TheFA Cup semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest theFA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of theFA Cup, the oldestfootball tournament in the world.
The semi-finals have always been contested at neutral venues. Since 2008, all semi-finals have been held at thenewWembley. In the past any suitably large ground which was not the home ground of a team in that semi-final was used.Villa Park in Birmingham,Old Trafford in Manchester, andHillsborough inSheffield were common hosts. All semi-finals between 1871 and 1881 were played atKennington Oval. The first neutral semi-final match outside London took place in 1882 in Huddersfield.[1]
The1989 semi-final between Liverpool andNottingham Forest at Hillsborough, Sheffield, turned into tragedy when 97 supporters were killed in the stands due to overcrowding.[2] TheHillsborough disaster had wide-ranging effects on future stadium design. Liverpool were granted a special dispensation to avoid playing their2012 semi-final match against Everton on the 23rd anniversary of the disaster.[3]
The1991North London derby semi-final betweenArsenal andTottenham Hotspur was the first to be played atWembley, the traditional venue for the FA Cup Final. Two years later both semi-finals were held at Wembley after the first FA CupSteel City derby–between Sheffield clubsWednesday andUnited–was switched from the original venue ofElland Road,Leeds, after fans of both Sheffield sides protested.[4]
This was repeated in 1994, although areplay betweenManchester United andOldham Athletic was held atMaine Road, Manchester. From 1995 to 1999 and from 2001 to 2004 other neutral grounds were used, though in 2000 both matches were played at the old Wembley, in its final year of operation. In 2005 both semi-finals were played at theMillennium Stadium,Cardiff. However, in 2006 theFA decided to revert to the neutral ground system, with Villa Park and Old Trafford hosting the games.
In 2003, it was announced that all future semi-finals would be played at the newWembley Stadium, once it had opened;[5] this took effect in 2008. The decision was mainly for financial reasons, to allow the FA to recoup some of the costs of rebuilding the stadium. However, the move was opposed by traditionalists and drew criticism from some supporters' groups.[6][7] Over a decade after the move, Aston Villa (amongst others) have called for the semi-finals to be regionalised once again.[8]
Tottenham Hotspur's 2018 semi-final was to some extent a home match for them, asthey played their home games at Wembley that season whiletheir new stadium was under construction. However, for the semi-final, it was treated as a neutral venue.[9][10]
In the past, there would be a replay if a semi-final match was drawn. If the replay was also drawn, there would be a second replay. In theory, an unlimited number of games could be played to obtain a winner. For example, in 1980 it took four games to decide the tie between Arsenal andLiverpool. This was the most games needed to settle an FA Cup semi-final, although there were several occasions when three games were played.
Queen's Park chose not to contest the 1871–72 replay match with Wanderers.
Prior to the 1992 semi-finals, the only semi-final played under different rules to this was the 1989 semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford, which had been rearranged due to the Hillsborough disaster, for which it had been declared in advance that the game would be decided by extra time and penalties if necessary. In 1991 the FA decided that only one replay should be played (starting with the 1991–92 competition). If this game ended in a draw, extra time would be played, followed by penalty kicks if the match was still even. From the 1999-2000 competition it was decided that the semi-finals should be decided in one game, with extra time and penalties if the score was level after 90 minutes. Replays are still used in earlier rounds, however, though they were eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2016. The last FA Cup semi-final replay, in 1999, saw Manchester United take on Arsenal at Villa Park.[11] This turned out to become one of the most memorable semi-finals of all time, withPeter Schmeichel saving a last-minute penalty fromDennis Bergkamp and aRyan Giggs extra time goal deciding the outcome in Manchester United's favour. In 2003 this goal was voted the greatest ever in FA Cup history.
From 2016 to 2017, a fourth substitute was allowed in semi-final matches if the game went into extra time.[12]
There were no semi-finals played in the 1872–73 competition. Under the rules at the time, holders Wanderers received a bye to the final. Queen's Park again decided not to contest a semi-final, so Oxford University advanced automatically.[13]
Between 1877 and 1881 only one semi-final was played due to the format of the competition leaving three teams remaining.
Villa Park is the most used stadium in FA Cup semi–final history, having hosted 57 semi–finals.[14]
The record for most appearances in semi-finals is held by Manchester United, with 32 in total.
The record for most consecutive semi-final appearances is held by Manchester City, with seven successive semi-finals between the years of 2019 to 2025.[15]
The highest attendance for an FA Cup semi-final is 88,141 forEverton's penalty win overManchester United on 19 April 2009.[16] It was the fourth semi-final to be played at the newWembley Stadium.
The highest winning margin wasNewcastle United's 6–0 victory overFulham in the 1908Anfield semi-final.
The highest post-war winning margin wasStoke City's 5–0 victory overBolton Wanderers in the second 2011 semi-final on 17 April 2011.
The highest-scoring match wasHull City's 5–3 victory overSheffield United in the second 2014 semi-final.
| * | Match went toextra time |
| † | Match decided by apenalty shoot-out after extra time |
| Bold | Winning team wonThe Double |
| Italics | Team from outside the toplevel of English football (since the formation ofThe Football League in 1888) |
| Contents |
|---|
| 1870s · 1880s · 1890s · 1900s · 1910s · 1920s · 1930s · 1940s · 1950s · 1960s · 1970s · 1980s · 1990s · 2000s · 2010s · 2020s |
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Teams shown with an asterisk beside their name are no longer in existence. This table is updated as of the2024–25 FA Cup.
| * | Venue than no longer exists |
| † | Venue than no longer hosts regular football |
In Summary: (*Venue no longer exists or regularly host football matches)
TheFA Cup Third-fourth place matches were played to determine the order of third and fourth place in theFA Cup. They were introduced in 1970 replacing the traditional pre-final match betweenEngland and Young England. The third-fourth place matches were generally unpopular, with only the first one in 1970 getting some positive attention as an occasion, and they were abandoned after five seasons. The 1972 and 1973 third-fourth place matches were played at the start of the following season, and the 1974 third-fourth place match was played five days after the final. The 1972 third-fourth place match was the first FA Cup match to bedecided on penalties. The five third-fourth place FA Cup matches were:
| Season | Date | Winner | Score | Loser | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–70 | 10 April 1970 | Manchester United | 2–0 | Watford | Highbury | 15,105[18] |
| 1970–71 | 7 May 1971 | Stoke City | 3–2 | Everton | Selhurst Park | 5,031 |
| 1971–72 | 5 August 1972 | Birmingham City | 0–0 (4–3pen.) | Stoke City | St Andrew's | 25,841[19] |
| 1972–73 | 18 August 1973 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3–1 | Arsenal | Highbury | 21,038[20] |
| 1973–74 | 9 May 1974 | Burnley | 1–0 | Leicester City | Filbert Street | 6,458 |