<P> The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout competition in English football, organised by and named after The Football Association (the FA). It is the oldest existing football competition in the world, having commenced in the 1871--72 season . The tournament is open to all clubs in the top 10 levels of the English football league system, although a club's home stadium must meet certain requirements prior to entering the tournament . The competition culminates at the end of the league season usually in May with the FA Cup Final, officially named The Football Association Challenge Cup Final Tie, which has traditionally been regarded as the showpiece finale of the English football season . </P> <P> All of the final venues, apart from four, have been in London with most being played at the original Wembley Stadium, which was used from 1923 until the stadium closed in 2000 . The other venues that were used for the final prior to 1923 were Kennington Oval, Crystal Palace, Stamford Bridge and Lillie Bridge, all in London, Goodison Park in Liverpool and Fallowfield Stadium and Old Trafford in Manchester . The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff hosted the final for six years (2001--2006), while the new Wembley Stadium was under construction . Other grounds have been used for replays, which until 1999 took place if the initial match ended in a draw . The new Wembley Stadium has been the permanent venue of the final since 2007 . </P> <P> As of 2017, the record for the most wins is held by Arsenal with 13 victories . The cup has been won by the same team in two or more consecutive years on ten occasions, and four teams have won consecutive finals more than once: Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal . The cup has been won by a non-English team once . The cup is currently held by Arsenal, who defeated Chelsea in the 2017 final . </P> <P> The winners of the first tournament were Wanderers, a team of former public schoolboys based in London, who went on to win the competition five times in its first seven seasons . The early winners of the competition were all teams of wealthy amateurs from the south of England, but in 1883, Blackburn Olympic became the first team from the north to win the cup, defeating Old Etonians . Upon his team's return to Blackburn, Olympic captain Albert Warburton proclaimed: "The Cup is very welcome to Lancashire . It'll have a good home and it'll never go back to London ." </P>

Who won the fa cup the most times