FA Cup: When did the four semi-finalists last reach the final?

The 2026 FA Cup quarterfinals are now in the history books, and what a wild ride they were. Manchester City met Liverpool at the Etihad in arguably the biggest tie of the round, but it was Pep Guardiola’s Blues who dominated, triumphing 4-0 courtesy of a blistering Erling Haaland hat trick. Chelsea also made their way to the final four at a canter, beating third-tier Port Vale 7-0 at Stamford Bridge. 

The shock of the round came at St. Mary’s as Premier League leaders Arsenal’s recent woes continued. The Gunners were recently beaten by Manchester City in the League Cup final at Wembley after an impotent display, ending their hopes of a famous quadruple. Now, their dream of a treble is also in the mud after they were beaten by second-tier Southampton on the South Coast, with Shea Charles’ later winner plunging Mikel Arteta’s men into further turmoil. 

Leeds beat West Ham in East London thriller 

The most thrilling tie of the round, however, came at the London Stadium. Leeds United looked to be cruising into a first semifinal in 39 years when goals from Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin handed the Yorkshire club a two-goal lead with just 15 minutes remaining. Then, madness ensued. 

Mateus Fernandes pulled a goal back in the 93rd minute before a last-gasp Axel Disasi goal in the seventh minute of injury time forced extra time. There, the Hammers saw not one, but two goals disallowed for offside, and in the end, that would be to the East London club’s detriment. Leeds goalkeeper saved spot kicks from both Jarrod Bowen and Brazilian striker Pablo, allowing the Whites’ vice-captain Pascal Struijk to sweep home and secure a trip to Wembley for the semifinals. 

With the FA Cup now reaching the semi-final stage, online betting sites have a clear favorite in mind. That, of course, is Manchester City, who, according to the latest soccer betting at Bovada odds, are the clear 1/2 frontrunners to lift the trophy. But when was the last time that each of the four remaining teams in the competition reached the FA Cup final? Let’s take a look. 

Manchester City’s potential fourth straight showpiece 

Manchester City are no strangers to reaching the final of club football’s oldest club competition. The Blues have reached each of the last three finals, meaning that their most recent appearance came just last season. But unfortunately for Pep Guardiola and co., their recent performances in the showpiece fixture have left a lot to be desired. 

Of those three straight finals, City have lost the two most recent of them. Last term, it was Crystal Palace, with Eberechi Eze’s first-half goal the difference between the two sides. And to make matters worse, the Blues had the chance to level things up, only for Egyptian striker Omar Marmoush to see his penalty saved by Eagles goalkeeper Dean Henderson. The year before, it was archrivals Manchester United who claimed the bragging rights and the trophy, winning 2-1 after goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.

EBERECHI EZE PUTS CRYSTAL PALACE ON THE BOARD! 🤯 #FACupFinal
https://t.co/7uegG0wzKl

— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) May 17, 2025

Should they defeat Southampton in their semifinal, City would reach the final for a record-breaking fourth straight season. 

Chelsea’s return to the summit 

If you think Manchester City’s two straight final defeats are bad, spare a thought for Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge outfit reached three straight finals between 2020 and 2022, with the latter of them still being their most recent. Inexplicably, however, they lost all three. 

Firstly, they were downed by a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brace back in 2020, losing 2-0 despite taking an early lead through Christian Pulisic. A year later, it was Leicester City who continued their Cinderella story, winning 1-0 courtesy of Youri Tielemans’s second-half screamer. Finally, Liverpool beat them on penalties in the 2022 showpiece, triumphing in a shoot-out after a goalless draw across the 120 minutes. It was the second time that season that the Reds had vanquished their London-based rivals in such fashion at Wembley, also beating them on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the EFL cup final. 

Southampton’s long-awaited return 

It has been 23 long years since Southampton last appeared in the FA Cup final. Their most recent appearance came way back in 2003, when Gordon Strachan’s men managed to see off Spurs, Norwich, Millwall, Wolves, and Watford to secure their spot in the Millennium Stadium showpiece. Unfortunately for them, they ran into an Arsenal team at the peak of its powers, managed by Arsene Wenger. 

The Saints managed to put up more of a fight than many expected them to, but Robert Pires’ first-half strike was simply too much to come back from. The Gunners would triumph 1-0, while Southampton have never made it to the final since, despite two semifinals and one more to come. 

Leeds United’s agony 

The last time Leeds United made it to the FA Cup final came way back in 1973, when they were considered the best team in the land. Little did they know that they were about to suffer the biggest shock in FA Cup final history, losing to second-tier Sunderland courtesy of Ian Porterfield’s goal. Over half a century later, the Yorkshire club is now within a whisker of an FA Cup final return, with just Chelsea standing in their way.