Aston Villa won the 2025 FA Youth Cup, and now know who they’ll start their defence of the title against…

The draw for the 2025-26 FA Youth Cup third round proper has been made, as clubs from the Premier League and EFL Championship join the competition at this stage.

There will be 32 ties at this stage, scheduled to take place by Saturday 13 December 2025 with extra time and penalties to decide games which end all square after 90 minutes.

Current Youth Cup holders Aston Villa will be on the road as they begin their defence, when they play either Grimsby Town or Doncaster Rovers which is one of a number of second round proper ties still be played.

For the 2025-26 season, eligible players in matches involving NLS clubs, players must have been born on or after 1 September 2007 and before 1 September 2010.

Meanwhile, in matches involving only clubs from the Premier League and/or the EFL, players must have been born on or after 1 September 2007.

SEE THE LATEST FA YOUTH CUP RESULTS
SEE THE NEXT FA YOUTH CUP FIXTURES

The draw

1 Oxford United v Wigan Athletic or Walsall
2 Needham Market or Southend United v Swindon Town or Dorking Wanderers
3 Newcastle United v Portsmouth
4 Crewe Alexandra or FC Halifax Town v Barnet or Colchester United
5 Barnsley or Mansfield Town v Arsenal
6 Rotherham United or Fleetwood Town v Blackpool or Aylestone Park
7 Bristol City v Leeds United
8 Sunderland v Nottingham Forest
9 Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton & Hove Albion
10 West Bromwich Albion v AFC Bournemouth
11 Millwall v Everton
12 Tranmere Rovers or Bolton Wanderers v Leicester City
13 Blackburn Rovers v Southampton
14 Manchester City v Fulham
15 Manchester United v Peterborough United
16 Coventry City v Birmingham City
17 Wrexham v Northampton Town or Port Vale
18 Reading v Middlesbrough
19 Queens Park Rangers v Oxford City or Walton & Hersham
20 Norwich City v Stoke City
21 Hull City v Swansea City
22 Crystal Palace v Bradford City or York City
23 Watford v Plymouth Argyle or Milton Keynes Dons
24 Tiverton Town or Cambridge United v Derby County
25 Wycombe Wanderers or Bromley v Sheffield Wednesday
26 Burnley v Wolverhampton Wanderers
27 Grimsby Town or Doncaster Rovers v Aston Villa
28 Sheffield United v Ipswich Town
29 Gillingham or Forest Green Rovers v Stevenage
30 Brentford v Chelsea
31 Preston North End v West Ham United
32 Liverpool v Charlton Athletic