FA Cup 1996-97
| Country |
 England Wales
|
|---|---|
| Defending champions | Manchester United |
| Champions | Chelsea (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Middlesbrough |
|
← 1995–96
1997–98 →
|
|
The 1996–97 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods for sponsorship reasons) was the 116th season of the FA Cup. The tournament started in August 1996 for clubs from non-league football and the competition proper started in October 1996 for teams from the Premier League and the Football League. The tournament was won by Chelsea with a 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough in the final at Wembley stadium.
The First Round featured those non-league teams who had come through the qualifying rounds and the teams from the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system. The matches were played on 16 November 1996. There were thirteen replays, with two ties requiring a penalty shootout to settle them.
The second round of the competition featured the winners of the first round ties. The matches were played on 7 December 1996, with four replays and one penalty shootout required.
The third round of the season's FA Cup was scheduled for Saturday, 4 January 1997, although fourteen matches were postponed until later dates. This round marked the point at which the teams in the two highest divisions in the English league system, the Premier League and the Football League First Division (now known as the Football League Championship). There were nine replays, with none of these games requiring a penalty shootout to settle it.
The Fourth Round ties were played with the thirty-two winners of the previous round. The matches were originally scheduled for Saturday, 25 January 1997, although six matches were not played that weekend. There was only one replay.
The Fifth Round matches were scheduled for Saturday, 15 February 1997. There was, again, only one replay.
The sixth round ties were scheduled for the weekend of 8–9 March. No replays were required.
Chesterfield defeated Wrexham 1-0 in a rare "all third-tier" quarter-final clash, while Middlesbrough's 2-0 win at Derby County moved them a step closer to their first-ever FA Cup final.
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