FA Cup
Andree Jeglertz Urges Manchester City to Finish Season on Highest Level in FA Cup Final as Dario Vidosic Prepares for Wembley Tribute to Late Father
Manchester City head into Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley looking to cap off one of the most successful seasons in the club’s history. Having won the WSL title and secured Champions League qualification, manager Andree Jeglertz wants his squad to finish with another trophy and maintain the standards they have set across the entire campaign.
Jeglertz has been clear about his ambitions. The celebrations from the league title are done. Now he wants his team to produce a performance worthy of a Wembley final. That is not easy when you have already achieved the biggest prize available, but it is exactly what separates good managers from great ones. They do not let their squads get complacent once one objective is reached.
Shaw’s New Deal Sends Important Message
The manager also highlighted the importance of Khadija Shaw’s four-year contract extension this week. Shaw has been instrumental to City’s success this season and the fact she has committed her future sends a clear message about the club’s ambitions.
Jeglertz described her as both a great person and a great footballer, and those kinds of endorsements matter when you are trying to build a genuine project.
Vidosic Carries His Father Into the Final
Brighton’s Dario Vidosic will be thinking of his father Rado throughout Sunday’s match. The former Brighton women’s and girls’ head of coaching died aged 64 earlier this year.
Rado was a massive influence on his son’s career, both as a player and then as a coach. Dario followed his father into the game and now has the chance to honour his memory at Wembley. That is a story far bigger than football, but football provides the stage for it.
A Final Worth Fighting For
This is a genuinely interesting final. Manchester City are heavy favourites but Brighton have already shown this season they can produce magical moments. Sunday should be worth watching.
Also read: Manchester City Women Crowned 2025-26 WSL Champions as Khadija Shaw Wins Golden Boot With 19 Goals
Brighton
Nadine Noordam Says Winning FA Cup Final at Wembley Would Be Career-Defining Moment for Brighton Women
Nadine Noordam has set her sights on what would be the defining achievement of her career. The Brighton midfielder wants to lift the FA Cup at Wembley on Sunday, a trophy that would rank above everything she has won at Ajax and cement this season as unforgettable for the south coast club.
Brighton have never played in an FA Cup final before, making this Sunday’s showdown against Manchester City genuinely historic. Noordam came off the bench in the semi-final against Liverpool and scored in the fifth minute of added time to send Brighton through 3-2. That kind of moment changes seasons. She has now earned the chance to add to it.
The Wembley Dream Made Real
Noordam visited Wembley as a kid with her mother a decade ago. She remembers the size of the stadium, remembers understanding even then what it would mean to play there. Now she gets that chance. She is right that the FA Cup’s appeal in English football lies in its willingness to let underdogs win.
That tradition matters. Brighton arriving as a team that finished seventh in the WSL are absolutely the underdog here, but underdogs have won at Wembley before.
Two Weeks to Get Ready
Brighton have had a fortnight between the end of the WSL season and this final, which Noordam says allows everyone to properly prepare both physically and mentally. Some players have international commitments waiting for them after Sunday.
Noordam does not, which means she can switch off completely after the final whistle and head on holiday. She can put everything into getting ready for one last moment.
This Means Everything
For Brighton as a club, this is genuinely transformative. For Noordam personally, winning this would trump her entire trophy cabinet at Ajax. That is how big this moment is for everyone involved.
Also read: Brighton vs. Manchester City Women FA Cup Final Preview: Seagulls Aim for Historic Upset at Wembley
Brighton
Brighton vs. Manchester City Women FA Cup Final Preview: Seagulls Aim for Historic Upset at Wembley
Brighton face Manchester City in the 2026 Women’s FA Cup Final on Sunday, May 31, 2026 at Wembley Stadium with kick-off at 16:00 BST. City arrive as WSL champions chasing a domestic double while Brighton enter the biggest match in their entire history, targeting their first major trophy. This should be a genuinely compelling occasion.
Kick-off: 16:00 BST, Sunday, May 31, 2026
Venue: Wembley Stadium
London TV: BBC One, TNT Sports, HBO Max, Viaplay
Form Guide
Manchester City won the WSL title by seven points over Arsenal and defeated Chelsea 3-2 in the FA Cup semi-finals. Their 4-2-3-1 system with Yui Hasegawa controlling tempo and Khadija Shaw leading the attack has been devastatingly effective all season. Sam Coffey remains absent after knee surgery while Rebecca Knaak is a doubt.
Brighton finished the WSL campaign strongly, beating City 3-2 in their final league encounter in April through goals from Madison Haley and Kiko Seike. That result gives Dario Vidosic’s side genuine belief. Veteran Fran Kirby, Player of the Season at Brighton, brings cup final experience nobody else in the squad possesses. Vidosic has no confirmed fresh injury concerns ahead of Wembley.
Team News
Vivianne Miedema returned for City during their final WSL fixture. Sam Coffey misses out, creating a midfield void City must address. Brighton have a full complement available with Kirby expected to anchor their midfield creativity.
Predicted Lineups
Brighton (4-4-2): Baggaley; Mpome, Hayes, Minami, Vanegas; Seike, Symonds, Cankovic, Olislagers; Kirby, Haley
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Cumings; Ouhabi, Greenwood, Rose, Beney; Hasegawa, Blindkilde; Hemp, Fujino, Fowler; Shaw
Prediction
Brighton have the tactical blueprint to cause problems. City have the quality to win anyway. Brighton 1-3 Manchester City.
Brighton and Hove Albion will face Liverpool in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, May 10, with kick-off set for 12:15 pm at St Helens Stadium on Merseyside.
Channel 4 will broadcast the tie live, giving the Seagulls a nationwide audience for what is the biggest occasion in the club’s women’s football history.
How Brighton Got Here
Albion’s run to the last four has been built on grit and quality in equal measure. They dispatched Nottingham Forest and Bristol City in the fourth and fifth rounds before producing arguably the result of the competition, a stunning 2-0 victory at Arsenal in the quarter finals.
Madison Haley got Brighton going before Caitlin Hayes added the second, leaving the 14-time winners with no way back.
That result underlined just how far this squad has come, with the Seagulls currently sitting sixth in the Women’s Super League, one position off their best-ever league finish.
The Road to Wembley
Liverpool stands between Brighton and a place in the final at Wembley on May 31. The two sides have met twice already this season, with both games finishing level, so another close contest looks likely. Liverpool have found WSL life harder this term, sitting tenth and just four points clear of trouble.
Should Brighton come through, they will face either Chelsea or Manchester City in the final, with that other semi-final taking place on the same afternoon at 3:15 pm. Before any of that, Albion have three WSL fixtures to navigate against Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal.
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