How many times has Arsenal won the FA Cup?
he Football Association Challenge Cup, popularly known as the FA Cup, was first contested during the 1871/1972 season and in its long, rich history has been held aloft by the Arsenal captain a record 14 times. Interestingly, just two of those victories came before World War II, in the Thirties, when Arsenal were the dominant force in English football. The first came under one of the most influential managers of his day, Herbert Chapman, in 1930 and the second under George Allison, who succeeded Chapman following his unexpected death from pneumonia, in 1934.
‘The Gunners’ did not win the FA Cup again until 1950, by which time Tom Whittaker, who had previously served as first team trainer under Chapman and Allison, had succeeded Allison as manager. In the Seventies, Bertie Mee led Arsenal to its first First Division – FA Cup ‘double’ in 1971, and Terry Neill guided the club to three successive FA Cup finals in 1978, 1979 and 1980, winning the so-called ‘Five-minute Final’ against Manchester United in 1978.
George Graham, who played in the double-winning side in 1971, was manager when Arsenal won the FA Cup again in 1993 but, following the appointment of Arsène Wenger – who would become the longest-serving and most successful manager in the history of the North London club – seven more victories followed between 1998 and 2017. By the time Mikel Arteta was appointed head coach at his former club in 2019, Arsenal already held the record for the most FA Cup wins, 13, but extended its lead over nearest rivals Manchester United by beating Chelsea in the delayed FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium the following August.