Championship opposition await Chelsea in the third round of the FA Cup, on the second weekend of the new year (weekend of January 10), as The Blues were drawn against Charlton Athletic for our first match in this year’s edition of football’s oldest knockout competition. The draw was held last night, with our good pal Joe Cole helping out with the ball-picking.
Though the match will be away, Charlton, who got promoted from League One last year via the playoffs, are one of the less good teams in the second
division, currently sitting 17th, having lost four in a row conceding twelve times in the process. We should be able to rest and rotate and still advance without too much trouble (“should”).
It’s been nearly 20 years since The Addicks were in the top flight, and in fact, we haven’t played them since their relegation in 2007.
The draw for the third round of the 2025-26 FA Cup, in full, is as follows:
- Wolves v Shrewsbury Town
- Doncaster Rovers v Southampton
- Tottenham v Aston Villa
- Port Vale v Fleetwood
- Preston North End v Wigan Athletic
- Ipswich Town v Blackpool
- Wrexham v Nottingham Forest
- Charlton Athletic v Chelsea
- Manchester City v Exeter City
- West Ham v Queens Park Rangers
- Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford
- Fulham v Middlesbrough
- Everton v Sunderland
- Liverpool v Barnsley
- Burnley v Millwall
- Norwich v Walsall
- Portsmouth v Arsenal
- Derby County v Leeds United
- Swansea v West Brom
- Salford v Swindon
- Boreham Wood v Burton Albion
- Grimsby v Weston-super-Mare
- Hull City v Blackburn Rovers
- Newcastle United v Bournemouth
- MK Dons v Oxford United
- Cheltenham Town v Leicester City
- Cambridge United v Birmingham City
- Bristol City v Watford
- Stoke City v Coventry
- Macclesfield v Crystal Palace
- Manchester United v Brighton
- Sheffield United v Mansfield Town
