The draw for the FA Cup third round marks the moment when Premier League clubs enter the world’s most famous domestic cup competition, and with it comes the annual question: how can fans watch all the action on TV? For the 2025/26 season, UK viewers will see a noticeable shift in broadcast coverage compared with recent years.

Thanks to a rights partnership between the BBC and Discovery+ / TNT Sports, fans in the UK will still have free-to-air access to some key fixtures – but many matches will be behind a paywall on Discovery+ and TNT Sports channels.

📺 Free-to-Air TV on the BBC

This season, the BBC will broadcast only two FA Cup third-round matches live free-to-air on BBC One and via BBC iPlayer. That’s a significant reduction from last year’s 11 free-to-air fixtures, reflecting the changing landscape of broadcast rights.

Here’s what you can watch live for free:

• Macclesfield vs. Crystal Palace – Saturday 10 January, 12:15pm GMT
  A David vs Goliath tie as non-league Macclesfield hosts Crystal Palace, and one of only two third-round free-to-air games.

• Tottenham Hotspur vs. Aston Villa – Saturday 10 January, 17:45pm GMT
  A high-profile Premier League clash in primetime that the BBC has chosen for wider accessibility.

In addition to live matches, the BBC will show comprehensive highlights programmes on BBC One and iPlayer later on Saturday and Sunday evenings for all the third-round fixtures, including those broadcast on Discovery+.

Replays of the two BBC-shown live games will also be available on the BBC Red Button and iPlayer for those who missed the live coverage.

💻 Pay TV / Streaming: Discovery+ & TNT Sports

Every other FA Cup third-round match selected for broadcast will be shown on Discovery+ and TNT Sports’ linear channels. This means that a subscription is required to watch most of the action live.

Discovery+ has become the home of the majority of televised FA Cup games, including those not shown on TNT Sports’ linear channels. Note that not all Discovery+ subscription tiers include FA Cup coverage, so fans should check their package (typically the TNT Sports or Premium tier).

Here’s a snapshot of some of the key games on pay TV:

Friday 9 January

• Port Vale vs Fleetwood Town – Live on Discovery+

• Preston North End vs Wigan Athletic – Discovery+

• Wrexham AFC vs Nottingham Forest – TNT Sports 1 + Discovery+

• Milton Keynes Dons vs Oxford United – Discovery+

Saturday 10 January (other than BBC games)

• Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Shrewsbury Town – Discovery+

• Everton vs Sunderland – Discovery+

• Cheltenham Town vs Leicester City – Discovery+

• Charlton Athletic vs Chelsea – TNT Sports 1 + Discovery+

Sunday 11 January

• Derby County vs Leeds United – TNT Sports 2 + Discovery+

• Portsmouth vs Arsenal – TNT Sports 1 + Discovery+

• Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion – TNT Sports 1 + Discovery+

• Plus several other league matchups on Discovery+ only.

Monday 12 January

• Liverpool vs Barnsley – TNT Sports 1 + Discovery+

For the 2025-26 FA Cup third round in the UK, there isn’t any indication that S4C will broadcast a Welsh team’s game live in the UK TV schedule. The official FA Cup third round broadcast listings from The FA and major TV guides only show coverage on BBC One / BBC iPlayer and pay TV via TNT Sports/discovery+ for the selected matches.

Specifically:

• No Welsh club tie is listed as being shown on S4C for the FA Cup third round this season. The main broadcast schedule includes teams like Wrexham v Nottingham Forest, Macclesfield v Crystal Palace, Tottenham v Aston Villa, and others on BBC / TNT Sports / discovery+, but none on S4C.

• S4C is a Welsh-language channel that focuses on rugby and domestic Welsh football coverage (like Sgorio Cymru and other Welsh competitions), but it does not have rights for FA Cup live matches in the 2025/26 third round.

🏁 What This Means for Fans

The 2025/26 FA Cup third round still offers some free-to-air magic on the BBC, especially for landmark fixtures like Tottenham vs Aston Villa. But for supporters of clubs across all divisions, Discovery+ and TNT Sports will be essential if you want to watch the bulk of live action.

Whether you’re tuning in on Freeview with BBC One or logging into Discovery+ with a subscription, plenty of FA Cup drama is coming to UK screens this January. Don’t forget your TV licence if you plan to watch on the BBC!