The 1887âÂÂ88 Football Association Challenge Cup was the 17th staging of the FA Cup, England's oldest football tournament. One hundred and forty-nine teams entered, twenty-one more than the previous season, although four of the one hundred and forty-nine never played a match.
This was the last season in which there were no qualifying rounds, so all entering clubs were placed in the first round. After the formation of the Football League, a set of qualifying rounds was introduced, with the Football Association holding a vote to determine 16 sides exempt to the first round proper.