FA Cup Final Confirmed: Manchester City and Chelsea Set for Wembley

Manchester City and Chelsea are set for a blockbuster showdown in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, with City arriving off a dramatic late comeback in the semi-final and Chelsea aiming to end their season with silverware.

For Manchester City, a 2-1 win over Southampton confirmed their place in a record fourth consecutive FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola’s side were pushed hard by the Championship club and fell behind late on when Finn Azaz curled home from distance, but the response was immediate. Jeremy Doku levelled within two minutes before Nico Gonzalez struck the winner shortly after to complete the turnaround.

The result also extended City’s run to eight successive FA Cup semi-finals under Pep Guardiola. Their route to Wembley has included victories over Exeter City, Salford City, Newcastle United and Liverpool, and they have now won 22 consecutive FA Cup matches against teams from outside the Premier League. Having already lifted the Carabao Cup this season, City will now target another FA Cup success, with Guardiola previously winning the competition in 2019 and 2023.

The Final will take place on Saturday 16th May, with kick-off scheduled for 15:00 at Wembley Stadium

Chelsea reached the final with a 1-0 victory over Leeds United, decided by Enzo Fernandez’s first-half header. The goal ended a run of 498 minutes without scoring against Premier League opposition, and the clean sheet was their first against top-flight sides since January.

Chelsea’s run to Wembley began with a 5-1 win over Charlton Athletic, where they dominated possession and had five different scorers. They followed that with a 4-0 victory at Hull City, with Pedro Neto scoring a hat-trick and Liam Delap providing three assists.

The fifth round saw a much tougher test away at Wrexham. Chelsea came from behind twice in normal time before taking control in extra time against ten men, with Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro scoring to secure a 4-2 win.

In the quarter-final, they recorded their biggest win of the campaign with a 7-0 victory over Port Vale at Stamford Bridge. The goals were shared across the side, including early strikes that set the tone and a late penalty to complete the scoring.

That run set up the semi-final against Leeds, where Fernandez’s header proved decisive in a tighter contest. He has now scored 13 goals this season, with only Morgan Gibbs-White registering more among Premier League midfielders in 2025/26.

The Londoners have lost their last three FA Cup finals in recent years with defeats coming against Arsenal, Liverpool and Leicester City.

Chelsea are aiming to win the FA Cup for the ninth time, having first lifted the trophy in 1904, while City are chasing another cup in their bid to win another domestic treble.