if they reach the finals. Although that hasn’t been the case in recent times.
The Blues hold the unwanted record of losing three consecutive finals from 2020 to 2022. The Stamford Bridge outfit won their first-ever FA Cup in 1970 under then-manager Ruud Gullit.
Chelsea’s most successful period in the competition came between 2007 to 2012 – with the Blues winning on four occasions out of the six seasons. Ashley Cole was part of the this dominant Chelsea side in the FA Cup and is the only player to win seven FA Cup trophies.
Liverpool’s recent FA Cup triumph came in 2022 in a penalty shoot-out win against Chelsea. Before that their last final and win was in 2006 against West Ham which was won in another penalty shoot-out.
Ian Rush of Liverpool has the most FA Cup final goals – scoring in three of those which included two braces.
Meanwhile, for Spurs, it has been over 30 years now since they last appeared in a FA Cup final. Their last win was in 1991 but one interesting fact about the North London club is that they have a terrific record when it comes to FA Cup finals – winning eight of their nine finals.
Manchester City, Aston Villa – 7 titles
Aston Villa’s seven FA Cup titles may come as a surprise when you consider their last win in the competition was in 1957. Also, their last final appearance was in 2015, when they were brushed aside by a dominant Arsenal side.
Most of the Villan’s success came back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Since 1957 – their last FA Cup triumph – Villa took another 40-plus years to just reach the final. That is testament to their seven titles given how they have faded away from the competition in recent years.
Manchester City on the other hand have won their 7th FA Cup after their recent 2-1 win over Man Utd in the 2023 final. It is their 2nd FA Cup title under Pep Guardiola and are now considered among English club elites.