Non-league Macclesfield's FA Cup third round tie with holders Crystal Palace will be televised live on BBC One on Saturday, 10 January (12:15 GMT kick-off). The all-Premier League tie between Tottenham and Aston Villa will also be shown on BBC One on the same day (17:45 kick-off). Both matches will also be shown on the iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. Macclesfield play in the sixth-tier National League North. Premier League Crystal Palace beat Manchester City in last season's final to win the FA Cup for the first time.
Non-league club Macclesfield will host the FA Cup holders, Crystal Palace, in the third round of the tournament this season, in one of the standout ties of the draw. Macclesfield, who are 14th in National League North, will face high-flying Palace, fourth in the Premier League, in a classic David and Goliath pairing when the fixtures are played on the weekend of 10-11 January 2026.
Last seen signing off November with a rollercoaster 4-2 defeat at the hands of Sutton, Alun Armstrong's men are at the heart of a relegation scrap and have rightfully come under a huge amount of scrutiny. Watching their National League Cup adventure come to a thumping end last month as they fell to a 3-0 loss at home against Leeds' U21s, the former Darlington boss has seen his struggling squad lose all of their previous six consecutive appearances across all competitions.
Extending on their FA Cup qualifying adventure earlier in the month as they secured an action-packed 4-2 victory away at Chichester, the mood in Paul Johnson's camp should be at a red-hot high. Despite only making their Southern League Premier Division return this season, the Town have come flying out of the traps. Including a 3-0 romp against Dorchester on September 27th, Tuesday's guests are remarkably unbeaten in all of their first 14 appearances across all competitions.
Keane - who FourFourTwo ranked at no.12 in a list of Manchester United's greatest ever-players - won the famous trophy four times with the Red Devils during his 13-year stint at Old Trafford. One of these victories came during the club's historic 1998/99 treble-winning campaign, but Keane and his teammates were infamously denied the opportunity to defend their crown the following season.
The 2025-26 FA Cup first-round draw takes place on Monday, 13 October from 18:30 BST. It will be held before Worthing face Robbie Savage's Forest Green Rovers in the fourth round of qualifying. All 48 teams from League One and Two will join the 32 non-league teams who have progressed from the qualifying rounds. Premier League and Championship teams enter the FA Cup in the third round. Fixtures from the first round will take place around the weekend of Saturday, 1 November.
It's going to be hard. We don't know what personnel they're going to play but, whoever is on that pitch for Chelsea, we know they're going to be top players. We truly believe, at home, if we do our stuff and look after the way we want to play, we can cause damage and hurt teams. We want to be in the headlines for winning it. It will be a great achievement if we can get to the next round.
Just like your regular crossword, we've got a couple of dozen clues and the number of letters that you need to guess: the only difference is that they're all related to football. The clock will start when you do, with teasers ranging across competitions and eras of the game remember to sign in, too, to drop in the comments just how quickly you solved the conundrum
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the fans, my team-mates and all the staff. My family and I were shown incredible support during one of the most difficult times in our lives, and we'll never forget the kindness and care we received from everyone connected to the club. That will stay with us forever.
Jefferson Louis's football journey is remarkable, stretching from his debut in 1996 until his final transfer in 2025, showcasing his resilience and adaptability throughout many club changes.