Could a Championship side win the FA Cup this season?

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If the quarter-final schedule is anything to go by, the magic of the FA Cup is still very much alive and kicking in 2022.

On Monday night, Nottingham Forest booked their place in the last eight with a 2-1 victory over fellow Championship team Huddersfield Town.

Following Middlesbrough’s extra-time win against Tottenham Hotspur last week, there are two second-tier sides in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

But can a Championship team really win the FA Cup?

Let’s start by talking about Middlesbrough, whose sole FA Cup final appearance came back in 1997. Unfortunately, they were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea on that occasion.

Led by former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder, Boro kicked off their current FA Cup campaign with a 3-2 victory over Mansfield Town.

In the fourth round, they pushed Manchester United all the way to penalties at Old Trafford – scoring eight consecutive spot-kicks before Anthony Elanga missed.

Middlesbrough took Spurs to extra-time once again in the fifth round, with teenager Josh Coburn netting the winning goal in the 107th minute.

Over in Nottingham, Foret claimed a memorable 1-0 win over Arsenal in the third round before crushing East Midlands rivals Leicester City 4-1 in the fourth round.

Steve Cooper’s men came from behind to beat Huddersfield 2-1 last time out, with Sam Surridge and Ryan Yates grabbing the goals.

It is no exaggeration to say that Cooper has completely transformed Forest. They were rock bottom of the Championship when he took over, but they are now pushing for the play-offs – as well as the FA Cup semi-finals.

Interestingly, ninth-place Forest and sixth-place Middlesbrough are separated by just three points in the Championship table.

Across the competition’s 151-year history, only 24 FA Cup finalists have hailed from outside the top tier of English football. The last non-Premier League team to lift the trophy was West Ham United back in 1980.

That means each of the previous 41 FA Cup winners have been top-flight teams, with Arsenal and Chelsea dominating the tournament in recent years.

All of the FA Cup quarter-finalists in 2020 were from the Premier League. Last season, Bournemouth were the only non-Premier League club in the last eight.

Of course, Middlesbrough will struggle to get past Chelsea, while Forest will have to get past the mighty Liverpool if they are to reach the semi-finals.

But with home ties for both Boro and Forest, it is no inconceivable that a Championship side could go all the way this season.