Holders Chelsea will face Arsenal in the Women’s FA Cup semi-final in a repeat of the 2021 final.
In December, Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr starred as Chelsea completed a late domestic treble with a 3-0 victory over Arsenal in what was a historic FA Cup final at Wembley. The game was played in front of more than 40,000 fans – a century to the day after the FA banned women from playing football – as Chelsea secured their first FA Cup success since 2018.
Arsenal, who currently lead the Women’s Super League table, will seek revenge in the FA Cup when Chelsea travel to Meadow Park, as the two teams renew a rivalry which also sees them face off for the WSL title.
The Gunners lead Chelsea by two points but the Blues have the chance to go top of the table when they play their game in hand against Tottenham on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports.
Wednesday March 23 7:00 p.m.
Kick off 7:45 p.m.
In the other semi-final, Manchester City take a trip to Chigwell Construction Stadium to take on West Ham.
The tie is a repeat of the 2019 final when goals from Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp helped City, who reached the semi-finals of the competition for an eighth straight season, to a 3-0 victory.
The semi-finals will take place on Sunday April 17, while the final will be played at Wembley Stadium on Sunday May 15.
How Chelsea, Man City, West Ham and Arsenal reached the semi-finals…
Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women qualified for the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals with comfortable wins over Birmingham Women and Everton Women respectively on Sunday.
West Ham Women also took victory at third tier Ipswich Women as the last four line-up was completed.
All three teams joined Arsenal Women, who beat Coventry United Ladies on Friday.
FA Cup Women – Key Dates…
Semi-finals: sunday april 17
Final: Sunday May 15 at Wembley Stadium
Women’s FA Cup prize fund to increase by £3m from next season
The prize fund for the Women’s FA Cup is to be increased to £3million a year from next season, the Football Association have announced.
The figure jumps from around £400,000, with details of how it is to be split across the competition yet to be confirmed. The FA said a “disproportionate amount of this new fund will be invested in the early rounds of the competition”.
It was announced in January that a “significant” increase in prize money from next season had been agreed, amid criticism over the disparity between the current figures and those in the men’s competition.
In a statement, the FA’s Director of Women’s Football, Baroness Sue Campbell, said: “I am delighted to be able to make this announcement of increased funding for the Vitality Women’s FA Cup as it will benefit so many clubs at through the women’s football pyramid.
“The FA Cup, whether men’s or women’s, is the biggest and best domestic cup competition in the world, and this increased investment from the FA shows that we want the clubs who participate to be rewarded, while underlining our ongoing commitment to women. Game.
“Women’s football continues to be in a growth phase and we are always looking to make improvements and invest to take it forward and break new boundaries. It has definitely been one of the most enjoyable of my time with the organization, because I know it means so much to so much.”
