Wembley Stadium awaits Chelsea and Manchester United on Sunday while they compete for the last piece of domestic silverware that is available this season – the ladies Fa Cup.
United defeated Tottenham Hotspur in last year's final to lift their very first big trophy, and Tzsurpasste expectations this season by taking the race for second place in the Women's Super League Right to the Wire, to finish third after a 4-3 last day defeat against Arsenal.
But securing Champions League qualification before Manchester City was a huge boost for Marc Skinner's Side, and more silverware would take out a campaign of progress.
But Chelsea wants to complete a famous domestic treble, after he has defeated Man City 2-1 in the League Cup final before taking the competition in the WSL aside.
They completed the very first unbeaten 22-game season in the WSL, won 19 times and set three times, while they set a new point record with 60.
How the @Barclayssl season ended.
Our 60-point count is most points ever collected in a WSL season. pic.twitter.com/xjisofv1ki
– (c) Hellsea FC Women (@chelseafcw) 12 May 2025
The first season of Sonia Bompastor in the club may not have brought a European glory, but her predecessor Emma Hayes has only managed the domestic beauty Sweep once.
Will Bomasptor's Blues repeat the trick? Here we go through the best Opta -Feiten in our FA Cup Final Preview.
Third time is the charm
Bompastor had a difficult act to follow when she took the reins, with the legacy of the 12-year term of office of Hayes who loved great.
However, the former Lyon boss has risen for the occasion and despite the disappointment of a heavy semi-final defeat of Champions League against Barcelona, ​​she can be happy with her first campaign at the helm.
Bompastor could only be the third coach in the WSL era to win a domestic treble after Laura Harvey did this with Arsenal in 2011 (WSL, FA Cup, WSL Cup) and Hayes with Chelsea in 2020-21 (WSL, FA Cup, League Cup).
Chelsea was also the most recent side to win both domestic cups in the same season, as part of their triple 2020-21. She defeated Bristol City in the League Cup -Final and Arsenal in the FA Cup showpiece.
Bompastor can also put an end to a long wait for a non-British manager to win the FA Cup, with Spain's Pedro Martinez Losa the most recent who beat this in 2016 with Arsenal Die Die Chelsea in the final.
The French woman has won all four of her domestic finals as a manager in general, three with Lyon and one with Chelsea, who participate in their eighth FA Cup final for women.
The blues have won five of their previous seven and won the height in 2015, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023.
Only Arsenal (14 times), Southampton (Acht) and Doncaster Rovers Belles (six) have won the competition more often.
On this day in 2023, Chelsea and Manchester United met in the FA Cup final of the ladies, with @chelseafcw Triumph on the day 1-0
They meet again this weekend in the same stage – who comes at the top? #Adowindensfacup pic.twitter.com/mevgsvoumt
– Adobe Ladies Fa Cup (@AdoWurfacup) May 14, 2025
Red Devils Mount Cup defense
On Sunday, however, is probably a formality for the blues. Skinner's United, encouraged by last year's success in this competition, will be desperate to go back-to-back.
United has reached their third FA Cup final of the ladies in as many years, and they are the first team from outside London to reached the final in three consecutive seasons since Liverpool did this between 1994 and 1996.
The Red Devils lost from Chelsea in 2023 before they defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 to get the cup last year.
Hayes (Zeven) is the only manager who has reached the FA Cup final more often in the WSL era than Skinner (four including 2025). He was also a second at Birmingham City in 2017.
United has reached this final after having scored 18 goals and only admitted once in their four games in the 2024-25 competition, with 7-0, Wolves with 6-0, Sunderland with 3-1 and Manchester City defeated 2-0.
Only three WSL teams have reached the final with a better goal difference than United's+17-Arsenal in 2020-21 (+26), Chelsea in 2017-18 (+21) and Man City in 2021-22 (+18).
Final can often be Cagey Affairs and Sunday's game contains the two best defenses of the WSL this season.
Chelsea was the only team that allowed fewer goals in 2024-25 (13) than United (16), and the most recent meeting between the parties contained only one goal.
When they met in the WSL at the end of April, Chelsea won 1-0 to win the title. In a tightly disputed affair, United was for the goal, with 16 shots, but only five getting on goal and not touching the net.
They created 1.8 expected goals (XG), which improved Chelsea's figure of 1.3 xg of 11 attempts (six on goal). United also had four major chances compared to three for Chelsea, but the second half of Lucy Bronze proved decisive.
Positive signs for blues
This will be the third ladies FA Cup meeting between Chelsea and United, with the blues that won 1-0 in the 2023 final before the Red Devil deserved revenge in the semi-final of last season, with 2-1.
Chelsea has won 13 of their last 15 meetings with United in all competitions (one draw, one loss), where the Red Devils lose more matches on the blues (13) than any other opponent since they became a WSL club in 2019.
United has so far had 10 different goal scorers in the tournament this season, with Celin Bizet (four goals) their most productive player.
Bizet has been involved in most goals among WSL players in the FA Cup of this season, scored (four) or assists (two) on all three of its performances in the competition, including drawing up a semi-final winner against Rivals Manchester City.
In the meantime, Chelsea has scored the second most goals in the FA Cup 2024-25 (11, behind both United and Aston Villa-12), although they have had the most shots (101).
The Bompastor team will threaten from several areas because they have had nine different goal scorers, with only Aggie Beever-Jones and Mayra Ramirez (both two) score more than once in the competition for them this campaign.
Chelsea has only admitted twice and held two clean sheets in their four games on their way to the final. They have created 11.7 expected goals (XG) in the FA Cup, which only somewhat find out those underlying figures.
Who will be the hero then?
Ella Toone scored the opening goal in the 4-0 win of United op Tottenham in last year's FA Cup final before Rachel Williams doubled their lead.
The only previous English player who scored in the consecutive final in the WSL era is Georgia Stanway, who did this for Manchester City in 2019 and 2020.
If United Chelsea would deny a famous Treble, they might just have to replicate Toone or Williams to replicate last year's heroic deeds.