FA Cup 3rd round draw: When is the draw and what ball numbers are teams like Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham

The FA Cup third round draw is being held tonight, which marks the entrance of the Premier League and Championship teams to the oldest football competition in the world.

That means high-flying West Ham, Chelsea and Arsenal will all be in the hat for the next round.

The previous rounds have not featured England’s top two divisions.

Leyton Orient, in League Two, are London’s lowest-ranked club.

The draw will be held before the last second-round tie of the FA Cup kicks-off, with a Hertfordshire derby between St Albans City and Boreham Wood.

The FA Cup has thrown up some shocks already, as it always does, but the third round is when the biggest upsets can happen.

Last season, Leicester beat Chelsea 1-0 in the final, as Youri Tielemans tried his luck from range, and his shot flew straight into the top corner, denying Chelsea a historic cup double.

When is the draw?

The draw will be shown live on ITV4 ahead of the live game between Boreham Wood and St Albans City.

Coverage begins at 6.45pm, with the draw estimated to begin at around 7pm.

It will also be on BBC Radio Five Live.

When will the ties be played?

The third round will take place over the weekend of Friday 7 to Monday 10 January 2022.

TV matches will be announced after the draw

What London clubs will be in the hat for the third round?

• Arsenal (2)
• Chelsea (13)
• Brentford (8)
• Crystal Palace (15)
• Fulham (18)
• Millwall (28)
• Queens Park Rangers (35)
• Tottenham Hotspur (40)
• Watford (41)
• West Ham United (42)
• AFC Wimbledon (50)
• Leyton Orient (52)
• Charlton Athletic (57)

Other notable numbers

• Leicester City (22)
• Liverpool (23)
• Manchester City (25)
• Manchester United (26)
• Newcastle United (29)
• Yeovil Town (45)
• Boreham Wood/St Albans City (58)
• Kidderminster Harriers (59)
• Chesterfield (61)

Arsenal remain the most successful London club in the competition, and the most successful club in the history of the FA Cup.

The Gunners lifted the trophy most recently in 2020, beating Chelsea in the final 2-1 in front of an empty Wembley stadium.

Despite Tottenham’s long 13-year trophy drought, with their last trophy coming in early 2008, they rank fourth for most FA Cups, having won the competition eight times, and being runners up once.

Spurs are tied fourth with Chelsea, who have also won it eight times and come second five times.

In the last two years, they have been runners up on two occasions, losing two years in a row in the final to Arsenal and Leicester.