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While they share some similarities–like incorporating teams from lower divisions–they differ significantly in structure, history, and prestige.
Here’s everything you need to know about the two tournaments.
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is the world’s oldest national soccer tournament.
Founded way back in 1871, the competition was created by the Football Association, English soccer’s governing body, to unite the teams that had joined the newly established organization.
Initially contested by just 15 teams, the first-ever FA Cup winner was the now-defunct Wanderers FC. Today, the competition features hundreds of teams from across England and Wales, with 44 different clubs having lifted the trophy.
The English Football League Cup, EFL Cup, currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, was founded in 1960 as an alternative to the FA Cup and an effort to boost declining attendances and revenue in English soccer.
Aston Villa were the inaugural winners of the tournament, which has undergone several name changes over the years — including the Milk Cup, Coca-Cola Cup, Worthington Cup, and Carling Cup.
The FA Cup is famously open to nearly every soccer team, both professional and amateur, in England and Wales, with over 700 teams competing each year.
Starting in August, the competition follows a knockout format, featuring six preliminary qualification rounds, six main (or proper) rounds, followed by a semifinal and final.
The qualification rounds are contested only by semi-professional and amateur teams from levels five to nine, and occasionally even lower, of the English soccer pyramid. Teams from higher divisions join after the qualifying rounds, with Premier League and Championship clubs receiving a bye straight into the third round.
In the event of a tie in any of the preliminary rounds, a replay takes place. …
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