The 2020–21 FA Cup qualifying rounds opened the 140th season of The Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup), the world's oldest association football single knockout competition, organised by The Football Association, the governing body for the sport in England (though the competition also features teams from Wales).
The FA made 737 places available in the FA Cup for the 2020–21 season,[1] an increase in two on the previous season, due to the need to produce an extra qualifier in the second qualifying round, following a shortfall in teams at step 2 of the National League System.
The 92 teams from the EFL and Premier League received direct entry to the competition proper.
[4] Planned dates for the early qualifying rounds were released to clubs in the National League System in late July,[5] and confirmed by the FA on 3 August 2020.
[citation needed] Extra preliminary round fixtures were played on 31 August – 3 September 2020.
Due to the liquidation of Macclesfield Town, there was an odd number of teams competing in this round.