The first edition of Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) was held in the 1871-1872 season and was contested by twelve British teams (several teams would refrain by the cause of travelling costs). The first FA Cup matches ever, four on the same day, were played on 11 November 1871. The first final was played the following spring at the Kennington Oval, in which Wanderers defeated Royal Engineers 1-0.

Wanderers would also win the following edition, but they were helped in the second season by the rule that stipulated that the current champions were directly qualified for the final (the rule was abandoned after that tournament).

More and more teams participated every year – over 40 teams entered the competition in 1877 and over 50 in 1879. The 1879-1880 edition also involved several clubs known by the modern audience, such as Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest. In the 1883-1884 season, the tournament reached 100 registered teams. By this time, the professional era began and the amateur teams would soon be outpaced. A shift that would lead to the creation of the FA Amateur Cup in 1893.

The FA Cup was once upon a time the biggest sport event in the world. The final that was played at Crystal Palace in 1913 gathered 121,000 people. The attendance was a world record. In these days the stadiums were not build to hold that amount of people; therefore, many stood in rows at the field between the stands with bad overview of the action.

In 1923, when the final was played at Wembley for the first time, the attendance was even bigger. There is no official figure, but it has been estimated to around 200,000!

Source: footballhistory.org