Chelsea are to play Leeds United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 2025–26. The draw was held on Sunday night at the London Stadium. The other semi-final will be between Manchester City and Southampton. Both matches will take place at Wembley Stadium on the weekend of April 25 and 26.
The draw took place after Leeds beat West Ham United on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw in the last quarter-final. Wembley Stadium will host the 2026 FA Cup final on Saturday, May 16.
This semi-final match will be a historic rematch of the famous 1970 FA Cup final, which Chelsea won after a replay at Old Trafford. Many consider it to be one of the most physically demanding finals in the history of the tournament. Joe Cole, a commentator for TNT Sports, said after the draw:
“It’s a spicy tie. It’s very historic. It’s got to be the longest distance for a rivalry. It goes back to what probably was the dirtiest game in FA Cup history, the 1970 Cup final.”
Liam Rosenior’s team have had a pretty easy time getting to the last four. They beat Charlton Athletic, Hull City, Wrexham, and Port Vale without facing any teams from the top flight. In their last game, they beat League One team Port Vale 7-0 at Stamford Bridge in the quarter-finals, with six different players scoring and one player scoring an own goal.
Leeds, on the other hand, made it to the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 39 years after a wild quarter-final match against West Ham. Opta say this is the biggest gap between semi-final appearances since Leicester City did it in 2020–21 and went on to win the trophy. Daniel Farke’s team are currently in 15th place in the Premier League, four points above the relegation zone. They will be eager to add a trip to Wembley to their fight for survival.
Chelsea Face Crucial Manchester City Test Before Wembley Date
Chelsea have a tough Premier League game against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on April 12 before they can play Leeds at Wembley. The Blues are in sixth place in the Premier League right now, just one point behind Liverpool, who are in fifth place, and are trying to qualify for the Champions League.
Chelsea and Liverpool have both struggled to be consistent lately, and with Brentford and Everton just two points behind, the race for a top-five finish is still very close. If Rosenior’s team beat Pep Guardiola’s, it could be a big step toward qualifying for European football. The next two weeks could be very important for Chelsea’s whole season.