FA Cup final to be held on 1 August with quarter-finals resuming on 27 June | Football

The FA Cup final will be held on 1 August with the quarter-finals given
provisional restart dates of 27 and 28 June, the Football Association has announced.

The date of resumption is 10 days after the Premier League is set to kick off again. The competition had reached the quarter-final stage before professional football in England was suspended on 13 March due to the coronavirus pandemic. No decision has been reached yet on whether these will be played on a home-and-away basis as normal or at neutral venues.

The semi finals will take place over the weekend of 11 and 12 July, with the intention being for those matches and the final to be played at Wembley as usual. All the ties will be behind closed doors.

The FA Cup quarter-final ties to be played are:

  • Leicester City v Chelsea

  • Newcastle United v Manchester City

  • Sheffield United v Arsenal

  • Norwich City v Manchester United

The news will be a boost to the FA from a financial perspective, with its chief executive, Mark Bullingham, warning in April of the governing body suffering losses of up to £150m as a result of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.

He said on Friday: “We are pleased to agree the provisional restart date for the 2019-20 Emirates FA Cup. The competition has been an integral part of the English football calendar for nearly 150 years, and we’d like to thank the Premier League executive and clubs for their support in scheduling the remaining matches during this unprecedented time.

Manchester United beat Derby 3-0 in the last FA Cup tie played, on 4 March.



Manchester United beat Derby 3-0 in the last FA Cup tie played, on 4 March. Photograph: James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images

“This has been a difficult period for many people and while this is a positive step, the restart date is dependent on all safety measures being met. The health and well-being of players, staff and supporters remains our priority.”

The arrangements for broadcasting the matches are yet to be confirmed, with BT Sport and BBC holding the UK rights. The split for the quarter-finals had been announced in March prior to the competition being suspended but it remains to be seen whether the same split will still apply.

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