Southampton’s fairytale FA Cup run ended in the semi-finals this year, though not before the Championship side knocked quadruple hopefuls Arsenal out along the way, a result that stopped sports betting markets in their tracks. Manchester City beat Southampton in the last four, then saw off Chelsea 1-0 in the final to lift the trophy.

Only 25 teams not in the top division have ever reached the final, and just eight of those have lifted the trophy, with West Ham United’s win in 1980 still the last of its kind. With the 2026-27 season due to start soon, and the FA Cup itself getting underway a few months later, there’s every chance we could see more top-flight clubs knocked out by lower-league opposition before the next final comes round. Let’s take a look at the last five non-top-flight teams to reach the final.

Cardiff City, 2008

Cardiff’s 2008 final against Portsmouth was arguably the closest a non-top-flight side has come to ending the wait since West Ham’s win. The Championship side gave Harry Redknapp’s Premier League outfit a real contest at Wembley, but Nwankwo Kanu’s 37th-minute goal ultimately proved the difference in a 1-0 defeat. Cardiff had already won the competition once before, lifting the cup in 1927 as the only non-English club ever to do so.

Millwall, 2004

Millwall’s run in 2003-04 was one of the most unlikely of the modern era. The Lions were a mid-table First Division (now the Championship) side when they beat Walsall, Telford United, Burnley, Tranmere Rovers, and Sunderland to reach the final without facing a single Premier League club along the way, which was the kind of accumulator run that would have paid out handsomely on any accas calculator. Manchester United ultimately proved too strong at the Millennium Stadium, winning 3-0 with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and two from Ruud van Nistelrooy. It was Millwall’s first and only FA Cup final appearance.

Sunderland, 1992

Sunderland’s 1992 final appearance came 19 years after their famous 1973 victory over Leeds United, and this time there was no repeat upset. The Black Cats were in the old Second Division when they faced Liverpool at Wembley, with Graeme Souness’s side winning 2-0 through goals from Michael Thomas and Ian Rush. It remains the most recent occasion a Sunderland side has reached the final, and the gap since has grown to over three decades.

Queens Park Rangers, 1982

Queens Park Rangers reached the 1982 final as a Second Division side who had narrowly missed out on promotion that season. Their opponents were Tottenham Hotspur, the cup holders, and it took two games to separate them. The first ended in a draw, and Spurs won the replay 1-0 through a Glenn Hoddle penalty. Rangers gave a good account of themselves across both fixtures.

West Ham United, 1980

West Ham remain the last team from outside the top flight to win the FA Cup, and the manner of their victory made it all the more remarkable. The Hammers were a Second Division side when they defeated Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley, with Trevor Brooking’s header settling the match against the reigning cup holders. Arsenal beat Manchester United in the 1979 final, but lost the 1978 final to Ipswich Town, making it three consecutive final appearances for the Gunners. The Hammers stopped the Gunners from going back-to-back, and their achievement stands over four decades later, but they have not lifted the trophy themselves since.