FIRST TRUST

First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs (BUFR)

        FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs (BUFD)

        FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs (BUFQ)

----------------------------
       Annual Report
    For the Period Ended
      August 31, 2022
----------------------------





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                 ANNUAL REPORT
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

Shareholder Letter...........................................................  1
Fund Performance Overview
    FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs (BUFR)..................................  2
    FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs (BUFD).............................  3
    FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs (BUFQ)....................  4
Notes to Fund Performance Overview...........................................  5
Portfolio Commentary.........................................................  6
Understanding Your Fund Expenses.............................................  9
Portfolio of Investments
    FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs (BUFR).................................. 10
    FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs (BUFD)............................. 11
    FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs (BUFQ).................... 12
Statements of Assets and Liabilities......................................... 13
Statements of Operations..................................................... 14
Statements of Changes in Net Assets.......................................... 15
Financial Highlights......................................................... 17
Notes to Financial Statements................................................ 19
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm...................... 28
Additional Information....................................................... 29
Board of Trustees and Officers............................................... 38
Privacy Policy............................................................... 40

                  CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the goals,
beliefs, plans or current expectations of First Trust Advisors L.P. ("First
Trust" or the "Advisor") and/or Cboe Vest(SM) Financial LLC ("Cboe Vest" or the
"Sub-Advisor") and their respective representatives, taking into account the
information currently available to them. Forward-looking statements include all
statements that do not relate solely to current or historical fact. For example,
forward-looking statements include the use of words such as "anticipate,"
"estimate," "intend," "expect," "believe," "plan," "may," "should," "would" or
other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
the series of First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII (the "Trust") described in
this report (each such series is referred to as a "Fund" and collectively, as
the "Funds") to be materially different from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. When
evaluating the information included in this report, you are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the
judgment of the Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor and their respective representatives
only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly revise or
update these forward-looking statements to reflect events and circumstances that
arise after the date hereof.

                        PERFORMANCE AND RISK DISCLOSURE

There is no assurance that any Fund described in this report will achieve its
investment objective. Each Fund is subject to market risk, which is the
possibility that the market values of securities owned by the Fund will decline
and that the value of the Fund's shares may therefore be less than what you paid
for them. Accordingly, you can lose money investing in a Fund. See "Risk
Considerations" in the Additional Information section of this report for a
discussion of certain other risks of investing in the Funds.

Performance data quoted represents past performance, which is no guarantee of
future results, and current performance may be lower or higher than the figures
shown. For the most recent month-end performance figures, please visit
www.ftportfolios.com or speak with your financial advisor. Investment returns,
net asset value and share price will fluctuate and Fund shares, when sold, may
be worth more or less than their original cost.

The Advisor may also periodically provide additional information on Fund
performance on each Fund's webpage at www.ftportfolios.com.

                            HOW TO READ THIS REPORT

This report contains information that may help you evaluate your investment. It
includes details about each Fund and presents data and analysis that provide
insight into each Fund's performance and investment approach.

By reading the portfolio commentary from the portfolio management team of the
Funds, you may obtain an understanding of how the market environment affected
each Fund's performance. The statistical information that follows may help you
understand each Fund's performance compared to that of a relevant market
benchmark.

It is important to keep in mind that the opinions expressed by personnel of the
Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor are just that: informed opinions. They should not be
considered to be promises or advice. The opinions, like the statistics, cover
the period through the date on the cover of this report. The material risks of
investing in each Fund are spelled out in the prospectus, statement of
additional information, and other Fund regulatory filings.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHAREHOLDER LETTER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                    ANNUAL LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND CEO
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

Dear Shareholders:

First Trust is pleased to provide you with the annual report for certain series
of the First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII (the "Funds"), which contains
detailed information about the Funds for the twelve months ended August 31,
2022. Please note that one of the Funds was incepted after September 1, 2021,
the start of the reporting period, so information in this letter and the report
prior to the inception date will not apply to that Fund.

At their most recent meeting (September 20-21, 2022), the Federal Open Market
Committee announced a 75 basis point interest rate hike, the third rate hike in
as many meetings. Overall, the Federal Reserve (the "Fed") has raised its
benchmark Federal Funds target rate (upper bound) from 0.25% this past March to
3.25% as of September 30, 2022, the fastest pace for rate hikes since 1994. The
Fed is hiking interest rates aggressively to combat the surge in inflation that
commenced in the second quarter of 2021. Perhaps the most common measure of
inflation is the Consumer Price Index ("CPI"). The CPI has averaged 3.0% per
year since 1926 but stood at an eye-popping 8.3% on a trailing 12-month basis in
August 2022. Its recent high point was 9.1% in June 2022. For borrowers, these
rate hikes will raise the cost of capital, making it tougher to secure loans for
consumers and businesses. The goal is to raise interest rates high enough to
cool some of the demand for goods and services so that inflation can begin to
moderate. The Fed would eventually like to see the CPI back near the 2.0% level.
It will take some time to play out. Guidance from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell
indicates that more rate hikes are coming, perhaps as much as another 100 basis
points by year-end. We'll see.

One of the areas that has yet to cool off is the housing market, in my opinion.
We have seen a substantial selloff this year in the stock and bond markets, but
not housing. Prices appreciated markedly across the U.S. during the coronavirus
("COVID-19") pandemic. Demand was high and inventories were uncharacteristically
low. Simply put, housing affordability has become a huge challenge for many
prospective buyers. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price
Index, which tracks the value of single-family homes, soared 45.2% from the end
of 2019 through June 2022. Keep in mind, historically, home prices tend to rise
with inflation over time. They are not supposed to increase 45% over 30 months.
The rapid increase in short-term lending rates has caused the rate on a 30-year
fixed-rate mortgage to nearly double from 3.27% at the end of 2021 to 6.43% as
of September 21, 2022, according to Bankrate. The sharp rise in mortgage rates
is just beginning to have a slight effect on demand. Redfin reported that close
to 63,000 deals on existing homes fell through in July 2022, or around 16% of
homes under contract that month, according to CNBC.

Fed Chairman Powell is trying to engineer a soft landing for the economy via
monetary policy. In other words, the Fed is trying to avoid a deep and lengthy
recession. That is why the relative resilience of the real estate markets, both
residential and commercial, is so critical at this juncture. One other plus
going for the U.S. economy today is the strong labor market. As of this report,
companies are still hiring. If these sources of strength eventually succumb to
the economic headwinds and turn weaker, the odds of achieving a soft landing
drop dramatically, in my opinion. For those investors who like to follow the
news closely, in addition to monitoring the state of the economy, keep an eye on
the war between Russia and Ukraine as well as the COVID-19-induced lockdowns of
cities in China. Any good news on those two fronts could be a net positive for
the markets moving forward. As I previously noted, it is going to take some time
to remedy this situation. As always, we encourage investors to be diversified
and stay the course.

Thank you for giving First Trust the opportunity to play a role in your
financial future. We value our relationship with you and will report on the
Funds again in six months.

Sincerely,

/s/ James A. Bowen

James A. Bowen
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Chief Executive Officer of First Trust Advisors L.P.


                                                                          Page 1





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FUND PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW (UNAUDITED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FT CBOE VEST FUND OF BUFFER ETFS (BUFR)

The investment objective of the FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs (the "Fund") is
to seek to provide investors with capital appreciation. The Fund seeks to
achieve its investment objective by providing investors with US large-cap equity
market exposure while attempting to limit downside risk through a laddered
portfolio of twelve FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETFs ("Underlying ETFs").
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest substantially all of its
assets in the Underlying ETFs, which seek to provide investors with returns
(before fees, expenses and taxes) that match the price return of the SPDR(R) S&P
500(R) ETF Trust ("SPY"), up to a predetermined upside cap, while providing a
buffer against the first 10% (before fees, expenses and taxes) of SPY losses,
over a defined one-year period. Unlike the Underlying ETFs, the Fund itself does
not pursue a defined outcome strategy. The buffer is only provided by the
Underlying ETFs and the Fund itself does not provide any stated buffer against
losses. The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended. The shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., under the ticker symbol "BUFR."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERFORMANCE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     AVERAGE ANNUAL     CUMULATIVE
                                                                                     TOTAL RETURNS     TOTAL RETURNS
                                                                                       Inception         Inception
                                                                     1 Year Ended      (8/10/20)         (8/10/20)
                                                                       8/31/22         to 8/31/22       to 8/31/22
                                                                                                  
FUND PERFORMANCE
NAV                                                                     -4.68%           5.10%            10.77%
Market Price                                                            -4.97%           5.05%            10.67%

INDEX PERFORMANCE
S&P 500(R) Index - Price Return                                        -12.55%           8.24%            17.69%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


(See Notes to Fund Performance Overview on page 5.)



          PERFORMANCE OF A $10,000 INITIAL INVESTMENT
               AUGUST 10, 2020 - AUGUST 31, 2022

            FT Cboe Vest Fund       S&P 500(R) Index -
             of Buffer ETFs            Price Return
                                   
8/10/20          $10,000                 $10,000
8/31/20           10,180                  10,416
2/28/21           10,773                  11,341
8/31/21           11,621                  13,458
2/28/22           11,551                  13,016
8/31/22           11,077                  11,769


Performance figures assume reinvestment of all distributions and do not reflect
the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the
redemption or sale of Fund shares. An index is a statistical composite that
tracks a specified financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the index does
not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the
expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance
of the Fund. The Fund's past performance does not predict future performance.

FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF DISCOUNTS AND PREMIUMS

Information showing the number of days the market price of the Fund's shares was
greater (at a premium) and less (at a discount) than the Fund's net asset value
for the most recently completed year, and the most recently completed calendar
quarters since that year (or life of the Fund, if shorter) is available at
https://www.ftportfolios.com/Retail/etf/home.aspx.


Page 2





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FUND PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FT CBOE VEST FUND OF DEEP BUFFER ETFS (BUFD)

The investment objective of the FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs (the
"Fund") is to seek to provide investors with capital appreciation. The Fund
seeks to achieve its investment objective by providing investors with US
large-cap equity market exposure while attempting to limit downside risk through
a laddered portfolio of twelve FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETFs
("Underlying ETFs"). Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest
substantially all of its assets in the Underlying ETFs, which seek to provide
investors with returns (before fees, expenses and taxes) that match the price
return of the SPDR(R) S&P 500(R) ETF Trust ("SPY"), up to a predetermined upside
cap, while providing a deep buffer against losses between -5% and -30% (before
fees, expenses and taxes) of SPY, over a defined one-year period. Unlike the
Underlying ETFs, the Fund itself does not pursue a defined outcome strategy. The
buffer is only provided by the Underlying ETFs and the Fund itself does not
provide any stated buffer against losses. The Fund is classified as
non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The shares
of the Fund are listed and traded on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., under the
ticker symbol "BUFD."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERFORMANCE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     AVERAGE ANNUAL     CUMULATIVE
                                                                                     TOTAL RETURNS     TOTAL RETURNS
                                                                                       Inception         Inception
                                                                     1 Year Ended      (1/20/21)         (1/20/21)
                                                                       8/31/22         to 8/31/22       to 8/31/22
                                                                                                   
FUND PERFORMANCE
NAV                                                                     -5.40%           -0.87%           -1.40%
Market Price                                                            -5.63%           -0.87%           -1.40%

INDEX PERFORMANCE
S&P 500(R) Index - Price Return                                        -12.55%            1.65%            2.68%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


(See Notes to Fund Performance Overview on page 5.)



           PERFORMANCE OF A $10,000 INITIAL INVESTMENT
                JANUARY 20, 2021 - AUGUST 31, 2022

            FT Cboe Vest Fund of       S&P 500(R) Index -
              Deep Buffer ETFs            Price Return
                                      
1/20/21           $10,000                   $10,000
2/28/21             9,980                     9,894
8/31/21            10,424                    11,742
2/28/22            10,384                    11,355
8/31/22             9,860                    10,268


Performance figures assume reinvestment of all distributions and do not reflect
the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the
redemption or sale of Fund shares. An index is a statistical composite that
tracks a specified financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the index does
not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the
expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance
of the Fund. The Fund's past performance does not predict future performance.

FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF DISCOUNTS AND PREMIUMS

Information showing the number of days the market price of the Fund's shares was
greater (at a premium) and less (at a discount) than the Fund's net asset value
for the most recently completed year, and the most recently completed calendar
quarters since that year (or life of the Fund, if shorter) is available at
https://www.ftportfolios.com/Retail/etf/home.aspx.


                                                                          Page 3





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FUND PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW (UNAUDITED) (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FT CBOE VEST FUND OF NASDAQ-100(R) BUFFER ETFS (BUFQ)

The investment objective of the FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs
(the "Fund") is to seek to provide investors with capital appreciation. The Fund
seeks to achieve its investment objective by providing investors with large-cap
equity market exposure while attempting to limit downside risk through a
laddered portfolio of four FT Cboe Vest Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs (the
"Underlying ETFs"). Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest
substantially all of its assets in the Underlying ETFs, which seek to provide
investors with returns (before fees, expenses and taxes) that match the price
return of the Invesco QQQ Trust(SM), Series 1 ("QQQ"), up to a predetermined
upside cap, while providing a buffer against the first 10% (before fees,
expenses and taxes) of QQQ losses, over a defined one-year period. Unlike the
Underlying ETFs, the Fund itself does not pursue a target outcome strategy. The
buffer is only provided by the Underlying ETFs and the Fund itself does not
provide any stated buffer against losses. The Fund is classified as
non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The shares
of the Fund are listed and traded on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., under the
ticker symbol "BUFQ."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERFORMANCE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                        CUMULATIVE
                                                                                                       TOTAL RETURNS
                                                                                                         Inception
                                                                                                         (6/15/22)
                                                                                                        to 8/31/22
                                                                                                        
FUND PERFORMANCE
NAV                                                                                                        4.84%
Market Price                                                                                               4.69%

INDEX PERFORMANCE
Nasdaq-100 Index(R) - Price Return                                                                         5.85%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


(See Notes to Fund Performance Overview on page 5.)



               PERFORMANCE OF A $10,000 INITIAL INVESTMENT
                    JANUARY 20, 2021 - AUGUST 31, 2022

              FT Cboe Vest Fund of          Nasdaq-100 Index(R) -
            Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs           Price Return
                                             
6/15/22              $10,000                       $10,000
8/31/22               10,484                        10,585


Performance figures assume reinvestment of all distributions and do not reflect
the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the
redemption or sale of Fund shares. An index is a statistical composite that
tracks a specified financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the index does
not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the
expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance
of the Fund. The Fund's past performance does not predict future performance.

FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF DISCOUNTS AND PREMIUMS

Information showing the number of days the market price of the Fund's shares was
greater (at a premium) and less (at a discount) than the Fund's net asset value
for the most recently completed year, and the most recently completed calendar
quarters since that year (or life of the Fund, if shorter) is available at
https://www.ftportfolios.com/Retail/etf/home.aspx.


Page 4





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES TO FUND PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW (UNAUDITED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total returns for the periods since inception are calculated from the inception
date of each Fund. "Average Annual Total Returns" represent the average annual
change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. "Cumulative Total
Returns" represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods
indicated.

Each Fund's per share net asset value ("NAV") is the value of one share of the
Fund and is computed by dividing the value of all assets of the Fund (including
accrued interest and dividends), less all liabilities (including accrued
expenses and dividends declared but unpaid), by the total number of outstanding
shares. The price used to calculate market return ("Market Price") is determined
by using the midpoint of the national best bid and offer price ("NBBO") as of
the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Under SEC rules, the NBBO consists
of the highest displayed buy and lowest sell prices among the various exchanges
trading the Fund at the time the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of each
Fund did not trade in the secondary market until after the Fund's inception, for
the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares
of the Fund, the NAV of each Fund is used as a proxy for the secondary market
trading price to calculate market returns. NAV and market returns assume that
all distributions have been reinvested in each Fund at NAV and Market Price,
respectively.

An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified financial market or
sector. Unlike each Fund, the indices do not actually hold a portfolio of
securities and therefore do not incur the expenses incurred by each Fund. These
expenses negatively impact the performance of each Fund. Also, market returns do
not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market
transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be
lower. The total returns presented reflect the reinvestment of dividends on
securities in the indices. The returns presented do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or
sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of each
Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of each Fund may be
worth more or less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in
the market. Each Fund's past performance is no guarantee of future performance.


                                                                          Page 5





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PORTFOLIO COMMENTARY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                 ANNUAL REPORT
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)


                                    ADVISOR

First Trust Advisors L.P. ("First Trust" or the "Advisor") is the investment
advisor to FT Cboe Vest of Buffer ETFs ("BUFR"), FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep
Buffer ETFs ("BUFD") and FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs ("BUFQ")
(each a "Fund" and collectively, the "Funds"). First Trust is responsible for
the ongoing monitoring of each Fund's investment portfolio, managing each Fund's
business affairs and providing administrative services necessary for the
management of the Funds.

                                  SUB-ADVISOR

Cboe Vest(SM) Financial LLC ("Cboe Vest" or the "Sub-Advisor") serves as the
sub-advisor to the Funds. In this capacity, Cboe Vest is responsible for the
selection and ongoing monitoring of the securities in each Fund's investment
portfolio. Cboe Vest, with principal offices at 8350 Broad St., Suite 240,
McLean, Virginia 22102, was founded in 2012. Cboe Vest had approximately $8.6
billion under management or committed to management as of August 31, 2022.

                           PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT TEAM

KARAN SOOD, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CBOE VEST

HOWARD RUBIN, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CBOE VEST

MARKET RECAP

The investment objective of BUFR is to seek to provide investors with capital
appreciation. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by providing
investors with US large cap equity market exposure while limiting downside risk
through a laddered portfolio of twelve FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETFs.

The investment objective of BUFD is to seek to provide investors with capital
appreciation. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by providing
investors with US large cap equity market exposure while limiting downside risk
through a laddered portfolio of twelve FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer
ETFs.

The investment objective of BUFQ is to seek to provide investors with capital
appreciation. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by providing
investors with large-cap equity market exposure while attempting to limit
downside risk through a laddered portfolio of four FT Cboe Vest Nasdaq-100(R)
Buffer ETFs.

During the 12-month period ended August 31, 2022, stock markets dropped
significantly as inflation surged and U.S. gross domestic product ("GDP") fell
for two consecutive quarters.

The S&P 500(R) Index, the well-known measure of U.S. large-cap stocks, ended the
period down 11.23%. Mid- and small-capitalization stocks, as measured by the S&P
MidCap 400(R) Index and the Russell 2000(R) Small Cap Index, fell as well,
losing 10.37% and 17.88%, respectively, during the same period. The Nasdaq-100
Index(R), a tech-heavy market measure, lost 20.63% during the same period.
International markets were hit even harder than the U.S., with broad foreign
market indices such as MSCI EAFE Index and MSCI Emerging Markets Index declining
by 19.80% and 21.80%, respectively, during the same period.

Within the S&P 500(R) Index during the 12-month period ended August 31, 2022,
the market continued to see dramatic variations in returns across the major
sectors of the economy. The Energy sector soared, gaining 75.77%, and outpacing
all other sectors by a wide margin during the period. The only other sector to
post a positive return for the same period was the Consumer Staples sector,
which gained 4.08%. On the downside, the worst performing sectors for the same
period were the Telecommunications sector (-35.19%), the Consumer Discretionary
sector (-16.16%), and Information Technology sector (-14.35%).

U.S. economic data all pointed to a slowing economy. GDP growth in the most
recent four quarterly reports (the third quarter 2021 through the second quarter
2022) saw seasonally adjusted annualized rates of +2.3%, +6.9%, -1.6%, and
-0.6%, sequentially. These two most recent reports thus meet the traditional
definition of a recession, which is two consecutive quarterly declines in GDP. A
current Bloomberg survey of economists shows a consensus projection of 1.0% GDP
growth for all of 2023 (versus 2022).


Page 6





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PORTFOLIO COMMENTARY (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                 ANNUAL REPORT
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

The U.S. unemployment rate began the 12-month period ended August 31, 2022 at
5.2% (for August 2021) and quickly dropped below 4%, where it remained for most
of the period. The most recent report showed a small uptick and the rate now
sits at 3.7% (for August 2022).

U.S inflation levels continued to post concerningly high levels. The most recent
(July 2022) Consumer Price Index report shows year-over-year inflation running
at an 8.5% rate, up from 5.4% reported twelve months earlier. One component of
the economy that continued to overheat was the housing market. Housing prices in
the U.S. increased by 18.0% over the last twelve months, according to the most
recent (June 2022) S&P Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index. This was on
top of an 18.1% increase in the prior 12 months, compounding to make for a
stunning 24-month increase in home prices of 39.3%.

Persistently higher inflation forced the Federal Reserve (the "Fed") to increase
short term rates at a much more rapid pace than the market had expected at the
beginning of the 12-month period ended August 31, 2022. The Fed has a stated
target of 2% inflation. The Fed began their rate hike cycle in January 2022,
and, as of this writing, the Fed has increased the Federal Funds target rate by
2.25%. The Fed began the period with the range being 0% to 0.25% and ended the
period with the range being 2.25% to 2.50%. Market participants are factoring in
additional rate hikes by the Fed by the end of 2022.

MARKET AND FUND OUTLOOK

Over the 12-month period ended August 31, 2022, implied volatilities in U.S.
equity markets averaged about 28.5%, according to the Cboe S&P 500(R) 1-Year
Volatility Index. This index is derived from option prices and estimates the
market's expectation of S&P 500(R) Index volatility for the next twelve months.
As of the end of the same period, the index stands at 29.3%. For comparison
purposes, the historical volatility of the S&P 500(R) Index since its inception
in 1957 has been about 15.7%. We anticipate that implied volatilities will
decline over the coming year. Buffer strategies, such as those used in the
underlying FT Cboe Vest Funds, generally benefit from declining implied
volatilities.

While most fixed income securities have seen their nominal yields increase
during the 12-month period ended August 31, 2022, many still have negative real
yields (i.e., nominal yield less the inflation rate). This continues to bode
poorly for future fixed income returns. For this reason, many market analysts
are claiming the traditional "60/40 stock/bond allocation" strategy is dead.
Investors are looking to reallocate away from fixed income investments.

The FT Cboe Vest Funds are an alternative that these investors should consider.
The underlying FT Cboe Vest Funds are designed to protect investors against
varying levels of downside movements in their Reference ETF (e.g., SPY or QQQ),
while limiting the investor's participation in larger upside moves in the
Reference ETF. In the current negative real yield environment, such Funds, in
appropriate allocations, can be suitable alternatives to fixed income
investments.

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

The following table provides information pertaining to performance for the
12-month period ended August 31, 2022 for each Fund, as well as an attribution
analysis that estimates the impact of various factors on each Fund's
performance.

Each Fund's performance may be impacted by a number of factors. These factors
include changes in each of: the level of the Reference ETF, the Reference ETF's
dividends, interest rates, implied volatility, and time to option expiration.
Generally, changes in the level of the Reference ETF is the primary factor, but
the other factors can also contribute significantly to fund performance.
Additionally, expenses will impact fund performance.

The impact from these factors for the period are shown in the table under
"Estimated Performance Attribution."


                                                                          Page 7





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PORTFOLIO COMMENTARY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                 ANNUAL REPORT
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FUND TICKER                                         BUFR       BUFD       BUFQ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  
Annual Expense Ratio                                  1.05%      1.05%      1.10%
Reporting Period Start Date                        8/31/21    8/31/21    6/15/22
Reporting Period End Date                          8/31/22    8/31/22    8/31/22

PERFORMANCE (LATER OF 8/31/21 OR INCEPTION DATE, TO 8/31/22):
Fund Performance (using NAVs)                        -4.68%     -5.40%      4.84%
Fund Performance (using Market Price)                -4.97%     -5.63%      4.69%
Reference Asset Price Return                        -12.49%    -12.49%      5.82%

ESTIMATED PERFORMANCE ATTRIBUTION
Fund NAV Performance Attributed to
   a) Changes in Reference Asset                     -6.67%     -4.21%      3.36%
   b) Changes in other Variables*                     3.04%     -0.15%      1.72%
   c) Expenses (pro-rated annual expense ratio)      -1.05%     -1.05%     -0.24%
Attribution TOTAL                                    -4.68%     -5.40%      4.84%


* Includes changes in a) Reference Asset's dividends, b) interest rates, c)
implied volatility, and d) time to option expiration.


Page 8





FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
UNDERSTANDING YOUR FUND EXPENSES
AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

As a shareholder of FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs, FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep
Buffer ETFs or FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs (each a "Fund" and
collectively, the "Funds"), you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs;
and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution and/or service
(12b-1) fees, if any, and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help
you understand your ongoing costs of investing in the Funds and to compare these
costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the
period (or since inception) and held through the six-month (or shorter) period
ended August 31, 2022.

ACTUAL EXPENSES

The first line in the following table provides information about actual account
values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together
with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the
period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600
account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number
in the first line under the heading entitled "Expenses Paid During the Period"
to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this six-month (or
shorter) period.

HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES

The second line in the following table provides information about hypothetical
account values and hypothetical expenses based on each Fund's actual expense
ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not
each Fund's actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not
be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for
the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of
investing in the Funds and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical
example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports
of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your
ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs such as brokerage
commissions. Therefore, the second line in the table is useful in comparing
ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of
owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included,
your costs would have been higher.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                           ANNUALIZED
                                                                                          EXPENSE RATIO           EXPENSES PAID
                                                    BEGINNING            ENDING           BASED ON THE             DURING THE
                                                  ACCOUNT VALUE       ACCOUNT VALUE         SIX-MONTH               SIX-MONTH
                                                  MARCH 1, 2022      AUGUST 31, 2022       PERIOD (a)            PERIOD (a) (b)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                          
FT CBOE VEST FUND OF BUFFER ETFS (BUFR)
Actual                                              $1,000.00           $  959.00             0.20%                   $0.99
Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)            $1,000.00           $1,024.20             0.20%                   $1.02

FT CBOE VEST FUND OF DEEP BUFFER ETFS (BUFD)
Actual                                              $1,000.00           $  949.60             0.20%                   $0.98
Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)            $1,000.00           $1,024.20             0.20%                   $1.02




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                           ANNUALIZED             EXPENSES PAID
                                                                                          EXPENSE RATIO         DURING THE PERIOD
                                                    BEGINNING            ENDING           BASED ON THE          JUNE 15, 2022 (c)
                                                  ACCOUNT VALUE       ACCOUNT VALUE      NUMBER OF DAYS                TO
                                                JUNE 15, 2022 (c)    AUGUST 31, 2022    IN THE PERIOD (a)    AUGUST 31, 2022 (a) (d)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                          
FT CBOE VEST FUND OF NASDAQ-100(R) BUFFER ETFS (BUFQ)
Actual                                              $1,000.00           $1,048.40             0.20%                   $0.44
Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)            $1,000.00           $1,024.20             0.20%                   $1.02


(a)   Annualized expense ratio and expenses paid during the six-month (or
      shorter) period do not include fees and expenses of the underlying funds
      in which the Fund invests.

(b)   Expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio as indicated in the
      table multiplied by the average account value over the period (March 1,
      2022 through August 31, 2022), multiplied by 184/365 (to reflect the
      six-month period).

(c)   Inception date.

(d)   Actual expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio as indicated in
      the table multiplied by the average account value over the period (June
      15, 2022 through August 31, 2022), multiplied by 78/365. Hypothetical
      expenses are assumed for the most recent six-month period.


                                                                          Page 9





FT CBOE VEST FUND OF BUFFER ETFS (BUFR)
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS
AUGUST 31, 2022

   SHARES                   DESCRIPTION                     VALUE
------------  ----------------------------------------  -------------
              EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS -- 100.0%
              CAPITAL MARKETS -- 100.0%
   1,875,751  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - January (a) (b)                  $  60,682,608
   1,707,918  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - February (a) (b)                    60,429,555
   1,936,857  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - March (a) (b)                       60,488,044
   2,056,490  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - April (a) (b)                       60,316,852
   1,699,844  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - May (a) (b)                         60,582,440
   1,671,132  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - June (a) (b)                        60,628,669
   1,749,052  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - July (a) (b)                        60,622,142
   1,716,014  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - August (a) (b)                      60,335,052
   1,836,272  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - September (a) (b)                   61,411,730
   1,859,315  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - October (a) (b)                     61,195,449
   1,712,001  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - November (a) (b)                    60,870,709
   1,917,166  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer
                 ETF - December (a) (b)                    60,870,020
                                                        -------------
              TOTAL EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS
                 -- 100.0%                                728,433,270
              (Cost $760,192,984)                       -------------


   SHARES                   DESCRIPTION                     VALUE
------------  ----------------------------------------  -------------
              MONEY MARKET FUNDS -- 0.0%
     261,671  Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity
                 Funds - Treasury Portfolio -
                 Institutional Class - 2.06% (c)        $     261,671
              (Cost $261,671)                           -------------

              TOTAL INVESTMENTS -- 100.0%                 728,694,941
              (Cost $760,454,655)
              NET OTHER ASSETS AND
                 LIABILITIES -- (0.0)%                       (131,144)
                                                        -------------
              NET ASSETS -- 100.0%                      $ 728,563,797
                                                        =============

(a)   Investment in an affiliated fund.

(b)   Non-income producing security.

(c)   Rate shown reflects yield as of August 31, 2022.


FUND ALLOCATION                                       % OF NET ASSETS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Exchange-Traded Funds                                     100.0%
Money Market Funds                                        0.0(1)
Net Other Assets and Liabilities                          0.0(1)
                                                         --------
   Total                                                  100.0%
                                                         ========

(1)   Amount is less than 0.1%.

-----------------------------

VALUATION INPUTS

A summary of the inputs used to value the Fund's investments as of August 31,
2022 is as follows (see Note 2A - Portfolio Valuation in the Notes to Financial
Statements):



                                                                                                LEVEL 2           LEVEL 3
                                                             TOTAL            LEVEL 1         SIGNIFICANT       SIGNIFICANT
                                                            VALUE AT           QUOTED          OBSERVABLE       UNOBSERVABLE
                                                           8/31/2022           PRICES            INPUTS            INPUTS
                                                         --------------    --------------    --------------    --------------
                                                                                                   
Exchange-Traded Funds*...............................    $  728,433,270    $  728,433,270    $           --    $           --
Money Market Funds...................................           261,671           261,671                --                --
                                                         --------------    --------------    --------------    --------------
Total Investments....................................    $  728,694,941    $  728,694,941    $           --    $           --
                                                         ==============    ==============    ==============    ==============


* See Portfolio of Investments for industry breakout.


Page 10                 See Notes to Financial Statements





FT CBOE VEST FUND OF DEEP BUFFER ETFS (BUFD)
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS
AUGUST 31, 2022

   SHARES                   DESCRIPTION                     VALUE
------------  ----------------------------------------  -------------
              EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS -- 100.0%
              CAPITAL MARKETS -- 100.0%
   1,458,926  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - January (a) (b)           $  44,934,921
   1,324,768  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - February (a) (b)             44,918,776
   1,476,336  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - March (a) (b)                44,895,378
   1,502,479  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - April (a) (b)                44,818,949
   1,427,561  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - May (a) (b)                  45,068,957
   1,394,956  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - June (a) (b)                 45,182,625
   1,449,238  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - July (a) (b)                 45,013,332
   1,423,581  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - August (a) (b)               44,842,801
   1,490,389  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - September (a) (b)            45,397,249
   1,479,176  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - October (a) (b)              45,259,383
   1,386,309  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - November (a) (b)             45,526,388
   1,486,873  FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Deep
                 Buffer ETF - December (a) (b)             45,215,808
                                                        -------------
              TOTAL EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS
                 -- 100.0%                                541,074,567
              (Cost $565,098,431)                       -------------


   SHARES                   DESCRIPTION                     VALUE
------------  ----------------------------------------  -------------
              MONEY MARKET FUNDS -- 0.0%
     145,580  Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity
                 Funds - Treasury Portfolio -
                 Institutional Class - 2.06% (c)        $     145,580
              (Cost $145,580)                           -------------

              TOTAL INVESTMENTS -- 100.0%                 541,220,147
              (Cost $565,244,011)
              NET OTHER ASSETS AND
                 LIABILITIES -- (0.0)%                        (87,655)
                                                        -------------
              Net Assets -- 100.0%                      $ 541,132,492
                                                        =============

(a)   Investment in an affiliated fund.

(b)   Non-income producing security.

(c)   Rate shown reflects yield as of August 31, 2022.


FUND ALLOCATION                                       % OF NET ASSETS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Exchange-Traded Funds                                     100.0%
Money Market Funds                                        0.0(1)
Net Other Assets and Liabilities                          0.0(1)
                                                         --------
   Total                                                  100.0%
                                                         ========

(1)   Amount is less than 0.1%.

-----------------------------

VALUATION INPUTS

A summary of the inputs used to value the Fund's investments as of August 31,
2022 is as follows (see Note 2A - Portfolio Valuation in the Notes to Financial
Statements):



                                                                                                LEVEL 2           LEVEL 3
                                                             TOTAL            LEVEL 1         SIGNIFICANT       SIGNIFICANT
                                                            VALUE AT           QUOTED          OBSERVABLE       UNOBSERVABLE
                                                           8/31/2022           PRICES            INPUTS            INPUTS
                                                         --------------    --------------    --------------    --------------
                                                                                                   
Exchange-Traded Funds*...............................    $  541,074,567    $  541,074,567    $           --    $           --
Money Market Funds...................................           145,580           145,580                --                --
                                                         --------------    --------------    --------------    --------------
Total Investments....................................    $  541,220,147    $  541,220,147    $           --    $           --
                                                         ==============    ==============    ==============    ==============


* See Portfolio of Investments for industry breakout.


                        See Notes to Financial Statements                Page 11





FT CBOE VEST FUND OF NASDAQ-100(R) BUFFER ETFS (BUFQ)
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS
AUGUST 31, 2022

   SHARES                   DESCRIPTION                     VALUE
------------  ----------------------------------------  -------------
              EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS -- 99.9%
              CAPITAL MARKETS -- 99.9%
     131,580  FT Cboe Vest Nasdaq-100(R)
                 Buffer ETF - March (a) (b)             $   2,664,074
     140,950  FT Cboe Vest Nasdaq-100(R)
                 Buffer ETF - June (a) (b)                  2,648,451
     149,990  FT Cboe Vest Nasdaq-100(R)
                 Buffer ETF - September (a) (b)             2,709,359
     135,660  FT Cboe Vest Nasdaq-100(R)
                 Buffer ETF - December (a) (b)              2,702,076
                                                        -------------
              TOTAL EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS
                 -- 99.9%                                  10,723,960
              (Cost $10,968,293)                        -------------


   SHARES                   DESCRIPTION                     VALUE
------------  ----------------------------------------  -------------
              MONEY MARKET FUNDS -- 0.1%
       6,981  Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity
                 Funds - Treasury Portfolio -
                 Institutional Class - 2.06% (c)        $       6,981
              (Cost $6,981)                             -------------

              TOTAL INVESTMENTS -- 100.0%                  10,730,941
              (Cost $10,975,274)
              NET OTHER ASSETS AND
                 LIABILITIES -- (0.0)%                         (1,329)
                                                        -------------
              NET ASSETS -- 100.0%                      $  10,729,612
                                                        =============

(a) Investment in an affiliated fund.

(b) Non-income producing security.

(c) Rate shown reflects yield as of August 31, 2022.


FUND ALLOCATION                                       % OF NET ASSETS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Exchange-Traded Funds                                      99.9%
Money Market Funds                                          0.1
Net Other Assets and Liabilities                          0.0(1)
                                                         --------
   Total                                                  100.0%
                                                         ========

(1)   Amount is less than 0.1%.

-----------------------------

VALUATION INPUTS

A summary of the inputs used to value the Fund's investments as of August 31,
2022 is as follows (see Note 2A - Portfolio Valuation in the Notes to Financial
Statements):



                                                                                                LEVEL 2           LEVEL 3
                                                             TOTAL            LEVEL 1         SIGNIFICANT       SIGNIFICANT
                                                            VALUE AT           QUOTED          OBSERVABLE       UNOBSERVABLE
                                                           8/31/2022           PRICES            INPUTS            INPUTS
                                                         --------------    --------------    --------------    --------------
                                                                                                   
Exchange-Traded Funds*...............................    $   10,723,960    $   10,723,960    $           --    $           --
Money Market Funds...................................             6,981             6,981                --                --
                                                         --------------    --------------    --------------    --------------
Total Investments....................................    $   10,730,941    $   10,730,941    $           --    $           --
                                                         ==============    ==============    ==============    ==============


* See Portfolio of Investments for industry breakout.


Page 12                 See Notes to Financial Statements





FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
AUGUST 31, 2022



                                                                                                                FT CBOE VEST
                                                                        FT CBOE VEST        FT CBOE VEST           FUND OF
                                                                           FUND OF             FUND OF          NASDAQ-100(R)
                                                                         BUFFER ETFS      DEEP BUFFER ETFS       BUFFER ETFS
                                                                           (BUFR)              (BUFD)              (BUFQ)
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
ASSETS:
                                                                                                     
Investments, at value - Affiliated.................................   $     728,433,270   $     541,074,567   $      10,723,960
Investments, at value - Unaffiliated...............................             261,671             145,580               6,981
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
   Total investments, at value.....................................         728,694,941         541,220,147          10,730,941
Cash...............................................................           1,061,809                  --                  --
Receivables:
   Capital shares sold.............................................           5,553,077           1,982,779                  --
   Dividends.......................................................                 107                  53                   9
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
   Total Assets....................................................         735,309,934         543,202,979          10,730,950
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
LIABILITIES:
Payables:
   Investment securities purchased.................................           6,613,896           1,982,547                  --
   Investment advisory fees........................................             132,241              87,940               1,338
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
   Total Liabilities...............................................           6,746,137           2,070,487               1,338
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
NET ASSETS.........................................................   $     728,563,797   $     541,132,492   $      10,729,612
                                                                      =================   =================   =================

NET ASSETS CONSIST OF:
Paid-in capital....................................................   $     761,359,185   $     565,715,106   $      10,968,945
Par value..........................................................             328,000             273,500               5,000
Accumulated distributable earnings (loss)..........................         (33,123,388)        (24,856,114)           (244,333)
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
NET ASSETS.........................................................   $     728,563,797   $     541,132,492   $      10,729,612
                                                                      =================   =================   =================
NET ASSET VALUE, per share.........................................   $           22.21   $           19.79   $           21.46
                                                                      =================   =================   =================
Number of shares outstanding (unlimited number of shares
   authorized, par value $0.01 per share)..........................          32,800,002          27,350,002             500,002
                                                                      =================   =================   =================
Investments, at cost - Affiliated..................................   $     760,192,984   $     565,098,431   $      10,968,293
                                                                      =================   =================   =================
Investments, at cost - Unaffiliated................................   $         261,671   $         145,580   $           6,981
                                                                      =================   =================   =================
Total investments, at cost.........................................   $     760,454,655   $     565,244,011   $      10,975,274
                                                                      =================   =================   =================



                        See Notes to Financial Statements                Page 13





FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED AUGUST 31, 2022



                                                                                                                FT CBOE VEST
                                                                        FT CBOE VEST        FT CBOE VEST           FUND OF
                                                                           FUND OF             FUND OF           NASDAQ-100(R)
                                                                         BUFFER ETFS      DEEP BUFFER ETFS       BUFFER ETFS
                                                                           (BUFR)              (BUFD)            (BUFQ) (a)
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
INVESTMENT INCOME:
                                                                                                     
Dividends..........................................................   $             589   $             226   $              11
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
   Total investment income.........................................                 589                 226                  11
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------

EXPENSES:
Investment advisory fees...........................................           1,237,843             714,342               1,863
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
   Total expenses..................................................           1,237,843             714,342               1,863
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
NET INVESTMENT INCOME (LOSS).......................................          (1,237,254)           (714,116)             (1,852)
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------

NET REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS):
Net realized gain (loss) on:
   Investments - Affiliated........................................            (436,416)           (269,405)                 --
   In-kind redemptions - Affiliated................................           4,421,636           1,971,617                  --
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
Net realized gain (loss)...........................................           3,985,220           1,702,212                  --
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on
   investments - Affiliated........................................         (39,802,887)        (26,289,634)           (244,333)
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
NET REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS)............................         (35,817,667)        (24,587,422)           (244,333)
                                                                      -----------------   -----------------   -----------------
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS RESULTING
   FROM OPERATIONS.................................................   $     (37,054,921)  $     (25,301,538)  $        (246,185)
                                                                      =================   =================   =================


(a)   Inception date is June 15, 2022, which is consistent with the commencement
      of investment operations and is the date the initial creation units were
      established.


Page 14                 See Notes to Financial Statements





FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS



                                                             FT CBOE VEST                              FT CBOE VEST
                                                                FUND OF                                  FUND OF
                                                              BUFFER ETFS                            DEEP BUFFER ETFS
                                                                (BUFR)                                    (BUFD)
                                                 -------------------------------------    --------------------------------------
                                                       YEAR                YEAR                 YEAR                PERIOD
                                                      ENDED                ENDED                ENDED                ENDED
                                                    8/31/2022            8/31/2021            8/31/2022          8/31/2021 (a)
                                                 ----------------    -----------------    -----------------    -----------------
OPERATIONS:
                                                                                                   
Net investment income (loss)..................   $     (1,237,254)   $        (250,042)   $        (714,116)   $         (90,593)
Net realized gain (loss)......................          3,985,220            8,720,929            1,702,212              817,234
Net change in unrealized appreciation
   (depreciation).............................        (39,802,887)           7,988,398          (26,289,634)           2,265,770
                                                 ----------------    -----------------    -----------------    -----------------
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting
   from operations............................        (37,054,921)          16,459,285          (25,301,538)           2,992,411
                                                 ----------------    -----------------    -----------------    -----------------

SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTIONS:
Proceeds from shares sold.....................        609,077,785          417,166,735          472,088,210          216,796,683
Cost of shares redeemed.......................       (145,221,514)        (137,987,462)         (66,763,156)         (58,680,118)
                                                 ----------------    -----------------    -----------------    -----------------
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting
   from shareholder transactions..............        463,856,271          279,179,273          405,325,054          158,116,565
                                                 ----------------    -----------------    -----------------    -----------------
Total increase (decrease) in net assets.......        426,801,350          295,638,558          380,023,516          161,108,976

NET ASSETS:
Beginning of period...........................        301,762,447            6,123,889          161,108,976                   --
                                                 ----------------    -----------------    -----------------    -----------------
End of period.................................   $    728,563,797    $     301,762,447    $     541,132,492    $     161,108,976
                                                 ================    =================    =================    =================

CHANGES IN SHARES OUTSTANDING:
Shares outstanding, beginning of period.......         12,950,002              300,002            7,700,002                   --
Shares sold...................................         26,200,000           18,750,000           22,900,000           10,550,002
Shares redeemed...............................         (6,350,000)          (6,100,000)          (3,250,000)          (2,850,000)
                                                 ----------------    -----------------    -----------------    -----------------
Shares outstanding, end of period.............         32,800,002           12,950,002           27,350,002            7,700,002
                                                 ================    =================    =================    =================


(a)   Inception date is January 20, 2021, which is consistent with the
      commencement of investment operations and is the date the initial creation
      units were established.


                        See Notes to Financial Statements                Page 15





FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS (CONTINUED)



                                                   FT CBOE VEST
                                                     FUND OF
                                                  NASDAQ-100(R)
                                                   BUFFER ETFS
                                                      (BUFQ)
                                                 ----------------
                                                      PERIOD
                                                      ENDED
                                                  8/31/2022 (b)
                                                 ----------------
OPERATIONS:
                                              
Net investment income (loss)..................   $         (1,852)
Net realized gain (loss)......................                 --
Net change in unrealized appreciation
   (depreciation).............................           (244,333)
                                                 ----------------
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting
   from operations............................           (246,185)
                                                 ----------------

SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTIONS:
Proceeds from shares sold.....................         10,975,797
Cost of shares redeemed.......................                 --
                                                 ----------------
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting
   from shareholder transactions..............         10,975,797
                                                 ----------------
Total increase (decrease) in net assets.......         10,729,612

NET ASSETS:
Beginning of period...........................                 --
                                                 ----------------
End of period.................................   $     10,729,612
                                                 ================

CHANGES IN SHARES OUTSTANDING:
Shares outstanding, beginning of period.......                 --
Shares sold...................................            500,002
Shares redeemed...............................                 --
                                                 ----------------
Shares outstanding, end of period.............            500,002
                                                 ================


(b)   Inception date is June 15, 2022, which is consistent with the commencement
      of investment operations and is the date the initial creation units were
      established.


Page 16                 See Notes to Financial Statements





FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
FOR A SHARE OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT EACH PERIOD

FT CBOE VEST FUND OF BUFFER ETFS (BUFR)




                                                                      YEAR ENDED AUGUST 31,            PERIOD
                                                                 -------------------------------       ENDED
                                                                      2022             2021        8/31/2020 (a)
                                                                 --------------   --------------   --------------
                                                                                             
Net asset value, beginning of period...........................     $  23.30         $  20.41         $  20.05
                                                                    --------         --------         --------
INCOME FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Net investment income (loss)...................................        (0.03)           (0.02)              --
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)........................        (1.06)            2.91             0.36
                                                                    --------         --------         --------
Total from investment operations...............................        (1.09)            2.89             0.36
                                                                    --------         --------         --------
Net asset value, end of period.................................     $  22.21         $  23.30         $  20.41
                                                                    ========         ========         ========
TOTAL RETURN (b)...............................................        (4.68)%          14.16%            1.80%

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period (in 000's)...........................     $728,564         $301,762         $  6,124
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets (c)..............         0.20%            0.20%            0.20% (d)
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets....        (0.20)%          (0.20)%          (0.20)% (d)
Portfolio turnover rate (e)....................................            2%               1%               0%



FT CBOE VEST FUND OF DEEP BUFFER ETFS (BUFD)



                                                                      YEAR            PERIOD
                                                                      ENDED           ENDED
                                                                    8/31/2022     8/31/2021 (a)
                                                                 --------------   --------------
                                                                               
Net asset value, beginning of period...........................     $  20.92         $  20.07
                                                                    --------         --------
INCOME FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Net investment income (loss)...................................        (0.03)           (0.01)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)........................        (1.10)            0.86
                                                                    --------         --------
Total from investment operations...............................        (1.13)            0.85
                                                                    --------         --------
Net asset value, end of period.................................     $  19.79         $  20.92
                                                                    ========         ========
TOTAL RETURN (b)...............................................        (5.40)%           4.24%

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period (in 000's)...........................     $541,132         $161,109
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets (c)..............         0.20%            0.20% (d)
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets....        (0.20)%          (0.20)% (d)
Portfolio turnover rate (e)....................................            2%               6%


(a)   Inception dates for BUFR and BUFD are August 10, 2020 and January 20,
      2021, respectively, which are consistent with the respective Fund's
      commencement of investment operations and are the dates the initial
      creation units were established.

(b)   Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net
      asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all
      distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net
      asset value on the last day of the period. The returns presented do not
      reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund
      distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. Total return is
      calculated for the time period presented and is not annualized for periods
      of less than a year.

(c)   The Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of fees and expenses
      incurred by the underlying funds in which the Fund invests. The ratio does
      not include these indirect fees and expenses.

(d)   Annualized.

(e)   Portfolio turnover is calculated for the time period presented and is not
      annualized for periods of less than a year and does not include securities
      received or delivered from processing creations or redemptions and in-kind
      transactions.


                        See Notes to Financial Statements                Page 17





FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (CONTINUED)
FOR A SHARE OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD

FT CBOE VEST FUND OF NASDAQ-100(R) BUFFER ETFS (BUFQ)



                                                                     PERIOD
                                                                     ENDED
                                                                 8/31/2022 (a)
                                                                 --------------
                                                                 
Net asset value, beginning of period...........................     $  20.47
                                                                    --------
INCOME FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Net investment income (loss)...................................        (0.00) (b)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)........................         0.99 (c)
                                                                    --------
Total from investment operations...............................         0.99
                                                                    --------
Net asset value, end of period.................................     $  21.46
                                                                    ========
TOTAL RETURN (d)...............................................         4.84%

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net assets, end of period (in 000's)...........................     $ 10,730
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets (e)..............         0.20% (f)
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets....        (0.20)% (f)
Portfolio turnover rate (g)....................................            0%


(a)   Inception date is June 15, 2022, which is consistent with commencement of
      investment operations and is the date the initial creation units were
      established.

(b)   Amount is less than $0.01.

(c)   The per share amount does not correlate with the aggregate realized and
      unrealized gain (loss) due to the timing of the Fund share sales and
      repurchases in relation to market value fluctuation of the underlying
      investments.

(d)   Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net
      asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all
      distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net
      asset value on the last day of the period. The return presented does not
      reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund
      distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. Total return is
      calculated for the time period presented and is not annualized for periods
      of less than a year.

(e)   The Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of fees and expenses
      incurred by the underlying funds in which the Fund invests. The ratio does
      not include these indirect fees and expenses.

(f)   Annualized.

(g)   Portfolio turnover is calculated for the time period presented and is not
      annualized for periods of less than a year and does not include securities
      received or delivered from processing creations or redemptions and in-kind
      transactions.


Page 18                 See Notes to Financial Statements





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

                                1. ORGANIZATION

First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII (the "Trust") is an open-end management
investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust on February 22,
2016, and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC")
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act").

The Trust currently consists of fifty-six funds that are offering shares. This
report covers the three funds (each a "Fund" and collectively, "the Funds")
listed below. The shares of each Fund are listed and traded on the Cboe BZX
Exchange, Inc. ("Cboe BZX").

        FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs - (ticker "BUFR")
        FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs - (ticker "BUFD")
        FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs - (ticker "BUFQ")(1)

(1)   Commenced investment operations on June 15, 2022.

Each Fund represents a separate series of shares of beneficial interest in the
Trust. Unlike conventional mutual funds, each Fund issues and redeems shares on
a continuous basis, at net asset value ("NAV"), only in large blocks of shares
known as "Creation Units."

Each Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund.

The investment objective of BUFR is to seek to provide investors with capital
appreciation. BUFR seeks to achieve its investment objective by providing
investors with US large-cap equity market exposure while attempting to limit
downside risk through a laddered portfolio of twelve FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity
Buffer ETFs ("FT ETFs"). Under normal market conditions, BUFR will invest
substantially all of its assets in the FT ETFs, which seek to provide investors
with returns (before fees, expenses and taxes) that match the price return of
the SPDR(R) S&P 500(R) ETF Trust ("SPY"), up to a predetermined upside cap,
while providing a buffer against the first 10% (before fees, expenses and taxes)
of SPY losses, over a defined one-year period. Unlike the FT ETFs, BUFR itself
does not pursue a defined outcome strategy. The buffer is only provided by the
FT ETFs and BUFR itself does not provide any stated buffer against losses. In
order to understand BUFR's strategy and risks, it is important to understand the
strategies and risks of the FT ETFs.

The investment objective of BUFD is to seek to provide investors with capital
appreciation. BUFD seeks to achieve its investment objective by providing
investors with US large-cap equity market exposure while attempting to limit
downside risk through a laddered portfolio of twelve FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity
Deep Buffer ETFs ("FT DB ETFs"). Under normal market conditions, BUFD will
invest substantially all of its assets in the FT DB ETFs, which seek to provide
investors with returns (before fees, expenses and taxes) that match the price
return of the SPY, up to a predetermined upside cap, while providing a deep
buffer against losses between -5% and -30% (before fees, expenses and taxes) of
SPY, over a defined one-year period. Unlike the FT DB ETFs, BUFD itself does not
pursue a defined outcome strategy. The buffer is only provided by the FT DB ETFs
and BUFD itself does not provide any stated buffer against losses. In order to
understand BUFD's strategy and risks, it is important to understand the
strategies and risks of the FT DB ETFs.

The investment objective of BUFQ is to seek to provide investors with capital
appreciation. BUFQ seeks to achieve its investment objective by providing
investors with large-cap equity market exposure while attempting to limit
downside risk through a laddered portfolio of four FT Cboe Vest Nasdaq-100(R)
Buffer ETFs ("Nasdaq ETFs"). Under normal market conditions, the BUFQ will
invest substantially all of its assets in the Nasdaq ETFs, which seek to provide
investors with returns (before fees, expenses and taxes) that match the price
return of the Invesco QQQ Trust(SM), Series 1 ("QQQ"), up to a predetermined
upside cap, while providing a buffer against the first 10% (before fees,
expenses and taxes) of QQQ losses, over a defined one-year period. Unlike the
Nasdaq ETFs, BUFQ itself does not pursue a target outcome strategy. The buffer
is only provided by the Nasdaq ETFs and the BUFQ itself does not provide any
stated buffer against losses. In order to understand the BUFQ's strategy and
risks, it is important to understand the strategies and risks of the Nasdaq
ETFs.

                       2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Funds are each considered an investment company and follow accounting and
reporting guidance under Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting
Standards Codification Topic 946, "Financial Services-Investment Companies." The
following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed
by the Funds in the preparation of the financial statements. The preparation of
the financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") requires management to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures
in the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.


                                                                         Page 19





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

A. PORTFOLIO VALUATION

Each Fund's NAV is determined daily as of the close of regular trading on the
New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"), normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, on each day
the NYSE is open for trading. If the NYSE closes early on a valuation day, the
NAV is determined as of that time. Each Fund's NAV is calculated by dividing the
value of all assets of the Fund (including accrued interest and dividends), less
all liabilities (including accrued expenses and dividends declared but unpaid),
by the total number of shares outstanding.

Each Fund's investments are valued daily at market value or, in the absence of
market value with respect to any portfolio securities, at fair value. Market
value prices represent last sale or official closing prices from a national or
foreign exchange (i.e., a regulated market) and are primarily obtained from
third-party pricing services. Fair value prices represent any prices not
considered market value prices and are either obtained from a third-party
pricing service or are determined by the Pricing Committee of the Funds'
investment advisor, First Trust Advisors L.P. ("First Trust" or the "Advisor"),
in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Trust's Board of
Trustees, and in accordance with provisions of the 1940 Act. Investments valued
by the Advisor's Pricing Committee, if any, are footnoted as such in the
footnotes to the Portfolio of Investments. Each Fund's investments are valued as
follows:

      Common stocks and other equity securities listed on any national or
      foreign exchange (excluding Nasdaq and the London Stock Exchange
      Alternative Investment Market ("AIM")) are valued at the last sale price
      on the exchange on which they are principally traded or, for Nasdaq and
      AIM securities, the official closing price. Securities traded on more than
      one securities exchange are valued at the last sale price or official
      closing price, as applicable, at the close of the securities exchange
      representing the principal market for such securities.

      Shares of open-end funds are valued at fair value which is based on NAV
      per share.

Certain securities may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing
methods. Such securities may be valued by the Trust's Board of Trustees or its
delegate, the Advisor's Pricing Committee, at fair value. These securities
generally include, but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities
which may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended) for which a third-party pricing service is unable to provide a
market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security
whose market or fair value price is not available from a pre-established pricing
source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to
materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but
before the calculation of a Fund's NAV or make it difficult or impossible to
obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by
the third-party pricing service, does not reflect the security's fair value. As
a general principle, the current fair value of a security would appear to be the
amount which the owner might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon
its current sale. When fair value prices are used, generally they will differ
from market quotations or official closing prices on the applicable exchanges. A
variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such
securities, including, but not limited to, the following:

      1)    the type of security;

      2)    the size of the holding;

      3)    the initial cost of the security;

      4)    transactions in comparable securities;

      5)    price quotes from dealers and/or third-party pricing services;

      6)    relationships among various securities;

      7)    information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, or the
            appropriate stock exchange;

      8)    an analysis of the issuer's financial statements; and

      9)    the existence of merger proposals or tender offers that might affect
            the value of the security.

The Funds are subject to fair value accounting standards that define fair value,
establish the framework for measuring fair value and provide a three-level
hierarchy for fair valuation based upon the inputs to the valuation as of the
measurement date. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

      o     Level 1 - Level 1 inputs are quoted prices in active markets for
            identical investments. An active market is a market in which
            transactions for the investment occur with sufficient frequency and
            volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

      o     Level 2 - Level 2 inputs are observable inputs, either directly or
            indirectly, and include the following:

            o     Quoted prices for similar investments in active markets.

            o     Quoted prices for identical or similar investments in markets
                  that are non-active. A non-active market is a market where
                  there are few transactions for the investment, the prices are
                  not current, or price quotations vary substantially either
                  over time or among market makers, or in which little
                  information is released publicly.


Page 20





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

            o     Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the
                  investment (for example, interest rates and yield curves
                  observable at commonly quoted intervals, volatilities,
                  prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks, and default
                  rates).

            o     Inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by
                  observable market data by correlation or other means.

      o     Level 3 - Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs. Unobservable
            inputs may reflect the reporting entity's own assumptions about the
            assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the
            investment.

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments are not necessarily an
indication of the risk associated with investing in those investments. A summary
of the inputs used to value each Fund's investments as of August 31, 2022, is
included with each Fund's Portfolio of Investments.

In December 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, establishing
requirements to determine fair value in good faith for purposes of the 1940 Act.
The rule permits fund boards to designate a fund's investment adviser to perform
fair value determinations, subject to board oversight and certain other
conditions. The rule also defines when market quotations are "readily available"
for purposes of the 1940 Act and requires a fund to fair value a portfolio
investment when a market quotation is not readily available. The SEC also
adopted new Rule 31a-4 under the 1940 Act, which sets forth recordkeeping
requirements associated with fair value determinations. The compliance date for
Rule 2a-5 and Rule 31a-4 is September 8, 2022.

Effective September 8, 2022 and pursuant to the requirements of Rule 2a-5, the
Trust's Board of Trustees designated the Advisor as its valuation designee to
perform fair value determinations and approved new Advisor Valuation Procedures
for the Trust.

B. SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS AND INVESTMENT INCOME

Securities transactions are recorded as of the trade date. Realized gains and
losses from securities transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis.
Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date.

C. AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS

Each of the funds invests in securities of affiliated funds. Each Fund's
investment performance and risks are directly related to the investment
performance and risks of the affiliated funds. Dividend income, if any, realized
gains and losses, and change in appreciation (depreciation) from affiliated
funds are presented on the Statements of Operations.

Amounts related to these investments in BUFQ at August 31, 2022 and for the
fiscal period then ended are as follows:



                                                                                CHANGE IN
                                                                                UNREALIZED     REALIZED
                       SHARES AT     VALUE AT                                  APPRECIATION      GAIN        VALUE AT     DIVIDEND
   SECURITY NAME       8/31/2022    6/15/2021     PURCHASES        SALES      (DEPRECIATION)    (LOSS)      8/31/2022      INCOME
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                 
FT Cboe Vest
   Nasdaq-100(R)
   Buffer ETF
   - March                131,580  $         --  $  2,728,253  $          --  $      (64,179) $        --  $  2,664,074  $       --
FT Cboe Vest
   Nasdaq-100(R)
   Buffer ETF
   - June                 140,950            --     2,697,425             --         (48,974)          --     2,648,451          --
FT Cboe Vest
   Nasdaq-100(R)
   Buffer ETF
   - September            149,990            --     2,780,203             --         (70,844)          --     2,709,359          --
FT Cboe Vest
   Nasdaq-100(R)
   Buffer ETF
   - December             135,660            --     2,762,412             --         (60,336)          --     2,702,076          --
                                   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   $         --  $ 10,968,293  $          --  $     (244,333) $        --  $ 10,723,960  $       --
                                   ================================================================================================



                                                                         Page 21





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

Amounts related to these investments in BUFR at August 31, 2022 and for the
fiscal year then ended are as follows:



                                                                                CHANGE IN
                                                                                UNREALIZED     REALIZED
                       SHARES AT     VALUE AT                                  APPRECIATION      GAIN        VALUE AT     DIVIDEND
   SECURITY NAME       8/31/2022    6/15/2021     PURCHASES        SALES      (DEPRECIATION)    (LOSS)      8/31/2022      INCOME
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                 
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - January            1,875,751  $ 25,142,439  $ 51,781,383  $ (13,872,416) $   (2,722,812) $   354,014  $ 60,682,608  $       --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - February           1,707,918    25,402,513    51,913,638    (13,432,384)     (4,053,937)     599,725    60,429,555          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - March              1,936,857    25,206,024    51,522,354    (13,738,920)     (2,792,411)     290,997    60,488,044          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - April              2,056,490    25,234,357    52,126,549    (12,372,583)     (5,018,575)     347,104    60,316,852          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - May                1,699,844    25,232,697    50,816,723    (12,711,257)     (3,219,128)     463,405    60,582,440          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - June               1,671,132    25,188,007    50,966,454    (14,248,474)     (1,668,381)     391,063    60,628,669          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - July               1,749,052    25,254,902    51,015,603    (14,147,746)     (1,790,279)     289,662    60,622,142          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - August             1,716,014    25,175,010    51,744,730    (12,557,099)     (4,290,678)     263,089    60,335,052          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - September          1,836,272    24,842,175    51,301,054    (12,417,957)     (2,524,322)     210,780    61,411,730          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - October            1,859,315    24,921,718    51,496,948    (12,218,608)     (3,233,403)     228,794    61,195,449          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - November           1,712,001    25,053,554    52,273,052    (12,295,728)     (4,439,990)     279,821    60,870,709          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Buffer ETF
   - December           1,917,166    24,997,377    51,802,592    (12,147,744)     (4,048,971)     266,766    60,870,020          --
                                   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   $301,650,773  $618,761,080  $(156,160,916) $  (39,802,887) $ 3,985,220  $728,433,270  $       --
                                   ================================================================================================



Page 22





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

Amounts related to these investments in BUFD at August 31, 2022 and for the
fiscal year then ended are as follows:



                                                                                CHANGE IN
                                                                                UNREALIZED     REALIZED
                       SHARES AT     VALUE AT                                  APPRECIATION      GAIN        VALUE AT     DIVIDEND
   SECURITY NAME       8/31/2022    6/15/2021     PURCHASES        SALES      (DEPRECIATION)    (LOSS)      8/31/2022      INCOME
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                 
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - January            1,458,926  $ 13,402,138  $ 39,401,072  $  (6,461,803) $   (1,574,807) $   168,321  $ 44,934,921  $       --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - February           1,324,768    13,421,030    39,469,105     (6,925,573)     (1,242,867)     197,081    44,918,776          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - March              1,476,336    13,452,408    39,497,594     (6,712,343)     (1,500,627)     158,346    44,895,378          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - April              1,502,479    13,464,511    39,476,749     (6,585,736)     (1,698,280)     161,705    44,818,949          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - May                1,427,561    13,465,196    40,382,460     (5,915,125)     (3,052,706)     189,132    45,068,957          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - June               1,394,956    13,396,029    39,598,356     (6,093,969)     (1,878,876)     161,085    45,182,625          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - July               1,449,238    13,441,726    39,606,254     (5,685,246)     (2,486,503)     137,101    45,013,332          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - August             1,423,581    13,434,043    40,703,849     (5,570,949)     (3,811,209)      87,067    44,842,801          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - September          1,490,389    13,351,278    39,975,135     (5,554,750)     (2,480,405)     105,991    45,397,249          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - October            1,479,176    13,394,736    39,930,524     (5,870,453)     (2,301,669)     106,245    45,259,383          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - November           1,386,309    13,392,943    39,868,258     (5,727,054)     (2,110,948)     103,189    45,526,388          --
FT Cboe Vest U.S.
   Equity Deep
   Buffer ETF
   - December           1,486,873    13,422,261    39,645,471     (5,828,136)     (2,150,737)     126,949    45,215,808          --
                                   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   $161,038,299  $477,554,827  $ (72,931,137) $  (26,289,634) $ 1,702,212  $541,074,567  $       --
                                   ================================================================================================



                                                                         Page 23





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

D. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS

Dividends from net investment income of each Fund, if any, are declared and paid
quarterly, or as the Board of Trustees may determine from time to time.
Distributions of net realized gains earned by each Fund, if any, are distributed
at least annually.

Distributions from net investment income and realized capital gains are
determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ
from U.S. GAAP. Certain capital accounts in the financial statements are
periodically adjusted for permanent differences in order to reflect their tax
character. These permanent differences are primarily due to the varying
treatment of income and gain/loss on significantly modified portfolio securities
held by the Funds and have no impact on net assets or NAV per share. Temporary
differences, which arise from recognizing certain items of income, expense and
gain/loss in different periods for financial statement and tax purposes, will
reverse at some time in the future. During their applicable taxable periods,
none of the Funds paid a distribution in 2021 or 2022.

As of August 31, 2022, the components of distributable earnings on a tax basis
for each Fund were as follows:



                                                                                                  Accumulated          Net
                                                                                Undistributed     Capital and       Unrealized
                                                                                  Ordinary           Other         Appreciation
                                                                                   Income         Gain (Loss)     (Depreciation)
                                                                                -------------    -------------    --------------
                                                                                                         
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs                                                $    (938,038)   $          --    $  (32,185,350)
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs                                                (558,235)              --       (24,297,879)
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs                                             --               --          (244,333)


E. INCOME TAXES

Each Fund intends to qualify or continue to qualify as a regulated investment
company by complying with the requirements under Subchapter M of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which includes distributing substantially all
of its net investment income and net realized gains to shareholders.
Accordingly, no provision has been made for federal and state income taxes.
However, due to the timing and amount of distributions, each Fund may be subject
to an excise tax of 4% of the amount by which approximately 98% of each Fund's
taxable income exceeds the distributions from such taxable income for the
calendar year.

The Funds are subject to accounting standards that establish a minimum threshold
for recognizing, and a system for measuring, the benefits of a tax position
taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For BUFR, the taxable years ended
2020, 2021, and 2022 remain open to federal and state audit. For BUFD, the
taxable years ended 2021 and 2022 remain open to federal and state audit. For
BUFQ, the taxable year ended 2022 remains open to federal and state audit. As of
August 31, 2022, management has evaluated the application of these standards to
the Funds and has determined that no provision for income tax is required in the
Funds' financial statements for uncertain tax positions.

Each Fund intends to utilize provisions of the federal income tax laws, which
allow it to carry a realized capital loss forward indefinitely following the
year of the loss and offset such loss against any future realized capital gains.
Each Fund is subject to certain limitations under U.S. tax rules on the use of
capital loss carryforwards and net unrealized built-in losses. These limitations
apply when there has been a 50% change in ownership. At August 31, 2022, the
Funds had no capital loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes.

Certain losses realized during the current taxable year may be deferred and
treated as occurring on the first day of the following taxable year for federal
income tax purposes. At August 31, 2022, the following Funds listed below
incurred and elected to defer net late year ordinary or capital losses as
follows:



                                                                              Qualified Late Year Losses
                                                    Taxable             ---------------------------------------
                                                   Year End             Ordinary Losses          Capital Losses
                                                ---------------         ---------------          --------------
                                                                                        
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs                   31-Aug-22            $       938,038          $           --
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs              31-Aug-22                    558,235                      --
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs     31-Aug-22                         --                      --


In order to present paid-in capital and accumulated distributable earnings
(loss) (which consists of accumulated net investment income (loss), accumulated
net realized gain (loss) on investments and net unrealized appreciation
(depreciation) on investments) on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities that
more closely represent their tax character, certain adjustments have been made
to paid-in capital, accumulated net investment income (loss) and accumulated net
realized gain (loss) on investments. These adjustments are primarily due to the


Page 24





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

difference between book and tax treatments of income and gains on various
investment securities held by the Funds and in-kind transactions. The results of
operations and net assets were not affected by these adjustments. For the fiscal
period ended August 31, 2022, the adjustments for each Fund were as follows:



                                                                                                Accumulated
                                                                               Accumulated      Net Realized
                                                                Taxable       Net Investment    Gain (Loss)        Paid-in
                                                                Year End      Income (Loss)    on Investments      Capital
                                                             --------------   --------------   --------------   --------------
                                                                                                    
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs                               31-Aug-22      $      528,207   $   (4,409,409)  $    3,881,202
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs                          31-Aug-22             155,881       (1,969,024)       1,813,143
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs                 31-Aug-22               1,852               --           (1,852)


As of August 31, 2022, the aggregate cost, gross unrealized appreciation, gross
unrealized depreciation, and net unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) on
investments (including short positions and derivatives, if any) for federal
income tax purposes were as follows:



                                                                                                                     Net
                                                                                  Gross            Gross          Unrealized
                                                                                Unrealized       Unrealized      Appreciation
                                                                Tax Cost       Appreciation    (Depreciation)   (Depreciation)
                                                             --------------   --------------   --------------   --------------
                                                                                                    
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs                             $  760,880,291   $      347,959   $  (32,533,309)  $  (32,185,350)
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs                           565,518,026          345,694      (24,643,573)     (24,297,879)
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs                   10,975,274          100,043         (344,376)        (244,333)


F. EXPENSES

Expenses, other than the investment advisory fee and other excluded expenses,
are paid by the Advisor (see Note 3).

3. INVESTMENT ADVISORY FEE, AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS AND OTHER FEE ARRANGEMENTS

First Trust, the investment advisor to the Funds, is a limited partnership with
one limited partner, Grace Partners of DuPage L.P., and one general partner, The
Charger Corporation. The Charger Corporation is an Illinois corporation
controlled by James A. Bowen, Chief Executive Officer of First Trust. First
Trust is responsible for the ongoing monitoring of the securities in each Fund's
portfolio, managing the Funds' business affairs and providing certain
administrative services necessary for the management of the Funds.

First Trust is paid an annual unitary management fee of 0.20% of each Fund's
average daily net assets. In addition, each Fund incurs pro rata share of fees
and expenses attributable to investments in other investment companies
("acquired fund fees and expenses"). The total of the unitary management fee and
acquired fund fees and expenses represents each Fund's total annual operating
expenses.

First Trust is responsible for each Fund's expenses, including the cost of
transfer agency, sub-advisory, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and
other services, but excluding fee payments under the Investment Management
Agreement, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, if any, brokerage
commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio
transactions, distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1
plan, if any, and extraordinary expenses.

Cboe VestSM Financial LLC ("Cboe Vest"), an affiliate of First Trust, serves as
the Funds' sub-advisor and manages each Fund's portfolio subject to First
Trust's supervision. Pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement, between
the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, and the Advisor, and the Investment
Sub-Advisory Agreement among the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, the Advisor and
Cboe Vest, First Trust will supervise Cboe Vest and its management of the
investment of each Fund's assets and will pay Cboe Vest for its services as the
Funds' sub-advisor a sub-advisory fee equal to 50% of the monthly unitary
management fee paid to the Advisor, less Cboe Vest's 50% share of each Fund's
expenses for that month.

The Trust has multiple service agreements with The Bank of New York Mellon
("BNYM"). Under the service agreements, BNYM performs custodial, fund
accounting, certain administrative services, and transfer agency services for
each Fund. As custodian, BNYM is responsible for custody of each Fund's assets.
As fund accountant and administrator, BNYM is responsible for maintaining the
books and records of each Fund's securities and cash. As transfer agent, BNYM is
responsible for maintaining shareholder records for each Fund. BNYM is a
subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, a financial holding
company.


                                                                         Page 25





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

Each Trustee who is not an officer or employee of First Trust, any sub-advisor
or any of their affiliates ("Independent Trustees") is paid a fixed annual
retainer that is allocated equally among each fund in the First Trust Fund
Complex. Each Independent Trustee is also paid an annual per fund fee that
varies based on whether the fund is a closed-end or other actively managed fund,
a defined-outcome fund or an index fund.

Additionally, the Lead Independent Trustee and the Chairs of the Audit
Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee and Valuation Committee are paid
annual fees to serve in such capacities, with such compensation allocated pro
rata among each fund in the First Trust Fund Complex based on net assets.
Independent Trustees are reimbursed for travel and out-of-pocket expenses in
connection with all meetings. The Lead Independent Trustee and Committee Chairs
rotate every three years. The officers and "Interested" Trustee receive no
compensation from the Trust for acting in such capacities.

                      4. PURCHASES AND SALES OF SECURITIES

For the fiscal period ended August 31, 2022, the cost of purchases and proceeds
from sales of investments for each Fund, excluding short-term investments and
in-kind transactions, were as follows:



                                                                                Purchases          Sales
                                                                              --------------   --------------
                                                                                         
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs                                              $    9,686,947   $   10,943,082
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs                                              5,472,036        6,164,106
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs                                            --               --


For the fiscal period ended August 31, 2022, the cost of in-kind purchases and
proceeds from in-kind sales for each Fund were as follows:



                                                                                Purchases          Sales
                                                                              --------------   --------------
                                                                                         
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs                                              $  609,074,133   $  145,217,834
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs                                            472,082,791       66,767,031
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs                                    10,968,293               --


                 5. CREATIONS, REDEMPTIONS AND TRANSACTION FEES

Each Fund generally issues and redeems its shares in primary market transactions
through a creation and redemption mechanism and does not sell or redeem
individual shares. Instead, financial entities known as "Authorized
Participants" have contractual arrangements with a Fund or one of the Fund's
service providers to purchase and redeem Fund shares directly with the Fund in
large blocks of shares known as "Creation Units." Prior to the start of trading
on every business day, a Fund publishes through the National Securities Clearing
Corporation ("NSCC") the "basket" of securities, cash or other assets that it
will accept in exchange for a Creation Unit of the Fund's shares. An Authorized
Participant that wishes to effectuate a creation of a Fund's shares deposits
with the Fund the "basket" of securities, cash or other assets identified by the
Fund that day, and then receives the Creation Unit of the Fund's shares in
return for those assets. After purchasing a Creation Unit, the Authorized
Participant may continue to hold the Fund's shares or sell them in the secondary
market. The redemption process is the reverse of the purchase process: the
Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit of a Fund's shares for a basket
of securities, cash or other assets. The combination of the creation and
redemption process with secondary market trading in a Fund's shares and
underlying securities provides arbitrage opportunities that are designed to help
keep the market price of a Fund's shares at or close to the NAV per share of the
Fund.

Each Fund imposes fees in connection with the purchase of Creation Units. These
fees may vary based upon various fact-based circumstances, including, but not
limited to, the composition of the securities included in the Creation Unit or
the countries in which the transactions are settled. The price for each Creation
Unit will equal the daily NAV per share of a Fund times the number of shares in
a Creation Unit, plus the fees described above and, if applicable, any
operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees, stamp taxes and part
or all of the spread between the expected bid and offer side of the market
related to the securities comprising the creation basket.

Each Fund also imposes fees in connection with the redemption of Creation Units.
These fees may vary based upon various fact-based circumstances, including, but
not limited to, the composition of the securities included in the Creation Unit
or the countries in which the transactions are settled. The price received for
each Creation Unit will equal the daily NAV per share of a Fund times the number
of shares in a Creation Unit, minus the fees described above and, if applicable,
any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees, stamp taxes and
part or all of the spread between the expected bid and offer side of the market
related to the securities comprising the redemption basket. Investors who use
the services of a broker or other such intermediary in addition to an Authorized
Participant to effect a redemption of a Creation Unit may also be assessed an
amount to cover the cost of such services. The redemption fee charged by a Fund
will comply with Rule 22c-2 of the 1940 Act which limits redemption fees to no
more than 2% of the value of the shares redeemed.


Page 26





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                                AUGUST 31, 2022

                              6. DISTRIBUTION PLAN

The Board of Trustees adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule
12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Rule 12b-1 plan, the Funds are
authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of their average daily net assets each
year to reimburse First Trust Portfolios L.P. ("FTP"), the distributor of the
Funds, for amounts expended to finance activities primarily intended to result
in the sale of Creation Units or the provision of investor services. FTP may
also use this amount to compensate securities dealers or other persons that are
Authorized Participants for providing distribution assistance, including
broker-dealer and shareholder support and educational and promotional services.

No 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Funds, and pursuant to a contractual
arrangement, no 12b-1 fees will be paid any time before December 31, 2023 for
BUFR and BUFD and June 14, 2024 for BUFQ.

                               7. INDEMNIFICATION

The Trust, on behalf of the Funds, has a variety of indemnification obligations
under contracts with its service providers. The Trust's maximum exposure under
these arrangements is unknown. However, the Trust has not had prior claims or
losses pursuant to these contracts and expects the risk of loss to be remote.

                              8. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Management has evaluated the impact of all subsequent events on the Funds
through the date the financial statements were issued and has determined that
there were no events requiring recognition or disclosure in the financial
statements that have not already been disclosed.


                                                                         Page 27





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO THE SHAREHOLDERS AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND
VIII:

OPINION ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

We have audited the accompanying statements of assets and liabilities of FT Cboe
Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs, FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs, and FT Cboe
Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs, each a series of the First Trust
Exchange-Traded Fund VIII, including the portfolios of investments, as of August
31, 2022, the related statements of operations, the changes in net assets, and
the financial highlights for the periods indicated in the table below, and the
related notes. In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights
present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Funds as
of August 31, 2022, and the results of their operations, the changes in their
net assets, and the financial highlights for the periods listed in the table
below, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United
States of America.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          INDIVIDUAL FUNDS                      STATEMENTS OF                STATEMENTS OF                   FINANCIAL
        INCLUDED IN THE TRUST                    OPERATIONS              CHANGES IN NET ASSETS              HIGHLIGHTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                            
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs          For the year ended            For the years ended          For the years ended
                                          August 31, 2022               August 31, 2022 and 2021     August 31, 2022 and 2021,
                                                                                                     and for the period from
                                                                                                     August 10, 2020
                                                                                                     (commencement of
                                                                                                     operations) through
                                                                                                     August 31, 2020
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs     For the year ended            For the year ended August 31, 2022, and for the period
                                          August 31, 2022               from from January 20, 2021 (commencement of
                                                                        operations) through August 31, 2021
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R)        For the period from June 15, 2022 (commencement of operations) through
Buffer ETFs                               August 31, 2022
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


BASIS FOR OPINION

These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of
the Funds' management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Funds'
financial statements and financial highlights based on our audits. We are a
public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to
the Funds in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable
rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable
assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are
free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Funds are not
required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of their internal
control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to
obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for
the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Funds' internal
control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material
misstatement of the financial statements and financial highlights, whether due
to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such
procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts
and disclosures in the financial statements and financial highlights. Our audits
also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant
estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of
the financial statements and financial highlights. Our procedures included
confirmation of securities owned as of August 31, 2022, by correspondence with
the custodian and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we
performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a
reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Chicago, Illinois
October 24, 2022

We have served as the auditor of one or more First Trust investment companies
since 2001.


Page 28





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

                      PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

A description of the policies and procedures that the Trust uses to determine
how to vote proxies and information on how each Fund voted proxies relating to
its portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is
available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling (800) 988-5891; (2) on
each Fund's website at www.ftportfolios.com; and (3) on the Securities and
Exchange Commission's ("SEC") website at www.sec.gov.

                               PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

Each Fund files portfolio holdings information for each month in a fiscal
quarter within 60 days after the end of the relevant fiscal quarter on Form
N-PORT. Portfolio holdings information for the third month of each fiscal
quarter will be publicly available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Each
Fund's complete schedule of portfolio holdings for the second and fourth
quarters of each fiscal year is included in the semi-annual and annual reports
to shareholders, respectively, and is filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR. The
semi-annual and annual report for each Fund is available to investors within 60
days after the period to which it relates. Each Fund's Forms N-PORT and Forms
N-CSR are available on the SEC's website listed above.

                            FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION

There were no distributions made by each Fund during their applicable taxable
period; therefore, no analysis for the corporate dividends received deduction
and qualified dividend income was completed.

                              RISK CONSIDERATIONS

RISKS ARE INHERENT IN ALL INVESTING. CERTAIN GENERAL RISKS THAT MAY BE
APPLICABLE TO A FUND ARE IDENTIFIED BELOW, BUT NOT ALL OF THE MATERIAL RISKS
RELEVANT TO EACH FUND ARE INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT AND NOT ALL OF THE RISKS BELOW
APPLY TO EACH FUND. THE MATERIAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN EACH FUND ARE SPELLED OUT
IN ITS PROSPECTUS, STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND OTHER REGULATORY
FILINGS. BEFORE INVESTING, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER EACH FUND'S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE,
RISKS, CHARGES AND EXPENSES, AND READ EACH FUND'S PROSPECTUS AND STATEMENT OF
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CAREFULLY. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD EACH FUND'S PROSPECTUS AT
WWW.FTPORTFOLIOS.COM OR CONTACT FIRST TRUST PORTFOLIOS L.P. AT (800) 621-1675 TO
REQUEST A PROSPECTUS, WHICH CONTAINS THIS AND OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT EACH FUND.

CONCENTRATION RISK. To the extent that a fund is able to invest a significant
percentage of its assets in a single asset class or the securities of issuers
within the same country, state, region, industry or sector, an adverse economic,
business or political development may affect the value of the fund's investments
more than if the fund were more broadly diversified. A fund that tracks an index
will be concentrated to the extent the fund's corresponding index is
concentrated. A concentration makes a fund more susceptible to any single
occurrence and may subject the fund to greater market risk than a fund that is
more broadly diversified.

CREDIT RISK. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will be unable
or unwilling to make dividend, interest and/or principal payments when due and
the related risk that the value of a security may decline because of concerns
about the issuer's ability to make such payments.

CYBER SECURITY RISK. The funds are susceptible to potential operational risks
through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both
intentional and unintentional events that may cause a fund to lose proprietary
information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events
could cause a fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage,
additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial
loss. In addition, cyber security breaches of a fund's third-party service
providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or sub-advisor,
as applicable, or issuers in which the fund invests, can also subject a fund to
many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.

DEFINED OUTCOME FUNDS RISK. To the extent a fund's investment strategy is
designed to deliver returns tied to the price performance of an underlying ETF,
an investor may not realize the returns the fund seeks to achieve if that
investor does not hold shares for the entire target outcome period. In the event
an investor purchases shares after the first day of the target outcome period or
sells shares prior to the end of the target outcome period, the buffer that the
fund seeks to provide against a decline in the value of the underlying ETF may
not be available, the enhanced returns that the fund seeks to provide (if any)
may not be available and the investor may not participate in a gain in the value
of the underlying ETF up to the cap for the investor's investment period.
Additionally, the fund will not participate in gains of the underlying ETF above
the cap and a shareholder may lose their entire investment. If the fund seeks
enhanced returns, there are certain time periods when the value of the fund may
fall faster than the value of the underlying ETF, and it is very unlikely that,
on any given day during which the underlying ETF share price increases in value,
the fund's share price will increase at the same rate as the enhanced returns
sought by the fund, which is designed for an entire target outcome period.
Trading flexible exchange options involves risks different from, or possibly
greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities, such
as less liquidity and correlation and valuation risks. A fund may experience
substantial downside from specific flexible exchange option positions and
certain positions may expire worthless.


                                                                         Page 29





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

DERIVATIVES RISK. To the extent a fund uses derivative instruments such as
futures contracts, options contracts and swaps, the fund may experience losses
because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying asset,
index or rate, which may be magnified by certain features of the derivative.
These risks are heightened when a fund's portfolio managers use derivatives to
enhance the fund's return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather
than solely to hedge (or offset) the risk of a position or security held by the
fund.

EQUITY SECURITIES RISK. To the extent a fund invests in equity securities, the
value of the fund's shares will fluctuate with changes in the value of the
equity securities. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons,
including changes in investors' perceptions of the financial condition of an
issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, such as market
volatility, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur. In
addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest
rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Equity
securities may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of
time, and such declines may occur in the equity market as a whole, or they may
occur in only a particular country, company, industry or sector of the market.

ETF RISK. The shares of an ETF trade like common stock and represent an interest
in a portfolio of securities. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the
risks of owning the underlying securities, although lack of liquidity in an ETF
could result in it being more volatile and ETFs have management fees that
increase their costs. Shares of an ETF trade on an exchange at market prices
rather than net asset value, which may cause the shares to trade at a price
greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).
In times of market stress, decisions by market makers to reduce or step away
from their role of providing a market for an ETF's shares, or decisions by an
ETF's authorized participants that they are unable or unwilling to proceed with
creation and/or redemption orders of an ETF's shares, could result in shares of
the ETF trading at a discount to net asset value and in greater than normal
intraday bid-ask spreads.

FIXED INCOME SECURITIES RISK. To the extent a fund invests in fixed income
securities, the fund will be subject to credit risk, income risk, interest rate
risk, liquidity risk and prepayment risk. Income risk is the risk that income
from a fund's fixed income investments could decline during periods of falling
interest rates. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a fund's fixed
income securities will decline because of rising interest rates. Liquidity risk
is the risk that a security cannot be purchased or sold at the time desired, or
cannot be purchased or sold without adversely affecting the price. Prepayment
risk is the risk that the securities will be redeemed or prepaid by the issuer,
resulting in lower interest payments received by the fund. In addition to these
risks, high yield securities, or "junk" bonds, are subject to greater market
fluctuations and risk of loss than securities with higher ratings, and the
market for high yield securities is generally smaller and less liquid than that
for investment grade securities.

INDEX OR MODEL CONSTITUENT RISK. Certain funds may be a constituent of one or
more indices or ETF models. As a result, such a fund may be included in one or
more index-tracking exchange-traded funds or mutual funds. Being a component
security of such a vehicle could greatly affect the trading activity involving a
fund, the size of the fund and the market volatility of the fund. Inclusion in
an index could increase demand for the fund and removal from an index could
result in outsized selling activity in a relatively short period of time. As a
result, a fund's net asset value could be negatively impacted and the fund's
market price may be significantly below its net asset value during certain
periods. In addition, index rebalances may potentially result in increased
trading activity in a fund's shares.

INDEX PROVIDER RISK. To the extent a fund seeks to track an index, it is subject
to Index Provider Risk. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will
compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, maintained,
constructed, reconstituted, rebalanced, composed, calculated or disseminated
accurately. To correct any such error, the Index Provider may carry out an
unscheduled rebalance or other modification of the Index constituents or
weightings, which may increase the fund's costs. The Index Provider does not
provide any representation or warranty in relation to the quality, accuracy or
completeness of data in the Index, and it does not guarantee that the Index will
be calculated in accordance with its stated methodology. Losses or costs
associated with any Index Provider errors generally will be borne by the fund
and its shareholders.

INVESTMENT COMPANIES RISK. To the extent a fund invests in the securities of
other investment vehicles, the fund will incur additional fees and expenses that
would not be present in a direct investment in those investment vehicles.
Furthermore, the fund's investment performance and risks are directly related to
the investment performance and risks of the investment vehicles in which the
fund invests.

LIBOR RISK. To the extent a fund invests in floating or variable rate
obligations that use the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") as a reference
interest rate, it is subject to LIBOR Risk. The United Kingdom's Financial
Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR has ceased making LIBOR available as a
reference rate over a phase-out period that began December 31, 2021. There is no
assurance that any alternative reference rate, including the Secured Overnight
Financing Rate ("SOFR") will be similar to or produce the same value or economic
equivalence as LIBOR or that instruments using an alternative rate will have the
same volume or liquidity. The unavailability or replacement of LIBOR may affect
the value, liquidity or return on certain fund investments and may result in
costs incurred in connection with closing out positions and entering into new
trades. Any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the fund or
on certain instruments in which the fund invests can be difficult to ascertain,
and they may vary depending on a variety of factors, and they could result in
losses to the fund.


Page 30





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

MANAGEMENT RISK. To the extent that a fund is actively managed, it is subject to
management risk. In managing an actively-managed fund's investment portfolio,
the fund's portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses
that may not have the desired result. There can be no guarantee that a fund will
meet its investment objective.

MARKET RISK. Market risk is the risk that a particular security, or shares of a
fund in general, may fall in value. Securities held by a fund, as well as shares
of a fund itself, are subject to market fluctuations caused by factors such as
general economic conditions, political events, regulatory or market
developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends insecurities
prices. Shares of a fund could decline in value or underperform other
investments as a result of the risk of loss associated with these market
fluctuations. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of
terrorism, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues,
recessions, or other events could have a significant negative impact on a fund
and its investments. Such events may affect certain geographic regions,
countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. In February
2022, Russia invaded Ukraine which has caused and could continue to cause
significant market disruptions and volatility within the markets in Russia,
Europe, and the United States. The hostilities and sanctions resulting from
those hostilities could have a significant impact on certain fund investments as
well as fund performance. The COVID-19 global pandemic and the ensuing policies
enacted by governments and central banks have caused and may continue to cause
significant volatility and uncertainty in global financial markets. While the
U.S. has resumed "reasonably" normal business activity, many countries continue
to impose lockdown measures. Additionally, there is no guarantee that vaccines
will be effective against emerging variants of the disease. These events also
adversely affect the prices and liquidity of a fund's portfolio securities or
other instruments and could result in disruptions in the trading markets. Any of
such circumstances could have a materially negative impact on the value of a
fund's shares and result in increased market volatility. During any such events,
a fund's shares may trade at increased premiums or discounts to their net asset
value and the bid/ask spread on a fund's shares may widen.

NON-U.S. SECURITIES RISK. To the extent a fund invests in non-U.S. securities,
it is subject to additional risks not associated with securities of domestic
issuers. Non-U.S. securities are subject to higher volatility than securities of
domestic issuers due to: possible adverse political, social or economic
developments; restrictions on foreign investment or exchange of securities;
capital controls; lack of liquidity; currency exchange rates; excessive
taxation; government seizure of assets; the imposition of sanctions by foreign
governments; different legal or accounting standards; and less government
supervision and regulation of exchanges in foreign countries. Investments in
non-U.S. securities may involve higher costs than investments in U.S.
securities, including higher transaction and custody costs, as well as
additional taxes imposed by non-U.S. governments. These risks may be heightened
for securities of companies located, or with significant operations, in emerging
market countries.

OPERATIONAL RISK. Each fund is subject to risks arising from various operational
factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and
communication errors, errors of a fund's service providers, counterparties or
other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems
failures. Each fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including
custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service
providers may affect a fund's ability to meet its investment objective. Although
the funds and the funds' investment advisor seek to reduce these operational
risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect
against such risks.

PASSIVE INVESTMENT RISK. To the extent a fund seeks to track an index, the fund
will invest in the securities included in, or representative of, the index
regardless of their investment merit. A fund generally will not attempt to take
defensive positions in declining markets.

VALUATION RISK. The valuation of certain securities may carry more risk than
that of common stock. Uncertainties in the conditions of the financial markets,
unreliable reference data, lack of transparency and inconsistency of valuation
models and processes may lead to inaccurate asset pricing. A fund may hold
investments in sizes smaller than institutionally sized round lot positions
(sometimes referred to as odd lots). However, third-party pricing services
generally provide evaluations on the basis of institutionally-sized round lots.
If a fund sells certain of its investments in an odd lot transaction, the sale
price may be less than the value at which such securities have been held by the
fund. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. There
is no assurance that the fund will be able to sell a portfolio security at the
price established by the pricing service, which could result in a loss to the
fund.

              NOT FDIC INSURED    NOT BANK GUARANTEED    MAY LOSE VALUE


                                  REMUNERATION

First Trust Advisors L.P. ("First Trust") is authorised and regulated by the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is entitled to market shares of
certain First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII funds it manages (the "Funds") in
certain member states in the European Economic Area in accordance with the
cooperation arrangements in Article 42 of the Alternative Investment Fund
Managers Directive (the "Directive"). First Trust is required under the
Directive to make disclosures in respect of remuneration. The following
disclosures are made in line with First Trust's interpretation of currently
available regulatory guidance on remuneration disclosures.


                                                                         Page 31





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

During the year ended December 31, 2021, the amount of remuneration paid (or to
be paid) by First Trust Advisors L.P. in respect of the Funds is $79,789. This
figure is comprised of $3,070 paid (or to be paid) in fixed compensation and
$76,719 paid (or to be paid) in variable compensation. There were a total of 24
beneficiaries of the remuneration described above. Those amounts include $40,974
paid (or to be paid) to senior management of First Trust Advisors L.P. and
$38,815 paid (or to be paid) to other employees whose professional activities
have a material impact on the risk profiles of First Trust Advisors L.P. or the
Funds (collectively, "Code Staff").

Code Staff included in the aggregated figures disclosed above are rewarded in
line with First Trust's remuneration policy (the "Remuneration Policy") which is
determined and implemented by First Trust's senior management. The Remuneration
Policy reflects First Trust's ethos of good governance and encapsulates the
following principal objectives:

      i.    to provide a clear link between remuneration and performance of
            First Trust and to avoid rewarding for failure;

      ii.   to promote sound and effective risk management consistent with the
            risk profiles of the funds managed by First Trust; and

      iii.  to remunerate staff in line with the business strategy, objectives,
            values and interests of First Trust and the funds managed by First
            Trust in a manner that avoids conflicts of interest.

First Trust assesses various risk factors which it is exposed to when
considering and implementing remuneration for Code Staff and considers whether
any potential award to such person(s) would give rise to a conflict of interest.
First Trust does not reward failure, or consider the taking of risk or failure
to take risk in its remuneration of Code Staff.

First Trust assesses performance for the purposes of determining payments in
respect of performance-related remuneration of Code Staff by reference to a
broad range of measures including (i) individual performance (using financial
and non-financial criteria), and (ii) the overall performance of First Trust.
Remuneration is not based upon the performance of the Funds.

The elements of remuneration are balanced between fixed and variable and the
senior management sets fixed salaries at a level sufficient to ensure that
variable remuneration incentivises and rewards strong individual performance but
does not encourage excessive risk taking.

No individual is involved in setting his or her own remuneration.

                 ADVISORY AGREEMENT AND SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENTS

     BOARD CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING APPROVAL OF CONTINUATION OF INVESTMENT
                     MANAGEMENT AND SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENTS
                        FT CBOE VEST FUND OF BUFFER ETFS
                     FT CBOE VEST FUND OF DEEP BUFFER ETFS

The Board of Trustees of First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII (the "Trust"),
including the Independent Trustees, unanimously approved the continuation of the
Investment Management Agreement (the "Advisory Agreement") with First Trust
Advisors L.P. (the "Advisor") and the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (the
"Sub-Advisory Agreement" and together with the Advisory Agreement, the
"Agreements") among the Trust, the Advisor and Cboe Vest Financial LLC (the
"Sub-Advisor") on behalf of the following two series of the Trust (each a "Fund"
and collectively, the "Funds"):

        FT Cboe Vest Fund of Buffer ETFs (BUFR)
        FT Cboe Vest Fund of Deep Buffer ETFs (BUFD)

The Board approved the continuation of the Agreements for each Fund for a
one-year period ending June 30, 2023 at a meeting held on June 12-13, 2022. The
Board determined for each Fund that the continuation of the Agreements is in the
best interests of the Fund in light of the nature, extent and quality of the
services provided and such other matters as the Board considered to be relevant
in the exercise of its business judgment.

To reach this determination for each Fund, the Board considered its duties under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), as well as
under the general principles of state law, in reviewing and approving advisory
contracts; the requirements of the 1940 Act in such matters; the fiduciary duty
of investment advisors with respect to advisory agreements and compensation; the
standards used by courts in determining whether investment company boards have
fulfilled their duties; and the factors to be considered by the Board in voting
on such agreements. At meetings held on April 18, 2022 and June 12-13, 2022, the
Board, including the Independent Trustees, reviewed materials provided by the
Advisor and the Sub-Advisor responding to requests for information from counsel
to the Independent Trustees, submitted on behalf of the Independent Trustees,
that, among other things, outlined: the services provided by the Advisor and the
Sub-Advisor to each Fund (including the relevant personnel responsible for


Page 32





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

these services and their experience); the unitary fee rate payable by each Fund
as compared to fees charged to a peer group of funds (the "Expense Group") and a
broad peer universe of funds (the "Expense Universe"), each assembled by
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. ("Broadridge"), an independent source, and
as compared to fees charged to other clients of the Advisor, including other
exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") managed by the Advisor; the sub-advisory fee rate
as compared to fees charged to other clients of the Sub-Advisor; the expense
ratio of each Fund as compared to expense ratios of the funds in the Fund's
Expense Group and Expense Universe; performance information for each Fund,
including, for BUFR, comparisons of the Fund's performance to that of one or
more relevant benchmark indexes and to that of a performance group of funds and
a broad performance universe of funds (the "Performance Universe"), each
assembled by Broadridge; the nature of expenses incurred in providing services
to each Fund and the potential for the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor to realize
economies of scale, if any; profitability and other financial data for the
Advisor; financial data for the Sub-Advisor; any indirect benefits to the
Advisor and its affiliates, First Trust Portfolios L.P. ("FTP") and First Trust
Capital Partners, LLC ("FTCP"), and the Sub-Advisor; and information on the
Advisor's and the Sub-Advisor's compliance programs. The Board reviewed initial
materials with the Advisor at the meeting held on April 18, 2022, prior to which
the Independent Trustees and their counsel met separately to discuss the
information provided by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor. Following the April
meeting, counsel to the Independent Trustees, on behalf of the Independent
Trustees, requested certain clarifications and supplements to the materials
provided, and the information provided in response to those requests was
considered at an executive session of the Independent Trustees and their counsel
held prior to the June 12-13, 2022 meeting, as well as at the June meeting. The
Board applied its business judgment to determine whether the arrangements
between the Trust and the Advisor and among the Trust, the Advisor and the
Sub-Advisor continue to be reasonable business arrangements from each Fund's
perspective. The Board determined that, given the totality of the information
provided with respect to the Agreements, the Board had received sufficient
information to renew the Agreements. The Board considered that shareholders
chose to invest or remain invested in a Fund knowing that the Advisor and the
Sub-Advisor manage the Fund and knowing the Fund's unitary fee.

In reviewing the Agreements for each Fund, the Board considered the nature,
extent and quality of the services provided by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor
under the Agreements. With respect to the Advisory Agreement, the Board
considered that the Advisor is responsible for the overall management and
administration of the Trust and each Fund and reviewed all of the services
provided by the Advisor to the Funds, including the oversight of the
Sub-Advisor, as well as the background and experience of the persons responsible
for such services. The Board noted that the Advisor oversees the Sub-Advisor's
day-to-day management of each Fund's investments, including portfolio risk
monitoring and performance review. In reviewing the services provided, the Board
noted the compliance program that had been developed by the Advisor and
considered that it includes a robust program for monitoring the Advisor's, the
Sub-Advisor's and each Fund's compliance with the 1940 Act, as well as each
Fund's compliance with its investment objective, policies and restrictions. The
Board also considered a report from the Advisor with respect to its risk
management functions related to the operation of the Funds. Finally, as part of
the Board's consideration of the Advisor's services, the Advisor, in its written
materials and at the April 18, 2022 meeting, described to the Board the scope of
its ongoing investment in additional personnel and infrastructure to maintain
and improve the quality of services provided to the Funds and the other funds in
the First Trust Fund Complex. With respect to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the
Board noted that each Fund is an actively managed ETF and the Sub-Advisor
actively manages the Fund's investments. In addition to the written materials
provided by the Sub-Advisor, at the June 12-13, 2022 meeting, the Board also
received a presentation from representatives of the Sub-Advisor, who discussed
the services that the Sub-Advisor provides to each Fund, including the
Sub-Advisor's day-to-day management of the Funds' investments. In considering
the Sub-Advisor's management of the Funds, the Board noted the background and
experience of the Sub-Advisor's portfolio management team. In light of the
information presented and the considerations made, the Board concluded that the
nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Trust and each Fund
by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor under the Agreements have been and are
expected to remain satisfactory and that the Sub-Advisor, under the oversight of
the Advisor, has managed each Fund consistent with its investment objective,
policies and restrictions.

The Board considered the unitary fee rate payable by each Fund under the
Advisory Agreement for the services provided. The Board noted that the
sub-advisory fee for each Fund is paid by the Advisor from the Fund's unitary
fee. The Board considered that as part of the unitary fee the Advisor is
responsible for each Fund's expenses, including the cost of sub-advisory,
transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services
and license fees, if any, but excluding the fee payment under the Advisory
Agreement and interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage
commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio
transactions, distribution and service fees pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if
any, and extraordinary expenses, if any. The Board noted that, because each Fund
invests in underlying ETFs in the First Trust Fund Complex, it incurs acquired
fund fees and expenses, which are not payable out of the unitary fee. The Board
received and reviewed information showing the fee rates and expense ratios of
the peer funds in the Expense Groups, as well as advisory and unitary fee rates
charged by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor to other fund (including ETFs) and
non-fund clients, as applicable. Because each Fund pays a unitary fee, the Board
determined that expense ratios were the most relevant comparative data point.
Based on the information provided, the Board noted that the unitary fee rate for
each Fund was equal to the median total (net) expense ratio (excluding acquired
fund fees and expenses, as applicable) of the peer funds in its Expense Group.
The Board also noted that each Fund's total (net) expense ratio (including
acquired fund fees and expenses) was above the median total (net) expense ratio
(including acquired fund fees and expenses, as applicable) of the peer funds in


                                                                         Page 33





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

its Expense Group. With respect to the Expense Groups, the Board, at the April
18, 2022 meeting, discussed with Broadridge its methodology for assembling peer
groups and discussed with the Advisor limitations in creating peer groups for
actively-managed ETFs, including the limited number of actively-managed ETFs
following a fund-of-funds options arbitrage/options strategy, and different
business models that may affect the pricing of services among ETF sponsors. The
Board also noted that not all peer funds employ an advisor/sub-advisor
management structure. The Board took these limitations and differences into
account in considering the peer data. With respect to fees charged to other
non-ETF clients, the Board considered differences between the Funds and other
non-ETF clients that limited their comparability. In considering the unitary fee
rates overall, the Board also considered the Advisor's statement that it seeks
to meet investor needs through innovative and value-added investment solutions
and the Advisor's demonstrated long-term commitment to each Fund and the other
funds in the First Trust Fund Complex.

The Board considered performance information for each Fund. The Board noted the
process it has established for monitoring each Fund's performance and portfolio
risk on an ongoing basis, which includes quarterly performance reporting from
the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor for the Funds. The Board determined that this
process continues to be effective for reviewing each Fund's performance. The
Board received and reviewed information comparing the performance of BUFR for
the one-year period ended December 31, 2021 to the performance of the funds in
the Fund's respective Performance Universe and a benchmark index. Based on the
information provided, the Board noted that BUFR outperformed its Performance
Universe median for the one-year period ended December 31, 2021 and
underperformed its benchmark index for the one-year period ended December 31,
2021. The Board also noted that BUFR invests substantially all of its assets in
multiple target outcome ETFs in the First Trust Fund Complex sub-advised by the
Sub-Advisor that seek to provide investors with returns (before fees and
expenses) over a defined period of time (typically one year) that match the
price return of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust ("SPY"), up to a predetermined cap,
while providing a buffer against certain losses on the price return of SPY and
considered that the investment strategy of the underlying ETFs limits the
comparability of BUFR's performance to that of the funds in its Performance
Universe and its benchmark index. Because BUFD commenced operations on January
20, 2021 and therefore has a limited performance history, comparative
performance information for the Fund was not reviewed.

On the basis of all the information provided on the unitary fee and performance,
as applicable, of each Fund and the ongoing oversight by the Board, the Board
concluded that the unitary fee for each Fund (out of which the Sub-Advisor is
compensated) continues to be reasonable and appropriate in light of the nature,
extent and quality of the services provided by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor
to each Fund under the Agreements.

The Board considered information and discussed with the Advisor whether there
were any economies of scale in connection with providing advisory services to
the Funds and noted the Advisor's statement that it believes that its expenses
relating to providing advisory services to the Funds will likely increase during
the next twelve months as the Advisor continues to build infrastructure and add
new staff. The Board noted that any reduction in fixed costs associated with the
management of the Funds would benefit the Advisor, but that the unitary fee
structure provides a level of certainty in expenses for the Funds. The Board
considered the revenues and allocated costs (including the allocation
methodology) of the Advisor in serving as investment advisor to BUFR for the
twelve months ended December 31, 2021 and to BUFD for the period from inception
through December 31, 2021 and the estimated profitability level for each Fund
calculated by the Advisor based on such data, as well as complex-wide and
product-line profitability data, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021.
The Board noted the inherent limitations in the profitability analysis and
concluded that, based on the information provided, the Advisor's profitability
level for each Fund was not unreasonable. In addition, the Board considered
indirect benefits described by the Advisor that may be realized from its
relationship with the Funds. The Board considered that the Advisor had
identified as an indirect benefit to the Advisor and FTP their exposure to
investors and brokers who, absent their exposure to the Funds, may have had no
dealings with the Advisor or FTP. The Board also noted that FTCP has a
controlling ownership interest in the Sub-Advisor's parent company and
considered potential indirect benefits to the Advisor from such ownership
interest. In addition, the Board considered that the Advisor, as the investment
advisor to the underlying ETFs in which each Fund invests, will recognize
additional revenue from the underlying ETFs if investment by the Funds causes
the assets of the underlying ETFs to grow. The Board concluded that the
character and amount of potential indirect benefits to the Advisor were not
unreasonable.

The Board considered the Sub-Advisor's statement that it believes that the
sub-advisory fee for each Fund is appropriate. The Board noted the Sub-Advisor's
statements that it continues to invest in infrastructure, technology and
personnel, and that it anticipates that its expenses relating to providing
services to the Funds will remain approximately the same for the next twelve
months. The Board did not review the profitability of the Sub-Advisor with
respect to each Fund. The Board noted that the Advisor pays the Sub-Advisor for
each Fund from its unitary fee and its understanding that each Fund's
sub-advisory fee rate was the product of an arm's length negotiation. The Board
concluded that the profitability analysis for the Advisor was more relevant. The
Board considered the potential indirect benefits to the Sub-Advisor from being
associated with the Advisor and the Funds, and noted the Sub-Advisor's
statements that it is the Sub-Advisor's policy currently not to enter into
soft-dollar arrangements for the procurement of research services in connection
with client securities transactions and that, as a result, there are no foreseen
indirect benefits from its relationship with the Funds. The Board also
considered the potential indirect benefits to the Sub-Advisor from FTCP's


Page 34





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

controlling ownership interest in the Sub-Advisor's parent company. In addition,
the Board considered that the Sub-Advisor, as the investment sub-advisor to the
underlying ETFs in which each Fund invests, will recognize additional revenue
from the underlying ETFs if investment by the Funds causes the assets of the
underlying ETFs to grow. The Board concluded that the character and amount of
potential indirect benefits to the Sub-Advisor were not unreasonable.

Based on all of the information considered and the conclusions reached, the
Board, including the Independent Trustees, unanimously determined that the terms
of the Agreements continue to be fair and reasonable and that the continuation
of the Agreements is in the best interests of each Fund. No single factor was
determinative in the Board's analysis.

      BOARD CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING APPROVAL OF INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AND
                            SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENTS
                 FT CBOE VEST FUND OF NASDAQ-100(R) BUFFER ETFS

The Board of Trustees of First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII (the "Trust"),
including the Independent Trustees, approved the Investment Management Agreement
(the "Advisory Agreement") with First Trust Advisors L.P. (the "Advisor"), on
behalf of FT Cboe Vest Fund of Nasdaq-100(R) Buffer ETFs (the "Fund"), and the
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (the "Sub-Advisory Agreement" and together
with the Advisory Agreement, the "Agreements") among the Trust, on behalf of the
Fund, the Advisor and Cboe Vest Financial LLC (the "Sub-Advisor"), for an
initial two-year term at a meeting held on June 13, 2022. The Board determined
that the Agreements are in the best interests of the Fund in light of the
nature, extent and quality of the services expected to be provided and such
other matters as the Board considered to be relevant in the exercise of its
business judgment.

To reach this determination, the Board considered its duties under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), as well as under
the general principles of state law, in reviewing and approving advisory
contracts; the requirements of the 1940 Act in such matters; the fiduciary duty
of investment advisors with respect to advisory agreements and compensation; the
standards used by courts in determining whether investment company boards have
fulfilled their duties; and the factors to be considered by the Board in voting
on such agreements. To assist the Board in its evaluation of the Agreements for
the Fund, the Independent Trustees received a separate report from each of the
Advisor and the Sub-Advisor in advance of the Board meeting responding to
requests for information from counsel to the Independent Trustees, submitted on
behalf of the Independent Trustees, that, among other things, outlined: the
services to be provided by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor to the Fund
(including the relevant personnel responsible for these services and their
experience); the proposed unitary fee rate payable by the Fund as compared to
fees charged to a peer group of funds (the "Expense Group") and a broad peer
universe of funds (the "Expense Universe"), each assembled by Broadridge
Financial Solutions, Inc. ("Broadridge"), an independent source, and as compared
to fees charged to other exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") managed by the Advisor;
the proposed sub-advisory fee rate as compared to fees charged to other clients
of the Sub-Advisor; the estimated expense ratio of the Fund as compared to
expense ratios of the funds in the Fund's Expense Group and Expense Universe;
the nature of expenses to be incurred in providing services to the Fund and the
potential for the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor to realize economies of scale, if
any; profitability and other financial data for the Advisor; financial data for
the Sub-Advisor; any indirect benefits to the Advisor and its affiliates, First
Trust Portfolios L.P. ("FTP") and First Trust Capital Partners, LLC ("FTCP"),
and the Sub-Advisor; and information on the Advisor's and the Sub-Advisor's
compliance programs. The Independent Trustees and their counsel also met
separately to discuss the information provided by the Advisor and the
Sub-Advisor. The Board applied its business judgment to determine whether the
arrangements between the Trust and the Advisor and among the Trust, the Advisor
and the Sub-Advisor are reasonable business arrangements from the Fund's
perspective.

In evaluating whether to approve the Agreements for the Fund, the Board
considered the nature, extent and quality of the services to be provided by the
Advisor and the Sub-Advisor under the Agreements. With respect to the Advisory
Agreement, the Board considered that the Advisor will be responsible for the
overall management and administration of the Fund and reviewed all of the
services to be provided by the Advisor to the Fund, including the oversight of
the Sub-Advisor, as well as the background and experience of the persons
responsible for such services. The Board considered that the Fund will be an
actively-managed ETF and will employ an advisor/sub-advisor management structure
and considered that the Advisor manages other ETFs with a similar structure in
the First Trust Fund Complex. The Board noted that the Advisor will oversee the
Sub-Advisor's day-to-day management of the Fund's investments, including
portfolio risk monitoring and performance review. In reviewing the services to
be provided, the Board noted the compliance program that had been developed by
the Advisor and considered that it includes a robust program for monitoring the
Advisor's, the Sub-Advisor's and the Fund's compliance with the 1940 Act, as
well as the Fund's compliance with its investment objective, policies and
restrictions. The Board noted that employees of the Advisor provide management
services to other ETFs and to other funds in the First Trust Fund Complex with
diligence and care. With respect to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, in addition to
the written materials provided by the Sub-Advisor, at the June 13, 2022 meeting,
the Board also received a presentation from representatives of the Sub-Advisor,
who discussed the services that the Sub-Advisor will provide to the Fund, and
the Trustees were able to ask questions about the proposed investment strategy
for the Fund. The Board noted the background and experience of the Sub-Advisor's
portfolio management team and the Sub-Advisor's investment style. The Board also
noted that the Fund would invest substantially all of its assets in multiple
defined-outcome ETFs in the First Trust Fund Complex sub-advised by the
Sub-Advisor. Because the Fund had yet to commence investment operations, the


                                                                         Page 35





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

Board could not consider the historical investment performance of the Fund. In
light of the information presented and the considerations made, the Board
concluded that the nature, extent and quality of the services to be provided to
the Fund by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor under the Agreements are expected to
be satisfactory.

The Board considered the proposed unitary fee rate payable by the Fund under the
Advisory Agreement for the services to be provided. The Board noted that, under
the unitary fee arrangement, the Fund would pay the Advisor a unitary fee equal
to an annual rate of 0.20% of its average daily net assets. The Board considered
that, from the unitary fee for the Fund, the Advisor would pay the Sub-Advisor a
sub-advisory fee equal to 50% of the Fund's unitary fee less one-half of the
Fund's expenses. The Board noted that the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor would be
responsible for the Fund's expenses, including the cost of sub-advisory,
transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services
and license fees, if any, but excluding the fee payment under the Advisory
Agreement and interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, if any,
brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of
portfolio transactions, distribution and service fees pursuant to a Rule 12b-1
plan, if any, and extraordinary expenses, if any. The Board noted that, because
the Fund will invest in underlying ETFs in the First Trust Fund Complex, it will
incur acquired fund fees and expenses, which are not payable out of the unitary
fee. The Board received and reviewed information showing the fee rates and
expense ratios of the peer funds in the Expense Group, as well as advisory and
unitary fee rates charged by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor to other fund
(including ETF) and non-fund clients, as applicable. Because the Fund will pay a
unitary fee, the Board determined that expense ratios were the most relevant
comparative data point. Based on the information provided, the Board noted that
the unitary fee rate for the Fund was below the median total (net) expense ratio
(excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, as applicable) of the peer funds in
the Expense Group. The Board also noted that the Fund's total (net) expense
ratio (including the estimated acquired fund fees and expenses) was above the
median total (net) expense ratio (including acquired fund fees and expenses, as
applicable) of the peer funds in the Expense Group. With respect to the Expense
Group, the Board discussed with representatives of the Advisor how the Expense
Group was assembled and how the Fund compared and differed from the peer funds.
The Board took this information into account in considering the peer data. With
respect to fees charged to other clients, the Board considered the Advisor's
statement that the Fund will be most comparable to three other ETFs in the First
Trust Fund Complex that invest in underlying ETFs, including ETFs in the First
Trust Fund Complex, each of which pays a unitary fee equal to an annual rate of
0.20% of its average daily net assets, two of which are ETFs managed by the
Advisor and the Sub-Advisor that also invest substantially all of their
respective assets in multiple defined-outcome ETFs in the First Trust Fund
Complex sub-advised by the Sub-Advisor. In light of the information considered
and the nature, extent and quality of the services expected to be provided to
the Fund under the Agreements, the Board determined that the proposed unitary
fee, including the sub-advisory fee to be paid by the Advisor to the Sub-Advisor
from the unitary fee, was fair and reasonable.

The Board noted that the proposed unitary fee for the Fund was not structured to
pass on to shareholders the benefits of any economies of scale as the Fund's
assets grow. The Board noted that any reduction in fixed costs associated with
the management of the Fund would benefit the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor, but
that the unitary fee structure provides a level of certainty in expenses for the
Fund. The Board noted that the Advisor has continued to build infrastructure and
add new staff to improve the services to the funds in the First Trust Fund
Complex. The Board took into consideration the types of costs to be borne by the
Advisor in connection with its services to be performed for the Fund under the
Advisory Agreement. The Board considered the Advisor's estimate of the
profitability of the Advisory Agreement if the Fund's assets reach $100 million.
The Board noted the inherent limitations in the profitability analysis and
concluded that, based on the information provided, the Advisor's estimated
profitability level for the Fund was not unreasonable. The Board reviewed
financial information provided by the Sub-Advisor, but did not review any
potential profitability of the Sub-Advisory Agreement to the Sub-Advisor. The
Board considered that the Sub-Advisor would be paid by the Advisor from the
Fund's unitary fee and its understanding that the sub-advisory fee rate was the
product of an arm's length negotiation. In addition, the Board considered
indirect benefits described by the Advisor that may be realized from its
relationship with the Fund. The Board noted that FTCP has a controlling
ownership interest in the Sub-Advisor's parent company and considered potential
indirect benefits to the Advisor from such ownership interest. The Board also
considered that the Advisor had identified as an indirect benefit to the Advisor
and FTP their exposure to investors and brokers who, absent their exposure to
the Fund, may have had no dealings with the Advisor or FTP. The Board also noted
that the Advisor will be responsible for trade execution for the Fund and will
not utilize soft dollars in connection with the Fund. The Board also considered
the potential indirect benefits to the Sub-Advisor from FTCP's controlling
ownership interest in the Sub-Advisor's parent company. The Board noted the
Sub-Advisor's statement that it does not foresee any indirect benefits from its
relationship with the Fund. In addition, the Board considered that the Advisor
and the Sub-Advisor, as the investment advisor and the investment sub-advisor,
respectively, to the underlying ETFs in which the Fund would invest, will
recognize additional revenue from such underlying ETFs if the Fund's investment
causes their assets to grow. The Board concluded that the character and amount
of potential indirect benefits to the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor were not
unreasonable.

Based on all of the information considered and the conclusions reached, the
Board, including the Independent Trustees, determined that the terms of the
Agreements are fair and reasonable and that the approval of the Agreements is in
the best interests of the Fund. No single factor was determinative in the
Board's analysis.


Page 36





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

                       LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

In accordance with Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the "1940 Act"), the Funds and each other fund in the First Trust Fund
Complex, other than the closed-end funds, have adopted and implemented a
liquidity risk management program (the "Program") reasonably designed to assess
and manage the funds' liquidity risk, i.e., the risk that a fund could not meet
requests to redeem shares issued by the fund without significant dilution of
remaining investors' interests in the fund. The Board of Trustees of the First
Trust Funds has appointed First Trust Advisors, L.P. (the "Advisor") as the
person designated to administer the Program, and in this capacity the Advisor
performs its duties primarily through the activities and efforts of the First
Trust Liquidity Committee (the "Liquidity Committee").

Pursuant to the Program, the Liquidity Committee classifies the liquidity of
each fund's portfolio investments into one of the four liquidity categories
specified by Rule 22e-4: highly liquid investments, moderately liquid
investments, less liquid investments and illiquid investments. The Liquidity
Committee determines certain of the inputs for this classification process,
including reasonably anticipated trade sizes and significant investor dilution
thresholds. The Liquidity Committee also determines and periodically reviews a
highly liquid investment minimum for certain funds, monitors the funds' holdings
of assets classified as illiquid investments to seek to ensure they do not
exceed 15% of a fund's net assets and establishes policies and procedures
regarding redemptions in kind.

At the April 18, 2022 meeting of the Board of Trustees, as required by Rule
22e-4 and the Program, the Advisor provided the Board with a written report
prepared by the Advisor that addressed the operation of the Program during the
period from March 16, 2021 through the Liquidity Committee's annual meeting held
on March 17, 2022 and assessed the Program's adequacy and effectiveness of
implementation during this period, including the operation of the highly liquid
investment minimum for each fund that is required under the Program to have one,
and any material changes to the Program. Note that because the Funds primarily
hold assets that are highly liquid investments, the Funds have not adopted any
highly liquid investment minimums.

As stated in the written report, during the review period, no fund breached the
15% limitation on illiquid investments, no fund with a highly liquid investment
minimum breached that minimum and no fund filed a Form N-LIQUID. The Advisor
concluded that each fund's investment strategy is appropriate for an open-end
fund; that the Program operated effectively in all material respects during the
review period; and that the Program is reasonably designed to assess and manage
the liquidity risk of each fund and to maintain compliance with Rule 22e-4.


                                                                         Page 37





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

The following tables identify the Trustees and Officers of the Trust. Unless
otherwise indicated, the address of all persons is 120 East Liberty Drive, Suite
400, Wheaton, IL 60187.

The Trust's statement of additional information includes additional information
about the Trustees and is available, without charge, upon request, by calling
(800) 988-5891.



                                                                                           NUMBER OF                OTHER
                                                                                         PORTFOLIOS IN         TRUSTEESHIPS OR
                                TERM OF OFFICE                                          THE FIRST TRUST         DIRECTORSHIPS
           NAME,                AND YEAR FIRST                                           FUND COMPLEX          HELD BY TRUSTEE
     YEAR OF BIRTH AND            ELECTED OR              PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONS           OVERSEEN BY            DURING PAST
  POSITION WITH THE TRUST          APPOINTED               DURING PAST 5 YEARS              TRUSTEE                5 YEARS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                              
Richard E. Erickson, Trustee   o Indefinite Term   Physician, Edward-Elmhurst Medical         220         None
(1951)                                             Group; Physician and Officer,
                               o Since Inception   Wheaton Orthopedics (1990 to 2021)

Thomas R. Kadlec, Trustee      o Indefinite Term   Retired; President, ADM Investors          220         Director, National Futures
(1957)                                             Services, Inc. (Futures Commission                     Association and ADMIS
                               o Since Inception   Merchant) (2010 to July 2022)                          Singapore Ltd.; Formerly,
                                                                                                          Director of ADM Investor
                                                                                                          Services, Inc., ADM
                                                                                                          Investor Services
                                                                                                          International, ADMISHong
                                                                                                          Kong Ltd., and
                                                                                                          Futures Industry
                                                                                                          Association

Denise M. Keefe, Trustee       o Indefinite Term   Executive Vice President, Advocate         220         Director and Board Chair
(1964)                                             Aurora Health and President,                           of Advocate Home Health
                               o Since 2021        Advocate Aurora Continuing Health                      Services, Advocate Home
                                                   Division (Integrated Healthcare                        Care Products and
                                                   System)                                                Advocate Hospice;
                                                                                                          Director and Board Chair
                                                                                                          of Aurora At Home (since
                                                                                                          2018); Director of
                                                                                                          Advocate Physician
                                                                                                          Partners Accountable Care
                                                                                                          Organization; Director and
                                                                                                          Board Chair of RML Long
                                                                                                          Term Acute Care
                                                                                                          Hospitals; and Director of
                                                                                                          Senior Helpers (since
                                                                                                          2021)

Robert F. Keith, Trustee       o Indefinite Term   President, Hibs Enterprises                220         Formerly, Director of
(1956)                                             (Financial and Management                              Trust Company of Illinois
                               o Since Inception   Consulting)

Niel B. Nielson, Trustee       o Indefinite Term   Senior Advisor (2018 to Present),          220         None
(1954)                                             Managing Director and Chief
                               o Since Inception   Operating Officer (2015 to 2018),
                                                   Pelita Harapan Educational
                                                   Foundation (Educational
                                                   Products and Services)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         INTERESTED TRUSTEE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James A. Bowen(1), Trustee,    o Indefinite Term   Chief Executive Officer, First             220         None
Chairman of the Board                              Trust Advisors L.P. and First Trust
(1955)                         o Since Inception   Portfolios L.P., Chairman of the
                                                   Board of Directors, BondWave LLC
                                                   (Software Development Company) and
                                                   Stonebridge Advisors LLC
                                                   (Investment Advisor)


-----------------------------

(1)   Mr. Bowen is deemed an "interested person" of the Trust due to his
      position as Chief Executive Officer of First Trust Advisors L.P.,
      investment advisor of the Trust.


Page 38





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS (CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)



                             POSITION AND           TERM OF OFFICE
     NAME AND                  OFFICES               AND LENGTH OF                         PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONS
   YEAR OF BIRTH              WITH TRUST                SERVICE                             DURING PAST 5 YEARS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            OFFICERS(2)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              
James M. Dykas        President and Chief          o Indefinite Term   Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, First
(1966)                Executive Officer                                Trust Advisors L.P. and First  Trust Portfolios L.P.;
                                                   o Since Inception   Chief Financial Officer, BondWave LLC (Software
                                                                       Development Company) and Stonebridge Advisors
                                                                       LLC (Investment Advisor)

Donald P. Swade       Treasurer, Chief Financial   o Indefinite Term   Senior Vice President, First Trust Advisors L.P. and
(1972)                Officer and Chief                                First Trust Portfolios L.P.
                      Accounting Officer           o Since Inception

W. Scott Jardine      Secretary and Chief Legal    o Indefinite Term   General Counsel, First Trust Advisors L.P. and First 
(1960)                Officer                                          Trust Portfolios L.P.; Secretary and General Counsel,
                                                   o Since Inception   BondWave LLC; Secretary, Stonebridge Advisors LLC


Daniel J. Lindquist   Vice President               o Indefinite Term   Managing Director, First Trust Advisors L.P. and First
(1970)                                                                 Trust Portfolios L.P.
                                                   o Since Inception

Kristi A. Maher       Chief Compliance Officer     o Indefinite Term   Deputy General Counsel, First Trust Advisors L.P. and
(1966)                and Assistant Secretary                          First Trust Portfolios L.P.
                                                   o Since Inception

Roger F. Testin       Vice President               o Indefinite Term   Senior Vice President, First Trust Advisors L.P. and
(1966)                                                                 First Trust Portfolios L.P.
                                                   o Since Inception

Stan Ueland           Vice President               o Indefinite Term   Senior Vice President, First Trust Advisors L.P. and
(1970)                                                                 First Trust Portfolios L.P.
                                                   o Since Inception


-----------------------------

(2)   The term "officer" means the president, vice president, secretary,
      treasurer, controller or any other officer who performs a policy making
      function.


                                                                         Page 39





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRIVACY POLICY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     FIRST TRUST EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND VIII
                          AUGUST 31, 2022 (UNAUDITED)

                                 PRIVACY POLICY

First Trust values our relationship with you and considers your privacy an
important priority in maintaining that relationship. We are committed to
protecting the security and confidentiality of your personal information.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

We collect nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources:

      o     Information we receive from you and your broker-dealer, investment
            professional or financial representative through interviews,
            applications, agreements or other forms;

      o     Information about your transactions with us, our affiliates or
            others;

      o     Information we receive from your inquiries by mail, e-mail or
            telephone; and

      o     Information we collect on our website through the use of "cookies."
            For example, we may identify the pages on our website that your
            browser requests or visits.

INFORMATION COLLECTED

The type of data we collect may include your name, address, social security
number, age, financial status, assets, income, tax information, retirement and
estate plan information, transaction history, account balance, payment history,
investment objectives, marital status, family relationships and other personal
information.

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

We do not disclose any nonpublic personal information about our customers or
former customers to anyone, except as permitted by law. In addition to using
this information to verify your identity (as required under law), the permitted
uses may also include the disclosure of such information to unaffiliated
companies for the following reasons:

      o     In order to provide you with products and services and to effect
            transactions that you request or authorize, we may disclose your
            personal information as described above to unaffiliated financial
            service providers and other companies that perform administrative or
            other services on our behalf, such as transfer agents, custodians
            and trustees, or that assist us in the distribution of investor
            materials such as trustees, banks, financial representatives, proxy
            services, solicitors and printers.

      o     We may release information we have about you if you direct us to do
            so, if we are compelled by law to do so, or in other legally limited
            circumstances (for example to protect your account from fraud).

In addition, in order to alert you to our other financial products and services,
we may share your personal information within First Trust.

USE OF WEBSITE ANALYTICS

We currently use third party analytics tools, Google Analytics and AddThis, to
gather information for purposes of improving First Trust's website and marketing
our products and services to you. These tools employ cookies, which are small
pieces of text stored in a file by your web browser and sent to websites that
you visit, to collect information, track website usage and viewing trends such
as the number of hits, pages visited, videos and PDFs viewed and the length of
user sessions in order to evaluate website performance and enhance navigation of
the website. We may also collect other anonymous information, which is generally
limited to technical and web navigation information such as the IP address of
your device, internet browser type and operating system for purposes of
analyzing the data to make First Trust's website better and more useful to our
users. The information collected does not include any personal identifiable
information such as your name, address, phone number or email address unless you
provide that information through the website for us to contact you in order to
answer your questions or respond to your requests. To find out how to opt-out of
these services click on: Google Analytics and AddThis.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY

With regard to our internal security procedures, First Trust restricts access to
your nonpublic personal information to those First Trust employees who need to
know that information to provide products or services to you. We maintain
physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect your nonpublic
personal information.

POLICY UPDATES AND INQUIRIES

As required by federal law, we will notify you of our privacy policy annually.
We reserve the right to modify this policy at any time, however, if we do change
it, we will tell you promptly. For questions about our policy, or for additional
copies of this notice, please go to www.ftportfolios.com, or contact us at
1-800-621-1675 (First Trust Portfolios) or 1-800-222-6822 (First Trust
Advisors).

March 2022


Page 40





FIRST TRUST

First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII

INVESTMENT ADVISOR
First Trust Advisors L.P.
120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400
Wheaton, IL 60187

INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISOR
Cboe Vest Financial LLC
8350 Broad Street, Suite 240
McLean, VA 22102

ADMINISTRATOR, CUSTODIAN,
FUND ACCOUNTANT &
TRANSFER AGENT
The Bank of New York Mellon
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Deloitte & Touche LLP
111 S. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606

LEGAL COUNSEL
Chapman and Cutler LLP
320 South Canal Street
Chicago, IL 60606





[BLANK BACK COVER]