EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW: WOMEN’S FA CUP SEMI-FINALS 2025

Manchester United lifting the FA Cup. Photo: BBC Sport

Ahead of the semi-finals this weekend, let’s take a closer look at the games that led us to the final four.

First Round

The FA Cup’s first proper round commenced on the 3rd of November 2024, after three sets of qualifying rounds that saw 92 teams introduced from tier five of women’s football and 48 from the National League’s first division.

The first round saw some high scoring games with two games reaching the heights of 12 goals in 90 minutes. Noticeable fixtures include; Huddersfield Town Women’s FC who won 7-0 to Nantwich Town Ladies FC, Ipswich Town LFC beat their league counterparts MK Dons 12-0 and Burnley FC Women who also won 12-0 over Spennymoor Town.

 Second Round

The second round sees the introduction of the 24 teams from the National League North and South Divisions. These games were played in early December of 2024 and whilst also producing goals galore, it also saw some tense competition that led to nail-biting penalty shootouts.

Noticeable games include; Nottingham Forest Women FC beating Long Itchington Ladies 19-0, a 7-1 win for Rugby Borough Women FC over Peterborough United Women FC and a thrilling penalty shootout that saw a 1-1 draw between Luton Town LFC and Stevenage FC Women turn into a 15-14 win for Luton.

Third Round

The third round introduces the 11 teams from the Women’s Championship. These fixtures were played through the middle of December of 2024. Noticeable games include; Wolverhampton Wanderers WFC winning 14-0 over Shrewsbury Town, a comfortable 4-0 win for Championship side London City Lionesses over Gwalia United and a dramatic extra time win for London Bees who beat Queens Park Rangers 6-3 after drawing 2-2 in normal time.

Fourth Round

The fourth round introduces the final 12 teams, those that reside in the Women’s Super League. The fourth round was played in January and saw fixtures across four tiers of women’s football.

Noticeable games include; a 4-1 win for Brighton and Hove Albion over Durham WFC, a 6-1 win for newly promoted Crystal Palace over Sheffield United, a huge 9-0 win for Aston Villa over Bristol Rovers and a 6-0 win for third round stand-outs Rugby Borough against equally impressive in the third round London Bees.

Fifth Round

The fifth round was played in February and whilst it saw some WSL matchups such as Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Everton, it also saw some interesting pairs providing a weekend of entertainment. Noticeable games include; Manchester United’s 6-0 win over National League side Wolverhampton Wanderers as well as the only fixture to not include a WSL side, Sunderland’s 2-0 win over Portsmouth.

Quarter-finals

The final eight teams fought for their spots in the semi-finals in March. All desperate for their spot as the final four, all games were tight, and each team fought till the end.

Reigning champions Manchester United earnt their spot first over Championship side Sunderland with a 3-1 win. Whilst the other three earnt their spot the following day with Manchester City beating Aston Villa 2-0, Chelsea beating Crystal Palace 1-0 and Liverpool beating Arsenal 1-0.

Semi-Finals Fixtures 

Chelsea take on Liverpool at home on Saturday 12th April with a 12:15pm kick-off.

Manchester City play Manchester United at home on Sunday 13th April at 3pm.

Who will be victorious in earning their spot in the final at Wembley on the 18th of May?