Eight matches make up the upcoming fifth round of the FA Cup, but none are more intriguing than Wrexham A.F.C. vs. Chelsea.
Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and fellow Hollywood star Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham in 2020 for a mere $2.5 million. Wrexham was a very modest Welsh side that competed in England’s fifth division at the time of its takeover. But thanks in part to Reynolds’ investments over the years, Wrexham has won several promotions and currently sits sixth in the Championship (England’s second division) with 11 matches left in the season.
A top-two finish would secure automatic promotion to the Premier League for the 2026-27 campaign. Even if Wrexham finished as low as sixth, it could still win promotion to England’s top tier via the playoffs. Competing in the Premier League would be a perfect Hollywood ending for Wrexham, whose story is the focus of the FX docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham,” a winner of eight daytime Emmy Awards.
But before that happens, Wrexham will be looking to continue its run in the FA Cup.
Here’s what you need to know about the FA Cup and some important matches to keep your eyes on heading into this weekend’s fifth round.
Single-elimination format: No replays
The eight matches that make up the fifth round are all single elimination and not two-legged, home-and-away affairs. If a game is tied after 90 minutes of regulation time, it’ll go to extra time and penalty kicks (if necessary) to determine the winner.
Traditionally, when an FA Cup match ended in a draw before the semifinals, teams faced each other in a replay at a later date to decide the winner. But starting last season, replays were scrapped during the proper rounds of the FA Cup. Replays won’t be used again this season.
UEFA Europa League spot at stake
The 2026 FA Cup final will be played at London’s Wembley Stadium on May 16. The winner of the tournament will also earn a place in the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League.
Crystal Palace are the defending FA Cup champions after defeating Manchester City in last year’s final. But Palace won’t repeat — they lost to Macclesfield F.C. in the third round of this year’s competition.
Breaking down the field of teams still alive
Eleven of the 16 teams still alive in the FA Cup compete in the Premier League, including current leaders Arsenal and defending champions Liverpool.
Three teams are from the Championship (second division): Wrexham A.F.C., Southampton and Norwich City. The field is rounded out by a pair of third-tier clubs in Mansfield Town F.C. and Port Vale.
Wrexham A.F.C. vs. Chelsea
Wrexham A.F.C. gets a lot of headlines because of its high-profile owners, but they’ve also been taking care of business on the pitch this season. Despite its status as a Premier League powerhouse, Chelsea can’t afford to take its second-tier opponents lightly when the teams meet on Saturday at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham.
Reynolds’ side entered the FA Cup in the third round and made a splash by eliminating the Premier League’s Nottingham Forest. It followed that up by beating Championship rival Ipswich Town in the fourth round. Wrexham’s Josh Windass has scored five goals in his last five FA Cup starts, including the winner in last month’s win over Ipswich.
Wrexham hasn’t made it this far in the FA Cup since 1996-97 and will be looking to reach the quarterfinals for only the third time.
Wolves vs. Liverpool
One of three all-Premier League matches in this round sees Wolves welcome Liverpool to Molineux Stadium on Friday.
While Liverpool is challenging for a top-four spot, Wolves sit in last place in the table and are practically guaranteed of being relegated at the end of the season. Yet these teams have split their season series with one win apiece with Wolves earning a 2-1 home victory last weekend. This is the second time in five years that Liverpool will face the Premier League’s last-placed club in the FA Cup fifth round after earning a 2-1 win against Norwich in 2021-22.
There is some hope for Wolves as Liverpool has lost its previous two away games in the FA Cup. What’s more, Wolves have progressed in the FA Cup at the expense of Liverpool more times (five) than they’ve been eliminated by the Reds (three).
Mansfield Town F.C. vs. Arsenal
Mansfield Town has already pulled off two major upsets in this year’s competition by beating second-division side Sheffield United and the Premier League’s Burnley FC. The third-tier club will try to make it three in a row when it hosts Arsenal on Saturday in the first meeting between the clubs since 1929.
The Gunners have barely broken a sweat in this year’s FA Cup with wins over Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic by a combined score of 8-1. Arsenal also has history on its side, having advanced from each of its last 15 FA Cup games against teams from the third division or lower. Mansfield Town, on the other hand, has reached the fifth round of the FA Cup on only four other occasions and not since 1974-75.
Gabriel Jesus, in particular, has been ruthless against non-Premier League teams during his career with Arsenal and Manchester City, scoring 14 goals and tallying six assists in 19 domestic cup appearances. Look for the Gunners to get the Brazilian involved in the attack as much as they can against Mansfield Town.
Leeds United vs. Norwich City
Canadian international Ali Ahmed should be front and centre when Norwich City pays a visit to Elland Road on Sunday.
Ahmed (22 caps for Canada) has hit the ground running for Norwich since transferring to the second-tier club from the Vancouver Whitecaps in January. The 25-year-old midfielder has three goals and two assists in 10 games for the Canaries, including his FA Cup debut in last month’s fourth-round win over West Bromwich Albion. He’s also coming off a great performance last week, when he scored in a 2-0 win over Leicester City in the Championship.
Another Norwich player to keep close tabs on is Anis Ben Slimane – the Tunisian international leads all players in assists (four) from the first round onward.
The other four match-ups
Newcastle United hosts Manchester City on Saturday in an all-Premier League battle. On Sunday, Fulham hosts Southampton and Sunderland visits Port Vale. The fifth round wraps up on Monday in another Premier League contest between West Ham United and Brentford FC.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
