During the 1800s football was an upper-class nonprofessional game played by university and military people. There were many versions of the rules: Eton (1841), Rugby (1846), Cambridge (1848), Sheffield (1857).
In 1863, the Football Association (FA) was formed to codify and promote the game. Under the FA the Cambridge rules were consolidated and matches were arranged. In 1871 it was decided to run a knockout competition for any club to enter. The competition was called the Football Association Challenge Cup (the FA Cup). This is the oldest football tournament in the world.
The first final was in 1872 There were 15 entrants, 8 from the London area. They were:
Barnes
Civil Service
Clapham Rovers
Crystal Palace
Donnington School
Hampstead Heathens
Harrow Chequers
Hitchin
Maidenhead
Marlow
Reigate Priory
Royal Engineers
Upton Park
Wanderers
Queen's Park (from Glasgow)
The first winners were exempt from all the rounds before the final and could choose the venue of the final.
The early finals were between university teams (like Oxford University), fee-paying school teams (like Old Etonians), military teams (Royal Engineers) and enthusiasts (Wanderers).
At the beginning of the 1880's professional teams were set up. These were mainly in the industrial north of England. At first, the FA opposed professionalism but eventually had to agree. Professionalism entered English football in 1885. The later FA Cup finals became dominated by these northern clubs (like Blackburn Rovers).
The Scottish team Queen's Park played in two finals in the mid 1880s before Scotland set up its own version of the FA Cup.
The FA Cup is a knockout with teams drawn to play each other once at random. Home advantage is determined by the first team of a pair to be drawn. The semifinal and final are played on neutral grounds. A defeat puts a club out of that season's tournament.
Between 1876 and 1878 Wanderers won the FA Cup three seasons running. Their 1878 win was a record 5th.
Blackburn Rovers also won the FA Cup for three consecutive years between 1884 and 1886.
West Bromwich Albion reached three consecutive FA Cup finals between 1886 and 1888. A club would not reach three consecutive FA Cup finals until 1980.
The 1872 final was staged at the Kennington Oval. The following year it was played at Lillie Bridge (in London). It returned to Kennington between 1874 and 1892.
Football's rules were changing during this period. 11-a-side teams were introduced in 1841, the referee in 1845, the cross bar over the goal and the half time break in 1875, the throw in replaced the kick in (1877).
