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I was really excited to see the beginnings of my favorite sports competition in the world. I’m not referring to the NFL, not MLB, not even UEFA. Keep on guessing.

This is the FA Cup, a one of a kind tournament, the likes of which can’t be compared to anything that takes place in the US. This is a massive tournament that allows soccer teams of all sizes to compete equally against one another for a chance at glory.

But what makes this event so special and so deserving of your time? The simple fact that it is so large and so unpredictable and that literally anything can happen in any round between any two teams. 762 teams compete for the FA Cup through 14 different rounds (six qualifying rounds, six rounds of the FA Cup “proper,” along with the semifinal and the final, which will be held at Wembley Stadium in London again this year). Any team in the top 9 levels of the English football pyramid (if we were to somehow, place this in the context of American football, it would essentially be like all American football teams from high school and above) can enter the tournament. All matches are single knock out, with the losing team going home and the winning team advancing. Through the 14 rounds of the FA Cup, literally anything can happen.

Huge teams like Manchester United compete against virtual unknowns. Think of a baseball team, not even a minor league team. A team that plays in some kind of regional league that you’ve never heard of. To put it into baseball terms, teams like these have chances to compete against teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, giving every English soccer club a fair chance at glory.

This is where legends are made. Take the Cup from 20 years ago, where Sutton United ousted Coventry City, a premier team. Sutton United wasn’t even a member of a league, akin to an amateur recreational team. Then there’s the 1975 contest, where amateur team Wimbledon FC ousted premier team Burnley and then went so far as a draw with the defending champs Lees in the third round.

The unpredictability, as shown in just some of the examples above, is what makes it so special. The fact that a team such as Chelsea traveled to Coventry City last year makes the event special. Could you imagine the Packers traveling to play an Arena Football League team? Literally every team has a chance, if they keep winning, to get a huge game like that at home. Once the teams take the field, anything can happen.

Imagine March Madness on steroids. This is like the NCAA tournament, only better. Instead of 64 teams (which we see as huge), it’s 762. Imagine the possibilities with so many teams, and think of all the teams you’ll never have heard of.

Instead of two weeks of games, it’s 10 months of them. Imagine 10 months of March Madness. We’re sure that Dick Vitale would agree when we say that it’s truly awesome!

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