Chelsea’s bid to be crowned FA Cup champions for the ninth time will begin with an away trip to Charlton Athletic in this season’s third round.
The Blues, alongside fellow Premier League sides and Championship clubs, enter the FA Cup the third round to join the teams who have advanced through the earlier stages.
Ball number eleven in the draw – conducted by Chelsea legend Joe Cole and Peter Crouch – the Blues have been pitted against Charlton, currently 17th in the Championship, in a game that will take place at the Valley.
We have twice played Charlton in the FA Cup. The first meeting came in the fourth round in March 1963, where goals from Jimmy Mulholland, Bert Murray and Bobby Tambling secured a 3-0 away victory for Chelsea.
It was the same scoreline when we hosted the Addicks in the third round in January 1995. Gavin Peacock opened the scoring before further goals from Frank Sinclair and John Spencer.
Third round ties will be played around the weekend of Saturday 10 January 2026. Full ticket details will follow in due course.
FA Cup third round draw in full
Boreham Wood v Brackley Town or Burton Albion
Bristol City v Watford
Burnley v Millwall
Cambridge United v Birmingham City
Charlton Athletic v Chelsea
Cheltenham Town v Leicester City
Derby County v Leeds United
Doncaster Rovers v Southampton
Everton v Sunderland
Fulham v Middlesbrough
Grimsby Town v Weston-super-Mare
Hull City v Blackburn Rovers
Ipswich Town v Blackpool
Liverpool v Barnsley
Macclesfield v Crystal Palace
Manchester City v Exeter City
Manchester United v Brighton
MK Dons v Oxford United
Newcastle United v Bournemouth
Norwich City v Walsall
Port Vale v Fleetwood Town
Portsmouth v Arsenal
Preston North End v Wigan Athletic
Salford City v Swindon Town
Sheffield United v Mansfield Town
Sheffield Wed v Brentford
Stoke City v Coventry City
Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
West Ham United v QPR
Wolves v Shrewsbury Town
Wrexham v Nottingham Forest
