• For the first time, all 32 matches of FA Cup third round will stream live in the U.S.
• Ancillary content on ESPNFC.com and ESPN FC

ESPN+ will continue its exclusive presentation of the 2018-19 Emirates FA Cup season – the world’s most famous knockout competition in domestic soccer – with all 32 matches of the third round beginning today (Friday) through Monday. This weekend marks the first time all 32 matches of the FA Cup third round will be carried live in the United States.

The first match features League Two Tranmere Rovers vs. eight-time FA Cup winner Tottenham Hotspur, live from Prenton Park in North West England’s metropolitan county of Merseyside at 2:40 p.m. ET.

Highlights of FA Cup third round matches:

• Premier League (20) and English Football League Championship (24) teams join the competition in this round, setting up the “Magic of the FA Cup,” where lower division teams get the chance to upset higher-ranked teams;
• Lowest-ranked teams in the competition: Semi-professional Woking F.C.; National League sides Barnet F.C. and Oxford City F.C.; League Two – Lincoln City, Grimsby Town, Newport County, Oldham Athletic and Tranmere Rovers
• Key matchups: matches between Premier League teams – Bournemouth vs. Brighton & Hove Albion (Saturday, 7:25 a.m.) and Wolves vs. Liverpool (Monday, 2:40 p.m.)
• David vs. Goliath: Semi-professional Woking F.C. vs. Premier League’s Watford F.C. (Sunday, 8:55 a.m.), Tranmere Rovers vs. Premier League’s No. 2 Tottenham Hotspur (Friday, 2:40 p.m.), Manchester United vs. Reading (Saturday, 7:25 a.m.), Everton vs. League Two’s Lincoln City (Saturday, 9:55 a.m.), Crystal Palace vs. League Two’s Grimsby Town (Saturday, 12:25 p.m.), and Premier League champion Manchester City vs. Rotherham United (Sunday, 8:55 a.m.), League Two side Newport County vs Leicester City (Sunday, 11:25 a.m.) and more.

In addition to live matches, ESPN+, the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) segment and ESPN, will feature FA Cup programs including FA Cup Round 3 Preview Show and the FA Cup Round 3 Highlight Show (Monday).

Ancillary 2018-19 FA Cup Content:

In addition to the unprecedented number of FA Cup matches exclusive to ESPN+ in the third round, additional content will be available across ESPN soccer platforms. Highlights:

• ESPNFC.com features writer Nick Miller’s primer – Upsets, tiny stadiums and 500-mile trips: What to watch in the FA Cup – for the third round;
• com correspondents on site for key matches: Mark Ogden at Blackpool vs. Arsenal, Liam Twoney at Chelsea vs. Nottingham Forest, Rob Dawson at Manchester United vs. Reading, Glenn Price at Wolves vs. Liverpool and Jon Smith at Manchester City vs. Rotherham;
• ESPNFC Social will curate and share content – top goals, major upsets, hot takes on the matches by studio pundits, and more – across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ESPN FC, the daily soccer news highlights, analysis and information program exclusively on ESPN+, will provide extensive coverage via highlights, analysis and hard-hitting opinion. Each match-day, host Dan Thomas and a rotating panel of pundits – former FA Cup winners Craig Burley, Steve Nicol, Paul Mariner, and 2006 FA Cup finalist Shaka Hislop, Alejandro Moreno and others – will discuss the matches.

• ESPN FC: That FA Cup Podcast (available on espnfc.com) – Dan Thomas will host as Burley, Mariner, Nicol and Hislop share their most memorable FA Cup moments.

 The schedule:

ESPN+

ESPN+, which surpassed one million paying subscribers in just five months, is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It offers fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredevise and more), hundreds of MLB and NHL games, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), exclusive Top Rank boxing, UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App, the leading sports app and the premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans. The ESPN App delivers a rich, personalized experience that curates all of ESPN’s content around each fan’s individual tastes. ESPN+ is also be available through ESPN.com.

-30-