How much FA Cup prize money teams earn for winning in every round | OneFootball

Highlights

The FA Cup is one of the most celebrated and respected cup competitions in all of football. It's a wonderful tradition in England and one that's brought some incredible moments over the years. From some of the truly great teams to have got their hands on the trophy, to the electric finals and absurd moments, to some of the biggest upsets we've ever seen, there's a reason the competition is so special and cherished to the level it is.

One particular reason it means so much to football fans is the inclusion of non-league teams. It's the rare occasion that teams further down the football pyramid have a chance to compete against some of the biggest names in the sport. We've seen numerous sides do so in the past, with Havant & Waterlooville famously taking the lead twice against Liverpool back in 2008 and Luton Town becoming the first non-league side to eliminate top-flight opposition since 1989 when they beat Norwich City in 2013.

Getting to those latter stages in the tournament can be massive for a non-league club. Not just for the experience and the pure spectacle of seeing their side face off against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, but the financial implications as well. You see, teams are given money for each round they surpass in the FA Cup and while it might not be considered much to the biggest sides in the country, it's the sort of income that could change the trajectory of a non-league side completely.

With Maidstone United recently causing a big upset and knocking League One side Stevenage Town out in the third round, the National League South team is set to make an absolute fortune by their standards, but just how much money do teams get for winning each round?

Around £23k can be won by making it through the qualifiers

The lowest-ranked teams in the entire FA Cup will have to fight their way through six qualifying games if they're to make it to the proper tournament. The extra preliminary round is the very first stage, with 208 teams entering the draw at that time. Just taking part in the qualifiers has its benefits for the lower-ranked teams as they gain money whether they win their game or lose it at this stage. Winning the extra preliminary round pockets clubs £1,125 while losing it still sees them earn £375.

The next round, the preliminary round, sees the teams who win and progress pick up another £1,444, while those eliminated at this stage still get £481. We're into the actual qualifying stages now, and the victors of the first round qualifying win £2,250, while the losers take home £750 as they exit the competition. The second round qualifying winners land £3,375, and even the losers win more than a grand this time, gaining £1,125 for their troubles. The third round qualifying sees things continue to heat up and if a side has made it all the way to this stage, they've already made some nice cash for their level. The winners at this stage will win £5,625, while the losers still earn £1,875.

The final qualifying round of the FA Cup is a huge one. Teams that win will not only make it to the actual FA Cup tournament, where they stand a chance of facing significantly higher opposition, but they'll also win another £9,325. Falling at the final hurdle isn't nice for any team, but the £3125 that the losers still win at this stage sure makes things a little easier to stomach. All in all, if you started at the very earliest stage of the tournament, and you've made it to the FA Cup proper, you've already earned £23,194.

Not bad at all. Now we're getting to the serious money...

FA Cup prize money - First round onwards

Potential £4m to be won through each stage of the competition

The FA Cup proper is where the big money starts coming into play. Any single win at this stage changes things drastically for a non-league side. Winning the first round alone pockets you £40,000. This is the sort of money that some clubs down at that level spend in a year. 40 teams enter the draw at this stage, with League One and League Two teams also joining the fold.

The second round sees Championship teams also added to the mix and the rise in the quality of opponents also sees the prize money jump. Winning the second round earns a club another £67,000. That's right, just winning the first two FA Cup games will pocket a team over £100,000. Mental money for non-league sides. The third round is where things really get interesting. The Premier League shows up and a meeting with one of the biggest teams in the country, and maybe even the world, like Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea is potentially on the cards.

At this stage, facing one of the biggest clubs at their stadium is the best bet for non-league teams, with the financial implications of taking home half of their ticket sales from the match very, very lucrative. Progressing in the tournament isn't a bad shout either, though, with £105,000 up for grabs if a team makes it past the third round. The fourth-round winners will take home another £120,000, and if a club makes it past the fifth, they'll win £225,000.

In the quarter-finals, the possibility of actually winning the whole thing is likely on the minds of anyone involved, but even just getting beyond that stage is enough to pocket another £450,000. It will also, by default, grant you at least another £500,000 as the losers of the semi-finals are guaranteed half a million pounds, while the winners, who book a trip to Wembley will win another £1m. The winners of the overall tournament will take home £2m, alongside the joy and pride of lifting the trophy, but the runner-up won't be too hard one by as they'll also be handed another £1m just for making it to that stage. From the start of the first round to the end of the final, there's a potential £4m to be won for a side that made it all the way through.

Considering the entire field of teams that play in the first round is lower down the football pyramid, achieving something like this would be massive and incredibly hard, but Maidstone are still in with a chance,

Mega-money for Maidstone

The non-league team make it to round four for first time

Underdog stories are what makes the FA Cup so special and Maidstone are this year's fairytale. The National League South team has had a stellar competition so far. They came into the competition in the second qualifying round and have made it all the way to the fourth round of the FA Cup proper so far.

Most notably, they dispatched of League One side Stevenage in the third round, a team playing three divisions above them. The win was a historic one as it saw the club reach the fourth round for the first time in their entire history and the memories they'll have made from the iconic victory will live long in the minds of personnel related to the club and fans alike for a very long time.

An added bonus to the achievement, though, is just how much money Maidstone has made from their cup antics so far. A team in the National League South has very limited resources and, more often than not, isn't even full-time. The money they make is nowhere near the level of the EFL, so the cash that the team has earned throughout the FA Cup will change their lives.

Having entered the tournament in the second qualifying round and have made it to the fourth round so far, Maidstone have already earned a total of £231,375. Almost a quarter of a million pounds. That's insane for a club of their level and will go a long way into helping run the club in the foreseeable future. Whether they use it to upgrade facilities within the team, or even focus on adding top talent to the side on wages they previously couldn't afford, they'll no doubt have a fantastic time spending the money, and they've more than certainly earned it.

They might not even be finished yet. The furthest a non-league side has ever got in the FA Cup is the quarter-finals after Lincoln City reached that stage in 2017. Maidstone still have a chance of matching or even breaking that record and, considering how the Imps have shot up the football pyramid after their incredible run seven years ago, the National League South side will feel there's no reason they can't channel their historic achievement, and the money they make as a result, into something similar.