BBC SPORT has been confirmed as a free-to-air broadcaster for a new four-year FA Cup deal.
Wembley chiefs came under fire in February when it was announced that TNT Sports had won the main rights from 2025-26 in a deal believed to be worth £130m a year.
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The BBC has won the rights to show the FA Cup with TNT Sports from the 2025/26 season. furtherCredit: Getty
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ITV has lost the rights to show the historic competition Credit: Getty
But that deal came with a guarantee that the payments network would find a terrestrial partner.
And now it has been confirmed that – as expected – TNT will work with the Beeb to ensure fans can watch key matches including the final without a subscription.
ITV – which has shown live matches alongside the BBC for the last few years – will now lose its rights from the 2025/26 season onwards.
The new deal will see 14 games shown live on the BBC, while TNT will also show them.
This will mean that two games from the first round to the round of 16, one semi-final and the final of the FA Cup will be available for free.
TNT will have exclusive access to the second semi-final, with all matches from the third round onwards not kicking off during Saturday’s 3pm blackout window which will also be available online.
FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham said: “We are delighted that the BBC will continue to be one of our Emirates FA Cup broadcast partners under this new deal with TNT Sports.
“It has always been our intention to ensure that this special competition is accessible to all.
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“And this new broadcast partnership will allow fans to see more of his matches live than ever before from the start of the 2025-26 season, both on TNT Sports and free-to-air on the BBC.
“The BBC has told many of the magical and unforgettable stories that only the Emirates FA Cup can create, and we look forward to making even more history together in the years to come.”
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While the BBC and ITV share coverage under the current deal which runs until the end of next season, the Beeb previously shared the rights with TNT’s predecessor BT Sport for four years until 2021.
Phil Bernie, the BBC’s interim director of sport, said: “The BBC has a proud history of bringing fans together across the country for all the magic and drama of the Emirates FA Cup.
“This partnership for the next four years is great news and, with our recent extension to the Premier League and UEFA Champions League highlights coming this year, means BBC Sport will deliver top analysis, commentary and coverage of football’s biggest competitions to fans for free. and available to everyone.”
TNT’s Trojan Paillot added: “TNT Sports will broadcast every single game outside of 15:00, starting with the first round, ensuring fans can watch more of the Emirates FA Cup than ever before, in one place.
“Our ambition is to make more Emirates FA Cup live action available to fans than ever before, so the BBC is an outstanding partner to ensure that alongside more matches we also make the competition as widely available as possible.”
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The FA Cup Final will continue to be shown on terrestrial television. Credits: PA
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