2009–10 FA Cup
The 2009–10 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON for sponsorship reasons) was the 129th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; the FA Cup. As in the previous year, 762 clubs were accepted for the competition. One club, Newcastle Blue Star, folded before the fixtures were released. As they were scheduled to enter the competition in the first round qualifying, their opponents in this round received a walkover.
Chelsea parading their sixth FA Cup title | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | England Wales |
| Teams | 762 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Chelsea F.C. (6th title) |
| Runner-up | Portsmouth |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | John Carew (6 goals) |
The competition commenced on 15 August 2009 with the Extra preliminary round and concluded on 15 May 2010 with the Final, held at Wembley Stadium. The final was contested by 2009 winners Chelsea and 2008 winners Portsmouth. Originally, the winners were to qualify for the play-off round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. However, as Chelsea won the 2009–10 Premier League (and did not need the FA Cup winners' berth), and Portsmouth failed to apply for a UEFA licence for the 2010–11 season in time (making them ineligible to compete in UEFA competitions), the berth was given to Liverpool, the seventh-placed team in the Premier League. Chelsea won 1–0 in the final to retain the trophy.