Charlton Athletic and Chelsea faced off in an FA Cup third-round match at The Valley on Saturday, January 10, 2026, marking Liam Rosenior's debut as Chelsea's head coach. The match was broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.
This was the first meeting between the two London clubs since February 2007. In their previous two FA Cup encounters, Chelsea had won both matches. Chelsea emerged victorious with a 1-0 Premier League win the last time they faced Charlton, thanks to a goal from Frank Lampard.
Charlton Athletic's starting XI included Mannion, Gough, Jones, Bell, Bree, Coventry, Docherty, Carey, Campbell, Leaburn and Kelman. Their bench consisted of Maynard-Brewer, Gillesphey, Anderson, Rankin-Costello, Berry, Knibbs, Apter, Fullah and Olaofe. Chelsea's starting XI featured Jorgensen, Acheampong, Tosin, Badiashile, Hato, Caicedo, Santos, Gittens, Buonanotte, Garnacho and Guiu. Sanchez, Fofana, Chalobah, Essugo, Enzo, Neto, Estevao, Joao Pedro and Delap were named on the bench for Chelsea.
Charlton entered the match following a 2-1 loss to Preston North End in the FA Cup a year prior. Meanwhile, Chelsea aimed to avoid their first exit in the FA Cup third round since the 2022-23 season. Before their match against Manchester City in 2023, Chelsea hadn't lost a round-three fixture since 1998 against Manchester United.
Liam Rosenior expressed his desire to help Chelsea's "upset" stars, acknowledging their disappointment after their previous coach's departure. He also drew comparisons between the current Chelsea squad and Manchester United's "Class of '92", emphasizing the potential for success with a core of young players.
Several players were unavailable for both sides due to injuries and suspensions. Marc Cucurella was suspended for Chelsea, while Robert Sanchez, Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia, and Dario Essugo were out injured. Charlton was without Onel Hernandez, Reece Burke, Matt Godden, and Kayne Ramsay, with Charlie Kelman, Greg Doherty, and Tyreece Campbell expected to play key roles.
Chelsea has a strong record against lower-division teams in the FA Cup, progressing from 59 of their last 61 ties. The last time they lost to a lower-league team in the competition was against Bradford City in 2015. Chelsea had won 26 of their past 27 opening-round ties.
The match kicked off at 8 pm UK time.
