FA Cup final kick-off time confirmed

Manchester City are in the FA Cup final for a third year in a row while Crystal Palace will be taking part in their third in history

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The FA Cup final between Manchester City and Crystal Palace will kick off at 16:30 BST on Saturday, 17 May at Wembley.

The Football Association said the time was agreed following collaboration with the two clubs, broadcasters, local authorities, police and the Safety Advisory Group.

Both of the previous two finals, featuring City and Manchester United, started at 15:00 as police would not allow them to be later, while the 2022 final between Chelsea and Liverpool was at 16:45.

No Premier League matches have been scheduled for the day.

City's semi-final against Nottingham Forest last weekend saw thousands of empty seats in the blue half of Wembley, with fans blaming the cost of tickets and travel as well as the timing of the match - 16:30 on a Sunday.

thousands of empty seats

On this year's final day, the last direct train back to Manchester from Euston is at 21:09, which should give fans enough time even if the match were to go to extra time and penalties.

Pep Guardiola's side booked their place in the final for a third successive year with a 2-0 victory over Forest while Palace, who have never won the FA Cup, made it to the final for just a third time after a 3-0 win against Aston Villa.

2-0 victory

3-0 win

The 2024-25 FA Cup final will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.