Port Vale

Image source, EFL

Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the FA Cup fifth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties in the order they were drawn.

• Fulham v Southampton

• Port Vale or Bristol City v Sunderland

• Newcastle United v Manchester City

• Leeds United v Norwich City

• Mansfield Town v Arsenal

• Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool

• Wrexham v Chelsea

• West Ham v Macclesfield or Brentford

The matches will be played over the weekend of 7 March.

Watch all the highlights and best video from this season's FA Cup

Image source, Getty Images

The 2025-26 FA Cup fifth-round draw will take place on Monday, 16 February at about 18:35 GMT.

It will be done before the fourth-round tie between Macclesfield Town - the lowest-ranked team left in the competition - and Brentford, with former England internationals Joe Cole and Karen Carney conducting the draw on TNT Sports.

Supporters can also follow the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.

All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 7 March.

Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra time, and if necessary, a penalty shootout.

What are the ball numbers?

1. Liverpool

2. Fulham

3. Sunderland

4. Southampton

5. Wrexham

6. Arsenal

7. Chelsea

8. West Ham United

9. Mansfield Town

10. Norwich City

11. Port Vale or Bristol City

12. Wolverhampton Wanderers

13. Newcastle United

14. Manchester City

15. Macclesfield or Brentford

16. Leeds United

There are seven ties in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Burton v West Ham (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Radio Derby

• Burnley v Mansfield - BBC Radio Lancashire & BBC Radio Nottingham

• Man City v Salford - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3 & BBC Radio Manchester

• Norwich v West Brom - BBC Radio Norfolk & BBC Radio WM

• Port Vale P-P Bristol City

• Southampton v Leicester- BBC Radio Solent & BBC Radio Leicester

• Aston Villa v Newcastle (17:45) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (with second half on BBC Radio 5 Live), BBC Radio WM & BBC Radio Newcastle

• Liverpool v Brighton (20:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Merseyside & BBC Radio Sussex

Kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Burton v West Ham" of "ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Brighton", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

How to follow the FA Cup fourth round on the BBC

Port Vale will be aiming to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time this millennia as they host Championship side Bristol City.

The Valiants are currently struggling at the bottom of the League One table this season but are enjoying their best FA Cup run in over a decade.

However, the Robins thumped an in-form Watford 5-1 to progress to this stage of the competition and are contending for the play-offs in the tier above.

• Port Vale and Bristol City have never previously faced each other in the FA Cup, with this the first meeting between the two sides since a 3-1 victory for the Robins in League One in February 2015.

• Bristol City have won eight of their last nine games against Port Vale (D1) – since the first game in this run in April 2005, their 89% win-rate against the Valiants is their strongest against any side they've played more than three times.

• This is Port Vale's first FA Cup fourth round tie since falling to a 3-1 defeat to Brighton in 2013-14. The Valiants have been eliminated from five of their last six ties at this stage of the competition, last progressing to the fifth round in 1995-96.

• Bristol City have progressed from five of their last six FA Cup ties against sides from a lower division, while they have won eight of their last 10 away games in the competition against lower tier opponents.

• Emil Riis has been involved in five goals in four starts in the FA Cup (4 goals, 1 assist), scoring a hat-trick for Bristol City in their 5-1 win in this season's third round, their first FA Cup hat-trick since Phil Jevons in December 2006 against Gillingham