FA Cup

Why are both FA Cup semifinals played at Wembley?

Saturday’s last-four game between Manchester City and Southampton kicks off around 24 hours before the end of Sunday’s clash between Chelsea and Leeds.

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Roddy Cons

Digital sports journalist

Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.

Update: Apr 25th, 2026 08:43 EDT

It’s FA Cup semifinal weekend in England, which means there are only seven Premier League games on the schedule and, unusually, none on Sunday.

Manchester City are heavy favorites to get past Championship club Southampton and reach a fourth successive final, while Leeds United will be hoping to take advantage of recent turmoil at Chelsea to reach their first FA Cup final since 1973.

The two matchups will take place at Wembley Stadium, with Sunday’s semifinal between Chelsea and Leeds set to finish around 24 hours after City’s meeting with Southampton kicks off on Saturday.

It's #EmiratesFACup semi-finals day 🏟️

Have your say on who will progress👇 pic.twitter.com/mkLty5nVsb
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 25, 2026

Why are FA Cup semifinals played at Wembley?

Although not unique, the semifinals of Scotland’s national cup competition are both held at Hampden Park, it is still considered unorthodox.

In Spain and Italy, the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and Coppa Italia are played over two legs, while in France and Germany, last-four games take place at the home stadiums of two semifinalists.

It wasn’t always this way in England, either.

The FA Cup was founded in 1871, making it the oldest national soccer competition in the world, but it wasn’t until 120 years later that Wembley hosted its first semifinal, Tottenham’s 1991 victory over bitter rivals Arsenal.

After that, the English Football Association experimented with Wembley semifinals in 1993, 1994 and 2000, but the general view was that the national stadium should be reserved for the final only. Semifinals were instead played at neutral venues around the country, with Manchester United’s Old Trafford and Aston Villa’s Villa Park regularly selected in the 1990s and 2000s.

What changed in 2007?

Everything changed when the rebuilt Wembley opened in 2007.

From 2008 onward, every FA Cup semifinal has taken place at the national stadium, mainly for financial reasons. Hosting the games at Wembley has helped the English FA generate revenue to offset the £798 million ($1.08 billion) cost of rebuilding the stadium.

Why some fans are against Wembley semifinals

Wembley’s status as the biggest stadium in England has allowed more fans than ever to attend FA Cup semifinals and enjoy a day out at the national stadium.

However, traditionalists argue that staging last-four games there has diluted the feeling of reaching the final, particularly for bigger clubs that regularly make it this far.

2025-26 FA Cup semifinal schedule

Saturday, April 25

Manchester City vs. Southampton, 12:15 p.m. ET

Sunday, April 26

Chelsea vs. Leeds United, 10 a.m. ET

Both semifinals will be played at Wembley Stadium in London, which will also host the final on May 16.