It is in the third round that clubs from the Premier League and Championship enter the FA Cup, providing sides further down the English football pyramid with the possibility of taking on one of the game's elite.

The Blues, who have lifted the FA Cup on eight occasions, hosted League Two Morecambe at this stage of the competition last season.

We will discover this year's opponents tonight and here is everything you need to know ahead of the FA Cup third round draw.

When is the FA Cup third round draw?

The draw will take place on Monday 8 December, ahead of the final second-round tie between Brackley Town and Burton Albion.

It will begin at approximately 6.40pm UK time.

How can I watch the FA Cup third round draw?

The draw, which will be hosted by Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist and conducted by former Blue Joe Cole and Peter Crouch, will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+ in the UK.

It will also be streamed live on the TNT Sports YouTube channel.

How does the FA Cup third round draw work?

Premier League and Championship clubs enter the competition in the third round and will join the sides who made it through the earlier stages. There are 64 teams in total in the third-round draw.

What are the FA Cup third round draw ball numbers?

1. AFC Bournemouth
2. Arsenal
3. Aston Villa
4. Birmingham City
5. Blackburn Rovers
6. Brentford
7. Brighton & Hove Albion
8. Bristol City
9. Burnley
10. Charlton Athletic
11. Chelsea
12. Coventry City
13. Crystal Palace
14. Derby County
15. Everton
16. Fulham
17. Hull City
18. Ipswich Town
19. Leeds United
20. Leicester City
21. Liverpool
22. Manchester City
23. Manchester United
24. Middlesbrough
25. Millwall
26. Newcastle United
27. Norwich City
28. Nottingham Forest
29. Oxford United
30. Portsmouth
31. Preston North End
32. Queens Park Rangers
33. Sheffield United
34. Sheffield Wednesday
35. Southampton
36. Stoke City
37. Sunderland
38. Swansea City
39. Tottenham Hotspur
40. Watford
41. West Bromwich Albion
42. West Ham United
43. Wolverhampton Wanderers
44. Wrexham
45. Macclesfield
46. Grimsby Town
47. Shrewsbury Town
48. Swindon Town
49. Weston-super-Mare
50. Barnsley
51. Boreham Wood
52. Milton Keynes Dons
53. Wigan Athletic
54. Fleetwood Town
55. Salford City
56. Mansfield Town
57. Cambridge United
58. Brackley Town or Burton Albion
59. Blackpool
60. Walsall
61. Exeter City
62. Cheltenham Town
63. Doncaster Rovers
64. Port Vale

When will the FA Cup third round be played?

The third round will be played around the weekend of Saturday 10 January 2026.