The FA Cup weekend is coming up and it is one of the highlights in European Cup football every season. And it seems like the interest and hype around the game is every growing, especially since the stadiums opened up again after the pandemic. People want to experience one of the biggest finals there is. Here are 5 reasons to go to the FA Cup final on June 3rd.
It takes place in Wembley Stadium
Madison Square Garden in Manhattan is known for “The world’s most famous arena”. If you could apply “The world’s most famous…” and put stadium after it – then you have Wembley Stadium. The original stadium opened 100 years ago, back in 1923, but the new one opened in 2007. With 90,000 seats it’s the largest stadium in the UK and the second largest in Europe after Camp Nou in Barcelona.
The stadium cost around 800 million euros to build, so quite a bit above the average prize for a new stadium. But it looks like it was worth it, right? The stadium was officially opened during the 2007 FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United. But the record attendance came a year late when Portsmouth (remember them?!) beat Cardiff City 1-0 after legend Nwankwo Kanu scored the only goal.
The thing about Wembley is that it doesn’t really matter where you get tickets – the visibility is great from every corner of the stadium. And if you need to use the bathroom you won’t have to wait especially long – there are 2618 toilets in Wembley.
Wembley has, besides FA Cup finals, acted host to rugby games, NFL games and a lot of concerts. George Michael, Adele, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, U2 and Beyonce have all held concerts here. A classic stadium, indeed.
You get to visit London in June
A classic stadium and an amazing city. And there is no better time to visit London than in June. It’s not that rainy (we promise) and everywhere there is something to do. The locals really enjoy themselves and why shouldn’t they? There are so much to do and so much to enjoy.
Enjoy the parks, enjoy the pubs and enjoy the music. London in June is a vibrant city and everywhere you go you will feel the excitement before the big game on Wembley.
The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world
The Football Association Challenge Cup, or The FA Cup as it’s more commonly known, was first played during the 1871-1872 season. A crazy stat indeed for the worlds oldest football competition. Here, not only the Premier League and Championship clubs gets a chance at the title, but clubs all the way down to level 9 in the English football league system.
The inaugural competition saw Wanderers FC being crowned champions after beating the Royal Engineers 1-0 in the final. That final took place on Kennington Oval in front of 2000 fans in the stands.
The second oldest football competition in the world is the Scottish Cup, which started in 1874, three years after the FA Cup. And if we compare the FA Cup with other big competitions it’s not even close. The Spanish Cup, Copa Del Rey, started in 1903 and Coppa Italia did not start until 1921. How about the cup in Germany? 1935. French cup? 1917. You see, the FA Cup is in a class of its own when it comes to history.
The fans love the FA Cup
The rich history is a big part of why the fans love the FA Cup. Like mentioned before, the fact that it’s the oldest football competition by far (at least if we only count the big ones) is a huge factor. But also, the fact that everyone has a chance. Your team, and it doesn’t matter if it’s the richest of the rich or a lower league team with dentists and plumbers in the starting 11, everyone has a chance.
Grimsby Town proved that earlier this season. On March 1, 2023, they became the first team in FA Cup history to beat five teams from higher divisions. They completed the amazing feat by beating Premier League side Southampton 2-1 to advance to the quarter finals. Grimsby competes in the League Two and who doesn’t like a underdog?
We have a Manchester derby in the final
In the semi-finals, Manchester City beat Sheffield United and Manchester United defeated Brighton & Hove Albion on penalties. This means we’ll get to see Pep Guardialoa’s and Erling Haaland’s Man City against the Red Devils. And isn’t that amazing?
The final takes place at Wembley Stadium on June 3rd. Everything points to a classic game on a classic arena in a classic tournament. It doesn’t get any better than that.
