The competition is open to any club down to Level 10 of the English football league

system which meets the eligibility criteria. All clubs in the top four levels (the
Premier League and the three divisions of the Football League) are automatically
eligible. Clubs in the next six levels (non-league football) are also eligible
provided they have played in either the FA Cup, FA Trophy or FA Vase competitions
in the previous season. Newly formed clubs, such as F.C. United of Manchester in
2005�06 and also 2006�07, may not therefore play in the FA Cup in their first
season. All clubs entering the competition must also have a suitable stadium.

It is very rare for top clubs to miss the competition, although it can happen in
exceptional circumstances. Manchester United did not defend their title in
1999�2000, as they were already in the inaugural Club World Championship. The club
stated that entering both tournaments would overload their fixture schedule and
make it more difficult to defend their Champions League and Premier League titles.
The club claimed that they did not want to devalue the FA Cup by fielding a weaker
side. The move benefited United as they received a two-week break and won the
1999�2000 league title by an 18-point margin, although they did not progress past
the group stage of the Club World Championship. The withdrawal from the FA Cup,
however, drew considerable criticism as this weakened the tournament's prestige and
Sir Alex Ferguson later admitted his regret regarding their handling of the
situation.[6][7][8]

Welsh sides that play in English leagues are eligible, although since the creation
of the League of Wales there are only five clubs remaining: Cardiff City (the only
non-English team to win the tournament, in 1927), Swansea City, Newport County,
Wrexham, and Merthyr Town. In the early years other teams from Wales, Ireland and
Scotland also took part in the competition, with Glasgow side Queen's Park losing
the final to Blackburn Rovers in 1884 and 1885 before being barred from entering by
the Scottish Football Association. In the 2013�14 season the first Channel Island
club entered the competition when Guernsey F.C. competed.[9]

The number of entrants has increased greatly in recent years. In the 2004�05
season, 660 clubs entered the competition, beating the long-standing record of 656
from the 1921�22 season. In 2005�06 this increased to 674 entrants, in 2006�07 to
687, in 2007�08 to 731 clubs, and for the 2008�09 and 2009�10 competitions it
reached 762.[10] The number has varied slightly but remained roughly stable since
then, with 759 clubs participating in 2010�11, a record 763 in 2011�12, 758 for
2012�13, 737 for 2013�14 and 736 for 2014�15. By comparison, the other major
English domestic cup, the League Cup, involves only the 92 members of the Premier
League and Football League.