This year’s FA Cup Final between bitter rivals Manchester United and Manchester City will kick-off at 3pm, leaving football fans delighted. After City grabbed an 84th-minute winner in Saturday’s semi-final clash with Premier League rivals Chelsea, United made extremely hard work of their clash with Championship side Coventry on Sunday. Having been 3-0 up with 20 minutes of normal time to play, the Red Devils eventually needed penalties to set up a repeat of last season’s Manchester Derby final which City won 2-1.
The FA pleased traditionalists and supporters travelling from the north west when they moved the kick-off time from 5:15pm back to 3pm. Football chiefs have now done the same for 2024’s final as United bid to enact revenge on holders City at Wembley on Saturday, May 25.
Until 2023, the FA Cup Final hadn’t kicked off at 3pm for 12 years. United dramatically beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in extra-time after an evening kick-off in 2016, while City thrashed Watford 6-0 three years later, also a later start time.
The afternoon kick-off not only gives northern fans more of a chance to get home after full-time using public transport but also pleases traditionalists.
‘The FA Cup Final should always be played at 3pm,’ one neutral wrote on Twitter. ‘It should never have gone to 5:30pm or whatever it has been.’
‘That’s one tradition back,’ another said. ‘Now for replays in the 3rd and 4th round.’
A third added with a thought for supporters: ‘Common sense prevails.’
Another fan grateful for the return of the 3pm kick-off joked: ‘So it turns out all that was needed to make the FA Cup Final return to its 3pm KO was to just have a Manchester Derby every year.’
Your turn! Should the FA Cup final always kick-off at 3pm on a Saturday? Let us know verdict in the comments section
ITV may not be so pleased, though, as the FA Cup Final now clashes with rugby union’s Champions Cup Final at 2:45pm on the same day at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium across London. The broadcaster has the rights to show both but there’ll only be room for one on ITV1.
The Scottish Cup final between Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers is also due to be played on Saturday, May 25, with a provisional kick-off time of 3pm. That could now be changed.
