Spring is a great time of year for sport in and around the capital, with both The Boat Race and the London Marathon typically taking place in March or April. The domestic cricket season begins, with action from Lord’s and the Oval, whilst football clubs in various divisions, from Wimbledon and Bromley in League Two, right up to the likes of Arsenal and Spurs in the Premier League, are getting to the business end of their league campaigns.
Perhaps the biggest regular spring-time sporting extravaganza to take place in London is the FA Cup final. This is usually held in May but before that we have the two semis, these typically being scheduled for late April. The first time a semi was played at the national stadium was in 1991, when Spurs beat Arsenal 3-1, Paul Gascoigne scoring one of the most iconic goals in the competition’s history with a sensational free kick.
Who Will Compete in the FA Cup Final?
For most of the FA Cup’s long history the semis were played at two different neutral venues, with Villa Park, Old Trafford, Elland Road and Hillsborough among the many grounds used over the years. Since 2008, however, Wembley has been the permanent home for all FA Cup semi finals. Some love the fact that more teams and more fans get that special day at the national stadium. Others feel it demeans the accomplishment of making the final and that it can mean unnecessary travelling when, for example, two northern sides are set to meet.
Love it or loathe it, or, probably like many, be largely indifferent about it, once again the semi finals of the FA Cup will take place at Wembley in 2025. Well over 700 teams have been whittled down to just four, but who will be booking their return to the most famous stadium in England for the final on the 17th of May?
The #EmiratesFACup semi-final schedule has been confirmed! 📺
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 4, 2025
26th April – Crystal Palace v Aston Villa
It has been a funny old year as far as the FA Cup has been concerned, with so few of the biggest teams in the country making the later stages of the competition. The record winners of the competition, Arsenal, fell in the third round, which was of course their first game. Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and Spurs – 29 FA Cups between them – went out in the next round, with Man United joining them in the fifth round.
That left us with relatively low-key quarter finals and now two semi finals featuring three teams all looking to end long waits for a major trophy. That includes both Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, who meet in the first semi which takes place on Saturday, with kick off at 17.15.
Palace have never won this competition, losing in the final in 2016 and also in 1990. They have never won the League Cup, the top-flight championship, or any European silverware, so if they can land the FA Cup it will be a really historic achievement for the club.
Aston Villa Have Won FA Cup 7 Times
Opponents Villa are the favourites for the game and they are a team with a rich and storied FA Cup history. They have won this competition seven times, though their sixth win was as long ago as 1920 and their most recent success was in 1957. They have made the final twice since then, losing in 2000 to Chelsea and in 2015 to Arsenal.
Both teams and their fans will be hugely excited about this trip to Wembley but it may mean a little more to Palace, given Villa have been mixing it with Europe’s elite in the Champions League this term. After nights like the recent 3-2 win over PSG – even if they ultimately exited the competition on the back of the win – Villa’s supporters and players will be desperate for more glory. However, there could be a little bit of a comedown from that clash.
Villa Currently 7th in Premier League
Villa also have a battle on their hands in the league if they want to play in the UCL again next term. The Premier League will have at last five places in next season’s Champions League and Villa are currently seventh. However, they are just a point behind City in fifth, so they will be battling hard over the final six games of the league campaign.
Oliver Glasner’s Palace, in contrast, have very little to play for, and will probably finish 11th or 12th, with both they and Brentford five points shy of a place in the top half and five points clear of 13th. As such, they could opt to put all their eggs in the FA Cup basket and that may give them a bit of an edge in this clash.
Going to Be a Close Call
It is a tough one to call though and a tight game seems likely, with Palace certainly boasting the players capable of hurting any side. The Eagles beat the Villans 4-1 in London on the 25th of February, with the reverse fixture ending 2-2 in November. As such, the slight underdogs will certainly not be scared or overwhelmed and know they have a great chance of booking their place in the final.
27th April – Nottingham Forest v Man City
It may surprise younger fans, or those newer to football, to learn that Nottingham Forest have won the Champions League (when it was known as the European Cup) more times than City. Forest’s great team of the late 1970s, led by the inimitable Brian Clough, won the European Cup in 1979 and then duly defended it in 1979/80. And it is also a surprise to us all that Forest are above City in the PL table after 32 games of the current campaign.
City Are Favourites
That shows us just how unpredictable this game can be but despite sitting one place and two points above their FA Cup semi-final opponents, it is Forest who are, predictably, the big underdogs here. City are odds-on favourites, priced at around 4/5, whilst they are 11/10 to lift the cup. If they do so, it will be their eighth success in the competition, following recent wins in 2019 and 2023.
Forest Last Won FA Cup in 1959
Forest are, largely by virtue of having to face City in the semis, the outsiders for outright success and are 11/2 to win the FA Cup. They last won it in 1959 and are bidding for a third victory. They have gone off the boil a little of late, but their counter-attacking style should work well against City, a side they beat 1-0 in the league in March. It promises to be a great weekend of action!