Key events
25 min Aaaaaaaaaaaand we’re back.
23 minIt’s a hot day at Wembley, so it’s time for the players to enjoy a Strathmore chaser. Other hydration options are etc.
22 minA promising Brighton break ends with a wayward long-range shot from Symonds. Not a great decision but they are causing City a lot of problems.
21 minPossession watch: Brighton 62-38 Man City.
19 min Symonds plays a smooth one-two with Cankovic and has a shot from the edge of the area that is blocked by Rose. Brighton have been superb so far.
17 minNnadozie fumbles a loose ball in the area but is able to grab it in front of Kerolin.
16 minAfter a few minutes’ treatment, Yamashita is okay to continue.
12 min: Greenwood clears off the line!
Rose leaves the ball for the keeper Yamashita, not aware that Haley is right behind her. There’s a collision between the two, and Yamashita stays down. Play continues, a bit surprisingly, and Olislagers’ shot is cleared off the line by Greenwood. That’s outstanding defending because it looked like play would stop when Yamashita was injured.
Tom Garry
11 minWhat a quiet start from Manchester City. They can’t grab hold of the ball at the moment. Their fans are near silent.
9 minNothing much to report, except that Brighton are treating City as equals and their coach Dario Vidosic will be delighted with how they’ve started.
Tom Garry
All of the noise is coming from the Brighton fans so far. I can see a few dressed as Seagulls! It must be hot under a costume like that, fair play…
There are some visible lines across the pitch, after the Challenge Cup final, which saw Wigan beat Hull KR here on this same ground yesterday. I understand the grounds staff worked tirelessly to try and colour-correct the pitch again, and most of the markings have been able to disappear, but it was just so hot and dry yesterday that the black lines have proved too stubborn to remove in time. Maybe they’ll helped the assistant referees out when it comes to offside calls, let’s see…
5 minSeike keeps the ball in play near the byline and cuts it back to Kirby, whose shot is excellently blocked by Rose. Brighton have started with the bravery their manager wanted.
3 minA quiet start. I feel like I write that in every MBM, but it’s the truth.
1 minPeep peep! Manchester City, in their black change strip, kick off from left to right as we watch.
The players walk out of the tunnel and into the sunshine of a gorgeous afternoon at Wembley. It’s time for the 2026 FA Cup final.
Andree Jeglertz talks to TNT Sports
double quotation mark [On City’s successful season] We had the players, we have the club behind us. When you haven’t won for a couple of years you almost need to build the trust that you are able to win important games. That’s maybe the biggest thing.[On Bunny Shaw’s contract extension] She has delivered for many years for this club so we are very happy that she really, really wants to continue the journey with us.
[On Brighton] They’re a very good team, we have been challenged in both league games. They have a lot of tactical flexibility; they are pretty brave; they are very strong when they end up close to our goal, so for us it’s about finding ways not to get stuck in the game they want to play.
Dario Vidosic’s pre-match thoughts
double quotation mark We’re really excited. There’s always a hint of jealousy when you’re watching this game at home; it’s a great opportunity and the girls deserve this chance.It’s that old saying: pressure is a privilege. We have the opportunity to be the first team, male or female, to win a major trophy for the club.
We take some encouragement from the league games. Today’s all about us being brave; we know we have to be better than in the first 20-30 minutes against City. Nerves got the better of us that day.
We know we have to be good in all phases of play. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves an excellent chance.
Brighton came from behind to beat City 3-2 in the WSL last month, a result that should give them plenty of confidence going into this game.
They’ve picked the same XI today. City have one change: Grace Clinton for Aoba Fujino. The goalkeeper Khiara Keating was injured in training and is not part of the squad.
Team news
Brighton (4-4-1-1)Nnadozie; Rule, Hayes, Minami, Vanegas; Seike, Symonds, Cankovic, Olislagers; Kirby; Haley.
Subs: McLauchlan, Camacho, Tvedten, Kafaji, Rayner, Baggaley, Mpome, Noordam, Tsunoda.
Man City (4-2-3-1)Yamashita; Casaparij, Rose, Knaak, Greenwood; Blindkilde Brown, Hasegawa; Kerolin, Clinton, Hemp; Shaw.
Subs: Cumings, Coombs, Fowler, Miedema, Ouahabi, Fujino, Lohmann, Prior, Murphy.
City’s route to the final
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Bournemouth (A) 6-0
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Sheffield United (H) 4-0
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Birmingham (A) 1-0
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Chelsea (A) 3-2
Brighton’s route to the final
The victory at Arsenal was one for the books, but they can top it today.
Growing up in Brisbane with a big time difference to London, Dario Vidosic loved being allowed to stay up past his bedtime to watch a big Wembley final on television next to his father, Rado, before trying to recreate a great goal with him in the garden the following day.
On Sunday, Rado will not only be in the Vidosic family’s thoughts but in the hearts and minds of everyone associated with Brighton as the team walk out at Wembley for the Women’s FA Cup final against Manchester City to try to win their first major trophy, four months after Rado – who was working as the women’s team’s head of coaching – died from cancer.
Secure your first league title for a decade? Tick. Extend your golden boot-winning striker’s contract. Tick. Lift a first Women’s FA Cup since 2020? Pending. May 2026 has gone swimmingly for Manchester City and they are hoping it will get even better.
Once you get that sweet taste of long-awaited success, you want more, and coaches will tell you it is not reaching the top that is the hardest part, but staying there. Keeping hold of your best players is job No 1 in that regard, so persuading Khadija “Bunny” Shaw to perform a remarkable U-turn and stay for another four years was vital.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the FA Cup final between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City. There’s no narrative ambiguity today: either City, the best team in the country, will do the double for the first time, or Brighton will win their first major trophy. Whatever the result, it’ll be historic.
Kick off3pm.
