The unwanted 44-year record Manchester United matched after their FA Cup exit to Brighton at Old Trafford

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There are some difficult numbers for Manchester United to digest, as they will play just 40 games in all competitions this season following a 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the third round of the FA Cup. The club have now exited both domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle and, without European football, have only the Premier League and European qualification to focus on.

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Following their 2-1 defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup third round, Manchester United will now play a maximum of 40 games this season.

Crashing out of both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup in a season without European football, United are condemned to focusing solely on the Premier League, which is another title seemingly far out of their grasp.

The club is at least in contention for European qualification, but it has already been a disappointing season.

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After sacking Ruben Amorim, who exited the club with damning statistics, things are not looking much rosier under interim coach Darren Fletcher and whoever the club choose next to take over for the remainder of the season will face a mighty task.

United began the season with a humiliating Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two side Grimsby.

Now, after a third-round exit in the FA Cup, it is the first time since 1981/82 that the club have been knocked out of both domestic cups at the first hurdle.

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All Premier League sides play a minimum of 40 games in a season, with 38 league games and at least one clash in the two domestic cups.

United missed out on the chance to qualify for European football this season when they lost last year's Europa League final to Spurs in Bilbao.

The club is the first Premier League side to play 40 games in all competitions since Newcastle United in 2022, who finished 11th that season.

Sides that play 40 games have historically finished between the mid- and low places of the table, with Spurs' fifth-place finish in 2006 serving as an outlier.

Premier League teams who played fewest games

Statistics via Opta

Season	Team	GP (All competitions)	League Finish
2002	Sunderland	40	17th
2006	Tottenham Hotspur	40	5th
2007	Wigan Athletic	40	17th
2008	Sunderland	40	15th
2009	Bolton Wanderers	40	13th
2011	Blackpool	40	19th
2012	Wigan Athletic	40	15th
2015	Queens Park Rangers	40	20th
2017	West Bromwich Albion	40	10th
2019	Cardiff City	40	18th
2019	Huddersfield Town	40	20th
2020	Crystal Palace	40	14th
2021	Crystal Palace	40	14th
2021	Leeds United	40	9th
2022	Newcastle United	40	11th

With no manager and no hopes of a trophy, there will be little else to play for this season aside from pride and European qualification.

TNT Sports pundit Owen Hargreaves believes Man Utd can qualify for the Champions League next season but, if their performance against Brighton was any indication, that achievement feels a potential stretch.

United now have just one win in seven games, the sole victory coming against Newcastle on December 26.

Two of the main runners for the interim job are former players Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick.

Whoever takes the hotseat at Old Trafford will be tasked with retrieving something positive from an increasingly difficult 2025/26 campaign.

Fewest games Utd have played in a PL season

Statistics via Opta

Season	Games	League Finish
2014/15	44	4th
1995/96	49	1st
2021/22	49	6th
1992/93	50	1st
1997/98	52	2nd
2023/24	52	8th
2018/19	53	6th
1996/97	54	1st
2011/12	54	2nd
2012/13	54	1st

In 2014/15, United played 44 games and finished fourth. That was their first trophy-less season since 2004/05, but many supporters now may jump at the chance to finish fourth in the Premier League this season, even without silverware, and return to the Champions League and the revenue that comes with it.

United have twice played 50 or fewer games in a season and won the league, doing so in 1996 and 1993. The latter saw them capture the inaugural Premier League title.

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