Leeds United will face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley later this month, as an historic rivalry welcomes a new chapter
Jeremy Cross
16:22, 06 Apr 2026
Leeds players and fans celebrate the FA Cup win at West Ham
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Leeds players and fans celebrate the FA Cup win at West Ham
Leeds United's FA Cup semi-final showdown with Chelsea has placed police on high alert.
The Whites booked their place in the weekend at Wembley on April 25/26 with a penalty shootout win over West Ham on Sunday - before immediately being drawn against their historic rivals from London.
Now the two sides will battle on the pitch for a place in the final, and the authorities are desperate for the game to pass off without any trouble.
West Yorkshire Police are set to liaise closely with counterparts from the Metropolitan Police, to discuss the policing measures that will be required around the fixture.
Recent matches between the two clubs have taken place without incident, including when Leeds took 6,000 supporters to Stamford Bridge for the Premier League fixture in February. The reverse game at Elland Road before Christmas was also trouble free and there is hope and expectation this will be the same.
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But police are well aware of the historic rivalry that exists between Chelsea and Leeds fans and with the semi final being a high-profile game, and with both sides potentially able to take 30,000-plus to the fixture, extra officers will be deployed in a bid to control the behaviour of both sets of supporters.
It will be Leeds' first FA Cup semi final for 39 years. Leeds' two previous visits to Wembley have been for games against Southampton and Doncaster. So the issue of potential crowd trouble has not been a problem.
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But Leeds know a meeting with Chelsea cannot be treated in the same way. Leeds are expecting a ticket allocation of 32,000, but appreciate there is a good chance more supporters could travel to the capital without tickets. Club officials will meet with West Yorkshire Police to discuss how the day will be controlled.
In the 1970s and 80s the rivalry between the two clubs often spilled out on the terraces at the height of British football hooliganism.
Chelsea's 'Headhunters' and the Leeds 'Service Crew' were among the most notorious football firms in English football - and has numerous violent encounters with each other.