The Football Association have announced a total of 729 clubs will enter the Emirates FA Cup for the 2021-22 season, the 150th campaign of the competition’s history. Following on from the announcement of the new season’s round dates earlier in the week, the FA confirmed the list of accepted clubs for the campaign as well as the list of round exemptions and the 2021-22 prize fund. Round dates can be seen here.

The total prize fund will remain at circa £16m which is the same level as it was for the 2020-21 competition. There will be payments made to the winners and losers in all rounds of the qualifying rounds, but payments will only be made to the winners from the First Round Proper through to the Sixth Round. The winners and losers will each receive a payment in the Semi-Final and Final.

Replays will be mandatory in all rounds of the qualifying competition and the competition proper from the First Round Proper up to and including the Fourth Round Proper. Brentford, along with all Premier League teams, will enter at the Third Round Proper. The draw will be made in December with the games scheduled for the weekend of Saturday 8 January.

The FA's latest update included more information on all entrants to the competition. There are details on clubs that have been given exemptions and others that, unfortunatly, did not make it in. The full story is here.