The 2024 FAI Cup, known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons,[1] was the 104th edition of the Republic of Ireland's primary national cup competition. It featured teams from the League of Ireland Premier Division and the First Division, as well as teams from the regional leagues of the Republic of Ireland football league system.
Drogheda United defeated Derry City in the final, winning their first FAI Cup since 2005. As winners, Drogheda United qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League.
St Patrick's Athletic were defending champions, but were eliminated by Derry City in the second round.
The competition format for this season was altered slightly, with no qualifying rounds. The preliminary round, traditionally held before the first round, was merged with the first round of the competition. This year the first round featured 20 clubs, comprising the last 16 teams from the 2023-24 FAI Intermediate Cup and the final four clubs from the 2023-24 FAI Junior Cup. Following the completion of the first round, League of Ireland clubs entered the competition in the second round.[2]
Teams
The 2024 FAI Cup is a knockout competition with 40 teams taking part. The competitors consist of the 20 teams from the League of Ireland and 20 teams from the regional leagues of the Republic of Ireland football league system.
| League of Ireland Premier Division | League of Ireland First Division | Leinster Senior League | Munster Senior League | Other leagues |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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First round
The draw for the first round ties was made on 17 April and was made by former FAI Cup winner Stephen McGuiness and FAI President Paul Cooke.[3] All ties were played the week ending 19 May. Teams receiving byes into the second round were: Carrigaline United, Ringmahon Rangers, Leeds and Kilbarrack United.
| 17 May 2024 | Wayside Celtic | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Collinstown | Kilternan, County Dublin |
| 19:45 | Darragh O’Connor  102' Dylan O’Connor 119' (pen.) |
McNeil 112' |
Stadium: Jackson Park Attendance: 78 Referee: Declan Troy |
| 18 May 2024 | Midleton | 3–0 | St. Francis | Midleton, County Cork |
| 14:00 | Murray-Duggan 82' (pen.) Kelly-Noonan 90+2' Hegarty 90+5' |
Stadium: Knockgriffin Park Attendance: 52 Referee: Vincent Coonan |
| 18 May 2024 | Maynooth University Town | 1–4 | Gorey Rangers | Maynooth, County Kildare |
| 15:00 | Warfield 81' |
Greene 7' Brennan 55' Byrne-Murphy 71' 79' |
Stadium: Rathcoffey Road Attendance: 64 Referee: Liam McGuirk |
| 18 May 2024 | College Corinthians | 4–5 | Cobh Wanderers | Douglas, County Cork |
| 16:00 | Crowley 4' 34' 71' Browne 55' |
Foster-O'Reilly 29' Griffin 59' 67' (pen.) 81' 90+5' (pen.) |
Stadium: Corinthians Park Attendance: 180 Referee: Robert O'Leary |
| 19 May 2024 | Cockhill Celtic | 7–1 | Ayrfield United | Buncrana, County Donegal |
| 14:00 | Rudden 6' 64' McColgan 18' Mullen 62' Bradley 85' 87' 90' |
Madden 67' (pen.) |
Stadium: Charlie O'Donnell Sports Grounds Attendance: 344 Referee: Thomas Oates |
| 19 May 2024 | Pike Rovers | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–1 p) | Villa FC | Limerick, County Limerick |
| 14:00 | Lipper 24' |
Walsh 76' |
Stadium: Pike Rovers Complex Attendance: 43 Referee: Brian Higgins |
| 19 May 2024 | Ballyfermot United | 3–0 | Rockmount | Clondalkin, County Dublin |
| 14:00 | Wasser 41' Caffrey 56' Nolan 90+3' |
Stadium: Cloverhill Road Attendance: 218 Referee: Owen Murphy |
| 19 May 2024 | Wilton United | 1–0 | Glebe North | Wilton, County Cork |
| 14:30 | McCarthy 22' |
Stadium: Pat Bowdren Park Attendance: 80 Referee: Simon Drislane |
Second round
The draw for the second round took place on 6 June. Ties were played on the week ending 21 July.[4]
| 19 July 2024 | Athlone Town | 1–0 | Ringmahon Rangers | Athlone, County Westmeath |
| 19:45 | Torre 47' |
Report | Stadium: Athlone Town Stadium Attendance: 216 Referee: Alan Patchell |
| 19 July 2024 | Bohemians | 1–0 | Shamrock Rovers | Phibsborough, County Dublin |
| 19:45 | Rooney 69' (pen.) |
Report | Stadium: Dalymount Park Attendance: 4,431 Referee: Rob Hennessy |
| 19 July 2024 | Cobh Ramblers | 0–2 | Kerry | Cobh, County Cork |
| 19:45 | O'Brien-Whitmarsh  61' |
Report | Brosnan 9' Kelliher 11' (pen.) |
Stadium: St Colman's Park Attendance: 456 Referee: Declan Toland |
| 19 July 2024 | Drogheda United | 2–1 | Dundalk | Drogheda, County Louth |
| 19:45 | Bolger 16' Davis 74' |
Report | Faulkner 90+2' |
Stadium: Weavers Park Attendance: 2,280 Referee: Damien MacGraith |
| 19 July 2024 | Galway United | 6–0 | Longford Town | Galway, County Galway |
| 19:45 | Lomboto 9' Nugent 12'Hickey 24'Hurley 59'Keohane 68'Ogedi-Uzokwe 87' |
Report | Stadium: Eamonn Deacy Park Attendance: 1,204 Referee: David Dunne |
| 19 July 2024 | Treaty United | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–1 p) | Kilbarrack United | Limerick, County Limerick |
| 19:45 | Report | Stadium: Markets Field Attendance: 383 Referee: Daniel Murphy | ||
| Penalties | ||||
Curran  Lynch Christopher O'Reilly |
Townley  McHugh Fitzsimons |
|||
| 19 July 2024 | Waterford | 2–1 | Cockhill Celtic | Waterford, County Waterford |
| 19:45 | Arubi 21' Burke 47' |
Report | Rudden 13' |
Stadium: RSC Attendance: 1,487 Referee: Marc Lynch |
| 19 July 2024 | Wilton United | 2–1 | Carrigaline United | Carrigaline, County Cork |
| 19:45 | McCarthy 32' Olajitan 56' |
Report | Walker 36' |
Stadium: Ballea Park Attendance: 110 Referee: Lucas Keating |
| 20 July 2024 | Pike Rovers | 3–1 | Midleton | Limerick, County Limerick |
| 15:00 | Murphy 39' Walsh 72' Clarke 79' |
Report | Kelly-Noonan 71' |
Stadium: Pike Rovers Complex Attendance: 95 Referee: Aaron O'Dowd |
| 20 July 2024 | Cork City | 1–0 | Finn Harps | Turners Cross, County Cork |
| 17:00 | Dijksteel 39' |
Report | Stadium: Turners Cross Attendance: 1,359 Referee: Gavin Colfer |
| 21 July 2024 | Ballyfermot United | 3–1 | Leeds AFC | Clondalkin, County Dublin |
| 14:00 | Nolan 42' (pen.) Henderson 67' J.Kelly 74' (pen.) |
E.Murphy 15' |
Stadium: Coldcut Attendance: 330 Referee: Ryan Maher |
| 21 July 2024 | Gorey Rangers | 0–4 | UCD | Gorey, County Wexford |
| 14:00 | Report | Doyle 32' Behan 60' Norval 84' Ragget 90+1' |
Stadium: Altura Credit Union Park Attendance: 150 Referee: Oliver Moran |
| 21 July 2024 | Bray Wanderers | 0–1 | Shelbourne | Bray, County Wicklow |
| 15:00 | Report | Boyd 9' |
Stadium: Carlisle Grounds Attendance: 2,339 Referee: Paul Norton |
| 21 July 2024 | Wayside Celtic | 1–3 | Wexford | Kilternan, County Dublin |
| 15:00 | O'Connor 52' |
Report | Rowe 11' Dobbs 50' Curtis 87' |
Stadium: Jackson Park Attendance: 290 Referee: Jason Moore |
| 21 July 2024 | Derry City | 3–0 | St Patrick's Athletic | Derry |
| 18:00 | Grivosti 52' (o.g.) Mullen 58'Duffy 67' |
Report | Stadium: Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium Attendance: 2,190 Referee: Rob Harvey |
| 21 July 2024 | Sligo Rovers | 3–0 | Cobh Wanderers | Sligo, County Sligo |
| 18:00 | Waweru 16' 75' 90+4' (pen.) |
Report | Stadium: The Showgrounds Attendance: 1,332 Referee: Eoghan O'Shea |
Third round
The draw for the third round of the FAI Cup took place on 23 July. Ties were played on the weekend of 18 August.
| 16 August 2024 | Ballyfermot United | 0–3 | Wexford | Clondalkin, County Dublin |
| 19:45 | Curtis 33', 58' Oluwa 82' |
Stadium: Coldcut Attendance: 392 Referee: Declan Toland |
| 16 August 2024 | Cork City | 0–1 | Derry City | Turners Cross, County Cork |
| 19:45 | Report | Todd 72' |
Stadium: Turners Cross Attendance: 3,169 Referee: Marc Lynch |
| 16 August 2024 | Drogheda United | 9–0 | Wilton United | Drogheda, County Louth |
| 19:45 | James-Taylor 9' 14' 21' Brennan 31' Pierrot 47' Quinn 51' Bosakani 73' 84' 89' |
Report | Stadium: Weavers Park Attendance: 953 Referee: Eoghan O'Shea |
| 16 August 2024 | Shelbourne | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p) | Galway United | Drumcondra, County Dublin |
| 19:45 | O'Brien 94' |
Report | Keohane 116' |
Stadium: Tolka Park Attendance: 1,639 Referee: Robert Harvey |
| Penalties | ||||
| O'Brien Lunney Coyle Coote Burt |
Hurley Keohane Clarke Buckley |
|||
| 16 August 2024 | Treaty United | 7–0 | Pike Rovers | Limerick, County Limerick |
| 19:45 | Molloy 2', 37', 47' Curran 5' (pen.) Vrljičak 41', 52' R.Lynch 77' |
Report | Stadium: Markets Field Attendance: 1,838 Referee: Paul Norton |
| 16 August 2024 | Waterford | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | Athlone Town | Waterford, County Waterford |
| 19:45 | Amond 41' (pen.), 105' |
Report | Ebbe 77' Connolly 116' McGregor 120+1' |
Stadium: RSC Attendance: 1,545 Referee: David Dunne |
| 17 August 2024 | Sligo Rovers | 0–2 | UCD | Sligo, County Sligo |
| 19:45 | Report | O'Regan 78' Wells 82' |
Stadium: The Showgrounds Attendance: 1,862 Referee: Damien MacGraith |
| 18 August 2024 | Kerry | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p) | Bohemians | Tralee, County Kerry |
| 16:00 | Kelliher 43', 52' |
Report | Clarke 22' Greive 44' |
Stadium: Mounthawk Park Attendance: 1,110 Referee: Neil Doyle |
| Penalties | ||||
| Brosnan Amechi Barrett Crowe |
Tierney Devoy Grant McDaid |
|||
Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 20 August 2024. The draw was made by Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson. Ties were played on the weekend of 15 September.
| 13 September 2024 | UCD | 0–4 | Bohemians | Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Dublin |
| 19:45 | Report | Tierney 34', 54' Greive 89'Miller 90+3' |
Stadium: UCD Bowl Attendance: 2,233 Referee: Damien MacGraith |
| 13 September 2024 | Athlone Town | 1–4 | Drogheda United | Lissywollen, Athlone |
| 19:45 | Ebbe 85' (pen.) |
Report | James-Taylor 12', 52' Brennan 65'Foley 81' |
Stadium: Athlone Town Stadium Attendance: 1,132 Referee: Paul Norton |
| 13 September 2024 | Wexford | 4–1 | Treaty United | Crossabeg, County Wexford |
| 19:45 | Isamala 9', 27' Oluwa 11' (pen.), 45+4' |
Report | Vrljicak 90+1' |
Stadium: Ferrycarrig Park Attendance: 1,063 Referee: Gavin Colfer |
| 14 September 2024 | Derry City | 2–0 | Shelbourne | Derry, Northern Ireland |
| 17:45 | Duffy 23' Mullen 64' |
Report | Stadium: Brandywell Stadium Attendance: 3,150 Referee: Rob Harvey | |
| Note: Game shown live on RTE 2 television | ||||
Semi-finals
The draw for the semi-finals was made on 14 September live on RTE2 following a televised game. Ties were played on the weekend of 6 October.
| 4 October 2024 | Bohemians | 0–2 | Derry City | Phibsborough, Dublin |
| 19:45 | Report | Duffy 40', 72' |
Stadium: Dalymount Park Attendance: 4,430 Referee: Paul McLaughlin | |
| Note: Game shown live on RTÉ2 Television | ||||
| 6 October 2024 | Drogheda United | 3–2 | Wexford | Drogheda, County Louth |
| 14:50 | Foley 65', 90+2' James-Taylor 77' |
Report | Dobbs 42', 79' |
Stadium: Weavers Park Attendance: 2,543 Referee: Damien MacGraith |
| Note: Game shown live on RTÉ2 Television | ||||
Final
The final was held on 10 November 2024 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
| 10 November 2024 | Drogheda United | 2–0 | Derry City | Dublin |
| 15:00 | Quinn 37' James-Taylor 58' (pen.) |
Report | Stadium: Aviva Stadium Attendance: 38,723 Referee: Rob Harvey |
References
- ^ "Mike Ashley's Sports Direct to become new FAI Cup sponsors". FAI.ie. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ "FAI Cup sees format change with updated first round". extratime.com. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "2024 Sports Direct Men's FAI Cup First Round Draw Live". youtube.com. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "FAI Cup: Bohs to meet Shamrock Rovers, Drogs to host rivals Dundalk". irishexaminer.com. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
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