Over the weekend ending 18th January 2026, 32 teams battled it out for a place in the Fifth Round Proper of the Women’s FA Cup.
All eyes on the history makers:
AFC Bournemouth, York City and Hull City took to the stage of the fourth round of the competition for the very first time as they faced: WSL leaders, fellow division rivals and second-placed WSL2 challengers respectively.
Standout moments from the weekend:
HIGHEST SCORELINE: Charlton Athletic 10 – 0 Swindon Town
Unbeaten in all competitions for over a year, WSL2 side Charlton Athletic didn’t hold back when hosting Division 1 South West side, Swindon Town, in the fourth round on Sunday.
Jodie Hutton opened her account after 15 minutes, followed by an Amalie Thestrup brace and Karin Muya making it four before half-time.
(Photo Credit: Charlton Athletic on X)
After the restart, the host’s dominance continued with Thestrup converting a penalty to secure her hat-trick, followed by Emma Bissell’s first of the afternoon just before the 70th minute for 6-0.
Not to be deterred, the visitors continued fighting until the very end through new signing Katie Lockwood scoring a brace on her debut for 8-0, and finally Gillian Kenney and Bissell (once again) scoring in stoppage time to make it 10. An incredible scoreline and the biggest of the weekend on Karen Hill’s 150th game in charge of Charlton Athletic.
HISTORY MAKERS: Chatham Town 3 – 0 York City
With an impressive victory over fellow tier 4 side York City, it’s Chatham Town who have made history by securing a place in the fifth round proper of the Women’s FA Cup for the first time!
Midfielder Ellie Jeffkins opened the scoring early for the Chats with an incredible curling corner that went straight into the back of the net for 1-0.
Impressively, identical twins Madison and Amelia Woodgate combined for the second and third goals to seal the historic win for their club.
Initially, Madison crossed a lovely ball into the box for Amelia to tap home for 2-0 with Madison’s second assist came from drawing the keeper off her line, playing another good ball through for Amelia to run onto for 3-0.
They are now the lowest ranked side remaining in the competition and only one of two FA WNL teams still in the competition (Tier 3’s Oxford United being the other).
(Photo Credit: Chatham Town Women on X)
DRAMATIC COMEBACK: Oxford United 3 – 1 Middlesborough
Middlesborough made their longest away trip of the season as they faced fellow tier 3 side Oxford United for the first ever time.
After a rocky start to the game for both teams, the hosts thought they’d taken the lead after 15 minutes but luckily for Middlesborough the offside flag had been raised. The rest of the half continued with very little to separate the two sides, with Middlesborough gaining momentum in the final minutes of added time.
(Photo Credit: Oxford United Women on X)
As both teams struggled for opportunities up front, the moment of magic fell to Boro in the 73rd minute as Becky Ferguson capitalised on Oxford playing out from the back with a well-timed tackle. She rounded the keeper and slotted home for 0-1 and that looked to be the difference
However, with five minutes left to go, Oxford ramped up the pressure and Maisy Barker found their equaliser. Moments later, Riva Casley found space to head over Boro keeper Borthwick after a corner, to take the lead in injury time. The hosts then sealed their win through midfielder Holly Manders in the fourth minute of additional time.
An incredibly dramatic comeback for the hosts who now go through to the fifth round as one of only two FA WNL teams still in the competition.
| AFC Bournemouth (3) | 0 – 6 | Manchester City (1) |
| Ipswich Town (2) | 1 – 2 | Sheffield United (2) |
| Arsenal (1) | 2 – 0 | Aston Villa (1) |
| Southampton (2) | 1 – 2 (AET) | Bristol City (2) |
| Manchester United (1) | 5 – 0 | Burnley (3) |
| London Bees (4) | 0 – 6 | Liverpool (1) |
| Tottenham Hotspur (1) | 3 – 0 | Leicester City (1) |
| Brighton & Hove Albion (1) | 2 – 0 | Nottingham Forest (2) |
| Chelsea (1) | 5 – 0 | Crystal Palace (2) |
| Newcastle United (2) | 0 – 3 | West Ham United (1) |
| Sunderland (2) | 0 – 1 | London City Lionesses (1) |
| West Bromwich Albion (3) | 0 – 5 | Everton (1) |
| Hull City (3) | 2 – 6 | Birmingham City (2) |
Who is in the hat? (brackets indicates the ball number in Monday’s draw)
| Tier 1 WSL | Tier 2 WSL2 | Tier 3 Southern Premier Division | Tier 4 Division 1 South East |
| Arsenal (6) | Birmingham City (16) | Oxford United (4) | Chatham Town (5) |
| Brighton & Hove Albion (11) | Bristol City (8) | ||
| Chelsea (12) | Charlton Athletic (1) | ||
| Everton (15) | Sheffield United (3) | ||
| Liverpool (9) | |||
| London City Lionesses (14) | |||
| Manchester City (2) | |||
| Manchester United (7) | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur (10) | |||
| West Ham (13) |
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