Football Association announce FA Cup Final details following Doctor Who and Eurovision clash | OneFootball

Crystal Palace and Manchester City have now had the fixture details for their 2025 FA Cup Final clash confirmed by the Football Association following a lengthy delay.

The Premier League sides will go head-to-head under the iconic Wembley arch later this month having emerged as the two best sides in the latest edition of the FA Cup and overcoming five rounds en route to the final stage.

For Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, that run to the final saw the club defeat opposition from all four tiers of professional English football, with League Two’s Salford City the first side to face the club in round three.

The fourth round then saw City travel to League One’s Leyton Orient before round five would bring on the challenge of Championship side Plymouth Argyle at the Etihad Stadium, leading to a clash with Bournemouth at the quarter-final stage.

The semi-final of the FA Cup saw Manchester City defeat Nottingham Forest 0-2 at Wembley Stadium, while Crystal Palace would also have to overcome Premier League opposition in their final-four clash with a dominant 3-0 win over Aston Villa.

However, all those associated with both clubs have been made to wait a significant length of time before finding out the details of the FA Cup Final, with the understanding being that broadcasters were clashing over scheduling of the game.

According to TV Zone, the BBC and ITV were in deadlock over the kick-off time with the former wanting a 3PM slot to ensure room in their schedule for Doctor Who and Eurovision, while ITV were pushing for 5:30PM to maximise viewership and advertising demand.

Now, as confirmed by the Football Association, the 2025 FA Cup Final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City will kick-off at Wembley Stadium at a scheduled time of 4:30PM (BST) on Saturday 17 May.

It has been confirmed as part of a statement that the aforementioned kick-off time has been agreed in collaboration with the competing clubs, television broadcasters, local authorities, police, and the Safety Advisory Group.

For those in the UK, all of ITV1, ITVX, UTV, STV, and BBC One will televise the FA Cup Final, while the Football Association will announce where it can be watched around the world in advance. As for radio coverage, BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT will cover the contest.

The winners and the runners-up will receive £2,000,000 and £1,000,000 from the competition’s prize fund respectively, the Football Association have announced.

In light of the confirmation around the FA Cup Final scheduling, TV Zone have pointed out that the 16:30 (UK) slot enables enough time for both Doctor Who and Eurovision on BBC One, providing the contest at Wembley Stadium does not go into extra-time.