Huge Upset at 2026 FA Cup- Past champion Crystal Palace gets crushed by non league Macclesfield

Currently competing in the sixth-tier of English football, Macclesfield defeated top-tier Crystal Palace in a stunning 2–1 upset in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.

Palace won the Cup in 2025, but fell in the early rounds despite using Yeremy Pino to go wide after going straight onto a pass made by Christantus Uche.

Unfortunately for Crystal Palace, Macclesfield’s Luis Lacey and Josh Kay were able to manage to break the gridlock. Lacey went first and Kay quickly followed.

The game became intense quickly. Paul Dawson, a midfielder from the home team, crashed with a defender from Palace, Jaydee Canvot. Moments before this happened, Dawson had just gotten his head bandaged, and the subsequent injury resulted in Dawson heading off the field for the rest of the game.

At the half, Palace manager Oliver Glasner, took defenders Tyrick Mitchell and Brennan Johnson, and midfielder Will Hughes, and put them in from the substitutes bench.

However this addition of new players to the field by Palace was not enough to turn their fortunes.

Macclesfield had not won any of their prior eight games, but continued to bring the pressure. At this point, the Palace players and coach were confident they would be in a tight spot for the rest of the game that was currently at a tie. At the 90-minute mark, Yeremy Pino, a Palace player, had an intense free-kick that went right past Dearnley.

Not long after the patrons that were in the stands cheer on and support Macclesfield started to overflow the field as the team had been able to keep it together, hold out, and score one more time to break the tie and claim victory.

The win was bittersweet for Macclesfield because their teammate Ethan McLeod had passed away the month before due to a car accident.

McLeod’s family happened to be in the crowd that day watching the game and supporting the team their son used to play for.