The FA Cup
The FA Cup is a very special football competition. It is the oldest football competition in the world as it has been played since
1871. It is also famous for the number of football teams in England that enter.
More than 700 football teams take part in the competition every year. That is all of the teams from the four professional (职业的) leagues and hundreds of small non-professional clubs. These clubs come from small towns and villages from around England.
Because there are so many teams, it lasts for a very long time. The early games are only between the small teams. After six matches, the professional teams from the third and fourth league enter and then, two games later, the biggest clubs from the Premier League.
Often very small clubs will play against big teams. There have been many surprise results in the past many years. Teams from the fifth league have even won against teams from the Premier League, but a Premier League team does usually win the competition every year. However, there is always a chance of seeing a surprise result. As a result, people show great interest in the FA Cup.
It's amazing that the FA Cup has the power to change a football club, rewrite the past and shape the future.
