FA Youth Cup Winners

FA Youth Cup Winners: Updated List of Title Holders (1952-2026)

Sportsdunia Desk

Published - May 15, 2026, 08:05 AM

6 min

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FA Youth Cup Winners: Updated List of Title Holders

Summary

The FA Youth Cup has been one of the top youth football competitions, which has seen some of the biggest stars grace the stage in the past.
Aston Villa are the reigning FA Youth Cup champions, having defeated Manchester City by a 3-1 scoreline to win the 2024-25 title.
Players like David Beckham, Alejandro Garnacho, Paul Gascoigne, and George Best have been part of the prestigious competition over the years.

The FA Youth Cup has stood as the pinnacle of youth football in England for over seven decades, while creating the stage for some of the finest talents to prove themselves worthy of playing the sport at the highest level. The competition was launched in the 1952-53 season and has managed to mirror the prestige and tradition of the iconic FA Cup, but for all the Under-18 teams across the country.

While the sport has evolved over the past few decades, spawning fresh ideas for youth development, the FA Youth Cup continues to retain its status as the ultimate proving ground for emerging stars, for FA Youth Cup winners like Alejandro Garnacho, Paul Gascoigne, and Man United legends like George Best and David Beckham. The tournament structure also reflects inclusiveness, being enveloped deep into its roots, and similar to its senior equivalent, non-League clubs are also allowed to compete through qualifying rounds alongside the country’s biggest academies.

How the FA Youth Cup Came Into Existence?

The competition rarely came under the FA’s banner and was originally proposed by former Football League president Sir Joe Richards. The respected figure envisioned a national youth cup competition within the Football League system, and while the proposal received little support initially, Richards remained steadfast in his beliefs.

He was reportedly convinced of the competition's potential and eventually fielded the idea before English football's apex body, which recognised the value and shared his vision of creating a nationwide youth tournament. However, as professional clubs began investing heavily in youth development and fielding structured age-group teams, a club-based competition quickly became the logical progression.

The FA Youth Cup trophy itself carries a unique backstory after being originally purchased by the Football League during World War II, and the silverware had remained unused and forgotten in storage for years. Later, it was handed over to The FA and became the official trophy for the newly formed FA Youth Cup, and the competition remains a vital stepping stone in English football.

Let us take a closer look at the countless winners and participants who have gone on to enjoy successful careers at the highest level of the game.

FA Youth Cup: List of Winners

The following is the list of teams who were crowned FA Youth Cup champions. Here is the FA Youth Cup Winners List in Full:

Years	Fixture	Result
1953	Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers	9–3 (over two legs)
1954	Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers	5–4 (over two legs)
1955	Manchester United vs West Bromwich Albion	7–1 (over two legs)
1956	Manchester United vs Chesterfield	4–3 (over two legs)
1957	Manchester United vs West Ham United	8–2 (over two legs)
1958	Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea	7–6 (over two legs)
1959	Blackburn Rovers vs West Ham United	2–1 (over two legs)
1960	Chelsea vs Preston North End	5–2 (over two legs)
1961	Chelsea vs Everton	5–3 (over two legs)
1962	Newcastle United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers	2–1 (over two legs)
1963	West Ham United vs Liverpool	6–5 (over two legs)
1964	Manchester United vs Swindon Town	5–2 (over two legs)
1965	Everton vs Arsenal	3–2 (over two legs)
1966	Arsenal vs Sunderland	5–3 (over two legs)
1967	Sunderland vs Birmingham City	2–0 (over two legs)
1968	Burnley vs Coventry City	3–2 (over two legs)
1969	Sunderland vs West Bromwich Albion	6–3 (over two legs)
1970	Tottenham Hotspur vs Coventry City	5–3 (after replays)
1971	Arsenal vs Cardiff City	2–0 (over two legs)
1972	Aston Villa vs Liverpool	5–2 (over two legs
1973	Ipswich Town vs Bristol City	4–1 (over two legs)
1974	Tottenham Hotspur vs Huddersfield Town	2–1 (over two legs)
1975	Ipswich Town vs West Ham United	5–1 (over two legs)
1976	West Bromwich Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers	5–0 (over two legs)
1977	Crystal Palace vs Everton	1–0 (over two legs)
1978	Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa	1–0 (over two legs)
1979	Millwall vs Manchester City	2–0 (over two legs)
1980	Aston Villa vs Manchester City	3–2 (over two legs)
1981	West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur	2–1 (over two legs)
1982	Watford vs Manchester United	7–6 (over two legs)
1983	Norwich City vs Everton	6–5 (over two legs)
1984	Everton vs Stoke City	4–2 (over two legs)
1985	Newcastle United vs Watford	4–1 (over two legs)
1986	Manchester City vs Manchester United	3–1 (over two legs)
1987	Coventry City vs Charlton Athletic	2–1 (over two legs)
1988	Arsenal vs Doncaster Rovers	6–1 (over two legs)
1989	Watford vs Manchester City	2–1 (over two legs)
1990	Tottenham Hotspur vs Middlesbrough	3–2 (over two legs)
1991	Millwall vs Sheffield Wednesday	3–0 (over two legs)
1992	Manchester United vs Crystal Palace	6–3 (over two legs)
1993	Leeds United vs Manchester United	4–1 (over two legs)
1994	Arsenal vs Millwall	5–3 (over two legs)
1995	Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur	2–2 (Manchester United won 4–3 on penalties)
1996	Liverpool vs West Ham United	4–1 (over two legs)
1997	Leeds United vs Crystal Palace	3–1 (over two legs)
1998	Everton vs Blackburn Rovers	5–3 (over two legs)
1999	West Ham United vs Coventry City	9–0 (over two legs)
2000	Arsenal vs Coventry City	5–1 (over two legs)
2001	Arsenal vs Blackburn Rovers	6–3 (over two legs)
2002	Aston Villa vs Everton	4–2 (over two legs)
2003	Manchester United vs Middlesbrough	3–1 (over two legs)
2004	Middlesbrough vs Aston Villa	4–0 (over two legs)
2005	Ipswich Town vs Southampton	3–2 (over two legs)
2006	Liverpool vs Manchester City	3–2 (over two legs)
2007	Liverpool vs Manchester United	2–2 (Liverpool won 4–3 on penalties)
2008	Manchester City vs Chelsea	3–1 (over two legs)
2009	Arsenal vs Liverpool	6–2 (over two legs)
2010	Chelsea vs Aston Villa	3–2 (over two legs)
2011	Manchester United vs Sheffield United	6–3 (over two legs)
2012	Chelsea vs Blackburn Rovers	4–1 (over two legs)
2013	Norwich City vs Chelsea	4–2 (over two legs)
2014	Chelsea vs Fulham	7–6 (over two legs)
2015	Chelsea vs Manchester City	5–2 (over two legs)
2016	Chelsea vs Manchester City	4–2 (over two legs)
2017	Chelsea vs Manchester City	6–2 (over two legs)
2018	Chelsea vs Arsenal	7–1 (over two legs)
2019	Liverpool vs Manchester City	1–1 (Liverpool won 5–3 on penalties)
2020	Manchester City vs Chelsea	3–2
2021	Aston Villa vs Liverpool	2–1
2022	Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest	3–1
2023	West Ham United vs Arsenal	5–1
2024	Manchester City vs Leeds United	4–0
2025	Aston Villa vs Manchester City	3–1
2026	Manchester City vs Manchester United	1-0