On Sunday, Brighton will face Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, with the hopes of securing their first major trophy in the form of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.
For the recently crowned Women’s Super League champions, though, the focus will firmly be on clinching a domestic double to conclude their historic campaign. If recent results are anything to go by, the showpiece finale is set to be an enthralling encounter.
The Brighton Base provides you with everything that you need to know about this weekend’s clash…
Routes to the final
The Seagulls entered the competition’s fourth round, defeating WSL 2 outfit Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the Broadfield Stadium thanks to goals from Madison Haley and Jelena Čanković.
Brighton have since faced all WSL teams, prevailing 2-1 over West Ham in the fifth round, before toppling European Champions Arsenal with a 2-0 victory at Meadow Park.
The Seagulls made life difficult for themselves in the semi-finals, conceding two early goals to Liverpool after an unconvincing start. Albion dug deep, however, to pull themselves back level, before a last-gasp winner from Nadine Noordam dramatically clinched Brighton’s spot at Wembley.
Meanwhile, Manchester City faced three WSL 2 sides ahead of the semi-finals, with the Sky Blues putting six past Bournemouth with no reply in the fourth round. City continued their ruthless ways with a 4-0 victory over Sheffield United at the Joie Stadium, before narrowly defeating WSL 2 champions Birmingham City 1-0 in the quarter-finals.
Against familiar foe Chelsea, Andrée Jeglertz’s side clawed their way back from two goals down to send the tie to extra time. A strike from Khadija Shaw three minutes in proved the decisive moment, with City’s 3-2 victory securing their shot at FA Cup glory in the final.
Form
Credit: Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club
The Seagulls enter Sunday in mixed form with two wins (vs Manchester City and Liverpool), two draws (vs Manchester United and Arsenal), and one defeat (vs Tottenham Hotspur) in their last five fixtures across all competitions.
Albion can certainly take confidence from the recent results, defeating their upcoming opponents 3-2 in late April at the Broadfield Stadium, before nearly coming away with a 1-0 victory against the Red Devils, if not for a lapse in concentration for Lea Schüller’s late leveller.
The 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the beginning of May was a particularly impressive display from Brighton, with Vidošić’s rotated side showing no signs of nerves against the title-chasing Gunners.
The standout performance of the five meetings was, however, arguably Brighton’s penultimate in the semi-finals, with the Seagulls showing incredible belief to come back from an early two-goal deficit in St Helens.
Brighton will be keen to put right their disappointing performance against Tottenham Hotspur on May 16, with the Seagulls failing to clear their lines for both goals in a 2-1 victory for the Lilywhites.
Meanwhile, the Cityzens head into the final brimming with confidence after winning four of their last five matches in all competitions, and lifting the WSL trophy nearly two weeks ago.
While on that day, the Sky Blues dispatched of West Ham with a celebratory 4-1 victory, the one defeat the side suffered was against Brighton.
The Cityzens will, therefore, be aware of the stern threat the Seagulls pose, and will hope to avoid suffering just their fifth defeat of the 2025/26 campaign.
Last meeting
The last time the two sides met was on April 25, with the Seagulls proving victorious after a stunning second-half display at the Broadfield Stadium.
Both teams went into the break on level terms after Haley’s strike cancelled out Kerolin’s opener. Brighton’s Kiko Seike then fired the Albion ahead just moments after the interval.
Haley later secured herself a brace with a headed finish on the rebound, before City striker Shaw inevitably added her name to the scoresheet late on. However, in a match where Brighton limited the visitors to largely corners, the Jamaican’s goal proved only a consolation.
The Seagulls will certainly take confidence from recording their second-ever win against City, but a nervy start in which Albion often cheaply gave away possession will be the learning to take into the final.
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Key battles
Credit: Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club
Charlie Rule vs Lauren Hemp
Another key battle could prove to be between Brighton right-back Charlie Rule and City left winger Lauren Hemp. While the former has shown strong development and cemented her place in the starting XI this season, Rule can struggle against pacy, direct wingers.
This was seen during Brighton’s 3-2 defeat to West Ham in February, where Viviane Asseyi often drove past the full-back to deliver dangerous crosses into the box. More recently against Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-finals, Rule struggled to contain Ceri Holland and overlapping full-back Alejandra Bernabé.
Indeed, Holland had acres of space on the right flank to deliver her cross to Denise O’Sullivan for the Reds’ opener, and she later outpaced Rule for Beata Olsson’s conversion.
With Hemp one of, if not the, fastest player in the English women’s game, Rule will certainly need to be at her alert best. As seen against Liverpool, Maisie Symonds or Seike will likely drop to support the Australian in stifling Hemp.
Fran Kirby vs Yui Hasegawa
Brighton’s Fran Kirby will be hoping to pull the strings for the Seagulls at Wembley, with the playmaker providing four goal contributions in as many FA Cup fixtures this season.
A challenging battle, however, awaits Kirby in the form of Japan international Yui Hasegawa. The defensive midfielder is known for her ability to dictate the tempo of matches and pinch possession from the feet of attackers, with Kirby exclusively revealing just how difficult it is to face a Hasegawa in full flow.
Whichever player manages to have more joy may just prove the key to unlocking the contest at Wembley.
Dario and Fran’s final words
Credit: Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club
On Thursday afternoon, Brighton head coach Dario Vidošić and midfielder Kirby offered their final thoughts to the media.
When asked by The Brighton Base about the Seagulls’ nervy start against the Cityzens last time out, Vidošić admitted his side were ‘a bit tentative and off the mark’.
He explained: “We were a little bit our own worst enemies, and that’s not to take any credit away from City, who forced us into mistakes, but I think we need to do better in those moments as well.
“I think we’ve improved a lot since those days, and it’s just going to be a case of how quickly we can adapt to the surroundings and the occasion.
“We don’t want to ignore it, it’s not just a normal game. It’s at Wembley Stadium, we hope it’s going to be sold out to capacity.
“We hope the atmosphere is going to be through the roof where you can’t hear yourself think. We need to have an excitement about being on that stage and use that energy.”
On whether the Australian has given any advice to his players about handling nerves: “We’ve just been talking about it really and trying to flip it a little bit.
“It’s natural to be nervous when it’s the last game, there’s nothing after that as the season comes to an end.
“But it is one that, through the hard work and everything the girls have gone through, they have that privilege, so we need to not fear the occasion,” said Vidošić.
“We need to stand up to it and enjoy it because it’s a chance for us to make history.
“That’s something that, as a group, we’ve set out from our first day here. To be that team to make history for the club, and through the hard work they get their chance on Sunday.”
With levels of nerves likely to vary throughout the squad, it sounds as though there is no one calmer than Kirby, who Vidošić described as being ‘as cool as a cucumber’.
“You wouldn’t even know we’re playing in an FA Cup final if you’re looking at her, as she has been there so many times.”
Indeed, Kirby won five FA Cups during her nine-year stay with Chelsea, along with countless other domestic trophies under then-manager Emma Hayes.
The 32-year-old sees similarities between the Chelsea teams she played in, and the Brighton squad she is now a pivotal part of.
“In terms of the squads I played with at Chelsea, I was very lucky to play with a group of players who were absolutely world-class at everything that they did,” Kirby told The Brighton Base.
“It was probably a bit different, with the respect that a lot of the players I played with were near enough captains or vice-captains of their national teams. So the experience they had, playing at the highest level, and playing in major tournaments.
“But I think over the last few months, especially with the way that we were playing and the confidence that we had, a lot of players have taken that experience on and the mentality of the group has become really strong, probably the strongest that it has been since I’ve been here.”
Team news
Credit: Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club
Brighton’s Vidošić confirmed that there are just two players still unavailable ahead of Sunday’s final.
Left-back Marit Auée has been suffering from a long-term injury since October, while forward Aisha Masaka has not featured this season due to a knee injury.
City head coach Andrée Jeglertz revealed that winger Iman Beney and defender Laura Wienroither picked up injuries in the build-up to Sunday, and will be unavailable for selection.
Meanwhile, defensive midfielder Sam Coffey and defender Aemu Oyama remain absent, with the former recently undergoing minor knee surgery.
Key playmaker Vivianne Miedema missed the Cityzens’ final five matches due to personal reasons, but the Dutchwoman is available for selection on Sunday.
Centre-back Rebecca Knaak, Hemp and goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita are also in contention for the fixture after missing City’s most recent win over West Ham.
Probable starting lineups
Brighton: Nnadozie; Rule, Minami, Hayes, Vanegas, Olislagers; Symonds C, Cankovic, Kirby; Haley, Seike
Manchester City: Yamashita; Casparij, Rose, Knaak, Greenwood C; Blindkilde Brown, Hasegawa; Fujino, Miedema, Hemp; Shaw
Officials
The teams will be led out at Wembley by referee Melissa Burgin, with the Sheffield-born official taking charge after working her way through the women’s football levels in recent years to become a regular in the WSL.
Previously, Burgin was an assistant referee at the Women’s FA Cup final in 2021.
Referee: Melissa Burgin (Manchester FA)
Assistant referees: Anastasiya Voloshchuk (London FA) & Leoni Harland (Manchester FA)
Fourth official: Phoebe Cross (Derbyshire FA)
Reserve assistant referee: Ruby Sykes (Cheshire FA)
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will also be in place for the competition’s third year running. Paul Howard (Northamptonshire FA) will lead the VAR, with Neil Davies (London FA) on Assistant VAR duties.
How to watch
The FA Cup Final takes place on Sunday 31 May, with kick-off at 3pm BST.
The showpiece occasion will be broadcast live in the UK on Channel 4, TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, and HBO Max.
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