2024 FAI Cup

2024 FAI Cup

Tournament details
Country	Republic of Ireland
Venue(s)	Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Dates	17 May 2024 – 10 November 2024
Teams	40
Final positions
Champions	Drogheda United
Runner-up	Derry City
Tournament statistics
Matches played	39
Goals scored	137 (3.51 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Douglas James-Taylor (7 goals)
←  2023 2025  →

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
Bohemians Derry City Drogheda United Dundalk Galway United Shamrock Rovers Shelbourne Sligo Rovers St Patrick's Athletic Waterford	Athlone Town Bray Wanderers Cobh Ramblers Cork City Finn Harps Kerry Longford Town Treaty United UCD Wexford	Ayrfield United Ballyfermot United Collinstown Glebe North Gorey Rangers Kilbarrack United Maynooth University Town St. Francis Wayside Celtic	Carrigaline United Cobh Wanderers College Corinthians Leeds AFC Midleton Ringmahon Rangers Rockmount Wilton United	Cockhill Celtic (Inishowen Football League) Pike Rovers (Limerick & District League) Villa FC (Waterford & District League)

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.

Wayside Celtic v Collinstown

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

Midleton v St. Francis

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

Maynooth University Town v Gorey Rangers

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

College Corinthians v Cobh Wanderers

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

Cockhill Celtic v Ayrfield United

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

Pike Rovers v Villa FC

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

Ballyfermot United v Rockmount

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

Wilton United v Glebe North

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]

Athlone Town v Ringmahon Rangers

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

Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers

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

Cobh Ramblers v Kerry

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

Drogheda United v Dundalk

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

Galway United v Longford Town

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

Treaty United v Kilbarrack United

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

Waterford v Cockhill Celtic

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

Wilton United v Carrigaline United

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

Pike Rovers v Midleton

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

Cork City v Finn Harps

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

Ballyfermot United v Leeds AFC

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

Gorey Rangers v UCD

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

Bray Wanderers v Shelbourne

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

Wayside Celtic v Wexford

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

Derry City v St Patrick's Athletic

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

Sligo Rovers v Cobh Wanderers

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.

Ballyfermot United v Wexford

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

Cork City v Derry City

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

Drogheda United v Wilton United

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

Shelbourne v Galway United

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

Treaty United v Pike Rovers

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

Waterford v Athlone Town

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

Sligo Rovers v UCD

17 August 2024	Sligo Rovers	0–2	UCD	Sligo, County Sligo
19:45		Report	O'Regan 78' Wells82'	Stadium: The Showgrounds Attendance: 1,862 Referee: Damien MacGraith

Kerry v Bohemians

18 August 2024	Kerry	2–2 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p)	Bohemians	Tralee, County Kerry
16:00	Kelliher43', 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.

UCD v Bohemians

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

Athlone Town v Drogheda United

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

Wexford v Treaty United

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

Derry City v Shelbourne

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.

Bohemians v Derry City

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

Drogheda United v Wexford

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.

Main article: 2024 FAI Cup final

Drogheda United v Derry City

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

1. "Mike Ashley's Sports Direct to become new FAI Cup sponsors". FAI.ie. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
2. "FAI Cup sees format change with updated first round". extratime.com. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
3. "2024 Sports Direct Men's FAI Cup First Round Draw Live". youtube.com. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
4. "FAI Cup: Bohs to meet Shamrock Rovers, Drogs to host rivals Dundalk". irishexaminer.com. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.