Should lower-ranked teams always play at home in the FA Cup?

"Since replays were scrapped for the 2024-25 season, there have been eight instances of a Premier League team being knocked out by a club from a lower division. But the split is perhaps not what you'd expect, with four shocks coming at home and four away."

"Looking further back, though, many of the most famous shocks in FA Cup history did come when the lower-league side was playing at home. In a rundown of the greatest upsets of all time, compiled by BBC Sport after non-league Macclesfield's remarkable 2-1 victory over holders Crystal Palace in this year's third round, nine of the 10 ties shortlisted came when the lower-ranked team was on their own pitch."

"We love this pitch here at Port Vale and we played to the conditions, said Vale hero Ben Waine, whose winning goal against the Black Cats sent the League One strugglers into the quarter-finals, demonstrating how home advantage and familiarity with playing conditions benefit lower-league teams."

The FA Cup produced several dramatic upsets during recent matches, with lower-league teams defeating top-flight opposition. Since replays were eliminated in the 2024-25 season, eight Premier League teams have been knocked out by lower-division clubs, split evenly between home and away defeats. Mansfield beat Burnley 2-1 away, while Southampton defeated Fulham 1-0. Historical analysis reveals that nine of ten greatest FA Cup upsets occurred when lower-ranked teams played at home, with their familiar pitches and passionate crowds providing significant advantages. Port Vale's victory over Sunderland exemplified this, with the team thriving in challenging pitch conditions at their stadium.

Read at www.bbc.com