(CNN) -- Only in the cup can a footballer appear in front of a few hundred fans one week, before running out to thousands at one of the most famous stadiums in the world the next.
Only in the cup, can a part-timer players take on a multi-million dollar superstars and come out victorious.
And only in the cup, can fate decree that a shop owner will become a household name with football fans across the globe for far more than the wares he regularly sells.
The "magic of the cup" maybe a cliche but it is this magnetism that currently links a modern conurbation in the south of England, with a picturesque French town situated at the base of the Alps.
This month sees Manchester United -- a team currently top of the English Premier League table and whose home ground is the self-dubbed "Theatre of Dreams" -- play host to one of the greatest cup stories of modern times.
It is at this 75,000-capacity iconic arena that Crawley Town -- who normally play in front of under 2,000 fans at their tiny Broadfield Stadium -- will attempt to defy the odds and become the first post-war side from outside the English Football League to reach the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, just a short hop across the 21-mile width of sea that separates Britain from mainland Europe, there is another magical cup act unfolding.
Chambery, an occasional stop off point for the Tour de France and a renowned base for many a skier, is making headlines for the achievements of the town's amateur football team.
Based in the fifth division of French football, an astonishing sequence of victories has seen Chambery reach the quarterfinals of the French Cup, with Sochaux recently going the same way as other top flight sides Monaco and Brest.
It is the first time in French football history that a club as lowly as Chambery has eliminated three Ligue One sides in the same cup competition and it has sparked excitement and fervor in a town more famous as an important rail network hub -- due to its proximity to the Swiss and Italian borders.
"Before now, football didn't really exist, today it is all everyone can talk about in Chambery," club president Patrick Davoine told CNN.
"In the town and the surrounding villages -- even in the whole country -- people are talking about us, it is fantastic!
"My players are just normal people. They are amateurs and do different jobs. Some are chefs, others own shops, but they work very hard and manage to fit the football in around their normal daily lives."
Meanwhile, it's all hands to the pump at Crawley, a new town of 100,000 people situated on the outskirts of London's feeder airport Gatwick.
It is an expanding and prosperous area, boosted by money from the aviation industry which dominates the local economy.
But now it is the town's local football team that is flying high -- and tickets for the biggest day in the club's history are selling so fast that even club chairman Victor Marley is helping sell tickets for the "biggest day in the club's history".
"We are taking 10,000 people from Crawley and the surrounding areas up to Manchester. It is going to be an amazing day out for everybody connected with the club," Marley told CNN.
"When the draw was made, it was like something out of a fairytale. It has given the town a massive boost.
"Since the draw was made, Crawley has been buzzing -- even the non-football fans. Crawley Town scarves are being displayed in shops all over the town."
Although both towns are making back-page headlines, the clubs differ in their minnow status.
A Crawley victory at Old Trafford will send shock waves through the world of football and create a story worthy of Hollywood.
"You know, this tie has attracted media interest from all over the world. I have received calls from Spain. Poland, Italy and even Canada and Barbados," continued Marley.
"To put it into perspective, we will make close to $1.5 million from this one match alone, it is a vast amount of money for us. We have hit the jackpot just by going to Old Trafford -- never mind winning the match."
Meanwhile, the conjuring trick continues for Chambery and their enthusiastic president, following the French Cup quarterfinal draw.
Although they did not hit the same financial jackpot as Crawley did, a home tie against second division side Angers gives the part-timers a realistic chance to reach the last four of the competition -- where big teams like Nice, Paris St Germain and Lille potentially lie in wait.
However, like his Crawley counterpart, Davoine is just enjoying the ride for the time being. "Although we are in the last eight, I really cannot imagine us winning the French Cup," he added. "But we want to play Paris St Germain ... bring them on!"
And so, this month, both teams will finally know their fate. The likelihood is that their fairytale journey's will end for good but, over 90 minutes of football, you just never know what might happen given the "magic of the cup."
By Greg Duke, CNN
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