Fa Cup Draw: The Quarter-Final Stage Arrives With One Match Still Unfinished
The fa cup draw for the quarter-finals is set for Monday evening at London Stadium, but the competition reaches this pivotal moment with a built-in uncertainty: the winner of West Ham United vs Brentford will not be known when the draw takes place.
What will the Fa Cup Draw actually determine on Monday evening?
The quarter-final draw will be held on Monday 9 March at London Stadium, ahead of the fifth-round tie between West Ham United and Brentford. The draw is scheduled to begin at approximately 6. 35pm UK time, with the quarter-final fixtures to be played around the weekend of Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 April.
By the time the fa cup draw is conducted, eight teams will have progressed from their fifth-round ties to make up the quarter-final lineup—except that one of those eight places will remain unresolved because West Ham United vs Brentford will be played later in the evening.
How can supporters watch, and who is running the draw?
Supporters in the UK can watch the FA Cup quarter-final draw live on TNT Sports 1, Discovery+, and the TNT Sports YouTube channel. The presentation team for the draw is Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist. Former England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart is set to pull out the numbers.
Which teams are in the ball numbers list, and where does Chelsea fit?
Chelsea arrive at the quarter-final draw after a 4-2 victory over Wrexham in a fifth-round tie described as a classic Cup match, in which Chelsea had to fight back from behind twice. Chelsea’s pursuit of winning the competition for a ninth time remains alive as they await their next opponents.
The published ball-number list connected to the draw process includes:
- Fulham or Southampton
- Port Vale or Sunderland
- Manchester City
- Leeds United or Norwich City
- Arsenal
- Liverpool
- Chelsea
- West Ham United or Brentford
One detail remains incomplete in the available information: Chelsea’s ball number is shown as blank in the published text. What is clear is that Chelsea are included among the teams represented in the draw list, and the quarter-final pathway will be mapped on Monday evening even while one fifth-round result is still outstanding.
Separately, Leeds United vs Norwich City is listed among the fifth-round talking points, with West Ham United vs Brentford still to play on Monday. Those unresolved ties reinforce why the fa cup draw is unusual at this stage: it is designed to set quarter-final matchups while at least one participant is not yet confirmed.
