The Football Association made the FA Cup second-round draw on Monday evening. Wycombe Wanderers, Blackpool and the other first-round survivors learned their opponents for ties to be played over the weekend of 5–6 December. The draw followed a first-round weekend that again tested League One and League Two clubs against non-League opposition.

Blackpool needed extra time to win 2-1 at National League side Hornchurch on Saturday. The late winner spared the Seasiders an early exit. Wycombe beat Accrington Stanley, another Football League side, to reach the second round.

The second round is the last stage before Premier League and Championship clubs enter the competition. Those clubs join in the third round in January. For lower-league and non-League sides, a second-round win guarantees prize money and the chance of a lucrative tie against top-flight opposition.

The FA has kept the competition's traditional open draw, meaning non-League clubs could be paired with each other or with Football League opposition. Clubs that lose in the second round take home only the prize money already earned. Smaller clubs in the third tier and below often rely on that money to balance their accounts.

The first round produced several narrow escapes for Football League clubs, including Blackpool's at Hornchurch. Those results have kept alive the prospect of a non-League side reaching the third round. Several clubs from outside the top four divisions have reached that stage in recent seasons.