Manchester United and Tottenham are both looking to win their first-ever Women's FA Cup title when they meet in the final at a sold-out Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

For the first time in 11 years, the trophy will not be lifted by Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City, adding an extra level of excitement to an already historic final. 

United beat Chelsea 2-1 in the semi-final, earning their first-ever victory over the Blues, while Spurs came from behind to beat Leicester City 2-1 in extra time thanks to Martha Thomas' 118th-minute goal. 

It promises to be a tight contest, with very little to separate the sides in the WSL this season - United are fifth in the table, only seven points ahead of Spurs, who sit below them in sixth. 

The two sides have met 10 times in the WSL since 2019-20 and the Red Devils have come out on top, having never lost to Spurs (W8 D2), although their most recent encounter ended 2-2 in April.

Second time lucky for United?

Manchester United are featuring in the FA Cup final for the second consecutive year, having not reached this stage before 2023, and they will certainly go into this tie as the favourites.

They lost 1-0 to Chelsea last season - the last side to lose their first two finals were Bristol City in 2011 and 2013, and the Red Devils will be looking to avoid matching that piece of history. 

Whoever lifts the trophy will be the 18th different winner of the Women’s FA Cup. It will be the first time since Manchester City beat Birmingham City in 2017 that there has been a new winner in the competition.

Marc Skinner would love to bring the title to the red side of Manchester and told the reporters ahead of the game that his side are unfazed by the favourites tag.

“We have to go into this game and make it very business-related. But enjoy the moment, of course, enjoy. We've got to Wembley," said Skinner. 

"We're playing against a team that will be buoyed by that. You get an energy when it's your first final, so you're going to get an energy for that. I think there are ways that you can counteract that, and we have to try and do that. 

"But I'm not expecting this is an equal playing field going into it. And we cannot and we won't underestimate it. We know the job we've got to do."

Skinner has a strong record in the FA Cup with United, winning nine of their 11 matches, and scoring 30 goals (2.7 per game). Their only two defeats came against Man City in the fifth round in 2021-22 and in last season’s final against Chelsea.

However, Skinner believes defeat will only motivate his side to do better this time.

He added: "We have to use it as 'remember, remember', bring back those feelings and give more and give more and give more. There's nobody guaranteed to win this final. Let me be very clear on that. 

"But what we have to do is give everything in order to make sure the performance is worthy of it. And if we do that and use those experiences, the feelings of it to drive us forward, then, you know, hopefully, that will give us a little edge, and that's what you need to win the game."

Spurs a Maiden adventure

Tottenham were promoted to the WSL just five years ago and, since then, have been building and growing.

Their best-ever league standing came in the 2021-22 season when they finished in fifth. Robert Vilahamn took over as manager in July 2023, with Spurs hoping he could bring the success that he had at BK Hacken to the North London side. 

Vilahamn is no stranger to a Cup final and in his time at the Swedish club, he led them to back-to-back Cup finals. Andy Rogers, Spurs Women's managing director, praised the manager's ability when he brought him into the club, saying: "He has a track record of developing players to international level and competing for both domestic trophies and in the Champions League, demonstrating his ability to match our own ambitions and philosophy."

Spurs will feel vindicated in their choice of manager; the Swede has already improved on last season's league position of ninth - their lowest since promotion in 2019 - while also reaching the FA Cup final for the first time. 

Speaking ahead of the game, Vilahamn praised his side's progress, saying: "We all, at a big club like Tottenham Hotspur, want to be winning trophies and competing in these kind of games. 

"To get there, you have to be there and practice these things in life. Now we get a good chance in my first year to play in a final, instead of speaking about playing in a final in the future.

"Now we get that experience. The players will learn how to do it. I'm learning how to coach at Wembley. Our staff members, our social media team, everybody is learning by doing right now. I think that's a brilliant way to develop.

"For us to be here, it's not only luck. It's because we have made some really good choices this year, and last year when they started this renewal of the women's team. Everything is proof we are doing good stuff. We are already in a final, and hopefully, we're going to win a trophy already this year."

With a new team in line to win, he also spoke on the strength of women's football in England, adding: "And if you look at the final and your winner, Tottenham or Man United, I think it's a good thing for this country to get more teams in the league to compete for the trophies because you want to have a competitive league, especially in women's football. 

"There are not so many leagues out there that have so many teams that can win a league or a trophy, and that's why most of the players in Europe want to play in England and not other countries. That's why the coaches want to come here instead of other countries, so it's a big thing."

Ones to Watch

Both teams will have dangerous players in this tie and none more so than the Tottenham captain Bethany England, who is Spurs' top scorer in the FA Cup this season with three goals.

The striker has netted seven goals in her last nine appearances in the competition, including her spell at Chelsea. She featured in three previous finals for the Blues, ending on the losing side in 2016 but winning in 2021 and 2022.

Rachel Williams has scored four goals in four FA Cup appearances this season for United and is averaging a goal every 33 minutes.

She won the FA Cup with Birmingham back in 2012, scoring a 90th-minute equaliser to take the game to extra-time and, despite missing her spot-kick during the shootout, they won on penalties to lift the trophy after a 2-2 draw.

The history books

Sunday's showpiece in the capital will be the 54th Women’s FA Cup final, with none of the previous 53 ending goalless.

Only two have been drawn and decided on penalties - in 1996 when Charlton Athletic won the shoot-out after a 1-1 draw with Liverpool, while in 2012, Chelsea were unable to overcome a very strong Birmingham team, drawing 2-2.

Both teams will be looking to strike first and the team who have opened the scoring in this tie have historically gone on to lift the trophy in 23 of the last 25 FA Cup finals – the exceptions are Charlton vs Arsenal in 2007 (lost 4-1) and Chelsea vs Birmingham in 2012 (drew 2-2, lost on pens).

This tie has all the makings of a spectacular fixture for the fans, the teams and their managers, who will be relishing the chance to make history for their club.

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw continues to enjoy an outstanding individual campaign for Manchester City, and, as such, will end the year atop the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) scorers list.

The towering Jamaican striker has so far tallied 21 goals in a mere 10 games played so far in the 2023/24 season, and her feat has positioned Manchester City in second on 22 points, three behind leaders Chelsea.

Shaw’s rich vein of form puts her ahead of Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly (18), Bethany England (12) of Tottenham Hotspur, and Brighton Hove and Albion’s Elisabeth Terland (12) in the race for the Golden Boot, heading into the New Year.

The colourful exploits of the 26-year-old Reggae Girl should come as no surprise, as she merely picked up where she left off last season when she broke new ground by notching 31 goals in all competitions, a record across a single campaign for City’s women’s team.

During that season, Shaw was named Women’s Player of the Season in a fan vote, while she was also shortlisted for the Barclays Women’s Super League’s equivalent award.

Shaw finished the 2022/23 season with an astonishing 31 goals in all competitions, surpassing Nikita Parris’ previous highest total of 25 for a Women’s player across a single season. She achieved that tally in just 30 matches, meaning she found the net at a rate greater than once per game. 

When you add nine assists onto that total, her overall goal involvements for that campaign stand at an incredible 40. 

Shaw scored 20 of those goals in the WSL, two in as many UEFA Women’s Champions League matches, two in two Continental Cup fixtures, and an astonishing seven in three FA Cup appearances. 

And by all indications, there will be much more records and scoring feats to come for both Shaw and Manchester City, as her impressive journey will continue at the club until at least 2026.

Keira Walsh is missing from England’s first squad since the Women’s World Cup due to injury.

As well as midfielder Walsh, forward Bethany England also drops out, ruled out after undergoing hip surgery last week.

There is no recall at this stage for Beth Mead despite her returning to Arsenal’s matchday squad as an unused substitute in their Champions League qualifying games last week.

And the same applies to Fran Kirby, who has been involved in pre-season with Chelsea – both sat out the World Cup because of injury.

Sarina Wiegman’s 24-player selection sees Maya Le Tissier, Lucy Staniforth and Jess Park brought back into the fold.

Le Tissier and Staniforth were on the standby list ahead of the summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the latter replacing Park, who withdrew because of a shoulder issue.

Wiegman’s World Cup runners-up play Scotland at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light a week on Friday and the Netherlands in Utrecht four days later in the new women’s Nations League.

Wiegman said: “By the time we play our first game, it will be little more than a month since the World Cup final. We have had little time to reflect on all we have achieved so far this year.

“Instead, we will have to make sure the players are fresh enough and ready to perform straight away, if we want to go far in another competition.

“We will play a derby match against Scotland and they have shown good development recently and are getting stronger and stronger, while we know all about the Netherlands of course, and the very talented players they have.

“It is the first time we have had the Nations League in the women’s game, and it will mean even more competitive matches for us to test ourselves.

“While the time to look back on a special period for us will come at the end of the year, it will be good to see the fans again in Sunderland. We have a great connection with the north east and I know they will give us tremendous support again.”

England forward Bethany England has called for stakeholders to invest in the next generation of Lionesses to ensure her side’s historic World Cup run does not amount to a one-off.

Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the Sydney final meant England’s women under Sarina Wiegman came just short of bringing a World Cup trophy home for the first time since Sir Alf Ramsey and his men were crowned world champions in 1966.

Second was still a best-ever result for the Lionesses in a global showpiece, beating the bronze medal from eight years ago in Canada, and Spurs striker England is determined for the moment to live on as part of a lasting legacy.

She agreed knowing this summer’s campaign would still inspire millions of young people was a “huge comfort”, adding: “Everyone wanted us to win, we wanted us to win and we didn’t, but hopefully we’ve still been able to show that we can do it, we can get there.

“Hopefully this opportunity will come round again but I think for everyone that we have inspired, everyone that’s stuck with us along the way, everyone that’s supported us, I can’t be more thankful for them.

“Hopefully again, more funding, everything gets pumped into grassroots because the talent’s there, you’ve got to go and find it and I think for us we’ve shown that we can compete at major tournaments and get all the way so the more we can help the younger generations for the future the better.”

The 29-year-old was part of the squad that last summer lifted the Euro 2022 trophy at Wembley, a first major tournament triumph for the Lionesses, though England did not feature in a single minute of the competition.

She was more involved in the World Cup, playing 56 minutes as a substitute across five of the Lionesses’ seven matches.

In January, England took a big risk when she left Chelsea after seven years to join Tottenham, where she hoped to get more playing time and impress back-to-back European championship-winning boss Wiegman enough to earn a ticket to Australia.

Like the rest of her team-mates, England, who ended the season with the third-most goals in the Women’s Super League, admits “it’s sad” not to have gone all the way in the World Cup, but added: “A lot of emotions. We’ve come so far, we’ve been together now nine weeks on the road and I think everyone can hold their heads high. We gave everything.

“Unfortunately, we fell at the last hurdle but ultimately I think everyone should be more than proud of what they have achieved. We’ve made history already. Hopefully we’ve continued to inspire the nation.”

Days after England and her team-mates secured their European title last summer, the Lionesses wrote a letter to then-Conservative leadership candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak demanding an equal PE provision for girls and boys after learning that, according to Football Association (FA) data, only 63 per cent of schools offered girls’ football in lessons.

Their campaign paid off on International Women’s Day in March, when the government announced that girls would be granted equal access to all school sport as part of a package of measures backed by over £600 million in funding over the following two academic years.

Nearly six months after that pledge, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, speaking in Sydney, told the PA news agency the government is optimistic that a universal offering would be achieved by the end of that period.

She said: “We made a massive investment and commitment in making sure that young girls in school can play the games that they want to, just like the boys.

“We will be monitoring how schools are taking that up, because we really want to ensure that there is equality for boys and girls in school, whether they want to play football or cricket or any other sport.

“I’m confident that we will achieve our target because it is really important that we get more girls involved in sport.”

The Prime Minister and FA president Prince William were criticised for not travelling to Sydney to watch Sunday’s unprecedented encounter, with some arguing the pair would have definitely made the journey if Gareth Southgate’s men were to find themselves in a World Cup final.

The Prime Minister, Prince of Wales and King Charles sent remote messages of support, and Frazer was insistent that Sunak “feels very passionately about the women’s game.”

Whether that enthusiasm will ultimately translate into additional earmarked government funding and investment at the end of the initial two-year commitment remains less clear, with Frazer adding: “What the Lionesses have done is set in train a massive legacy where we’ve seen significant investment going already.

“But of course further investment is considered at appropriate points in the spending review cycles.”

Bethany England is optimistic the launch of the Premier League season will not distract football fans from the Lionesses’ quest to lift a maiden World Cup.

The European champions kick off their Colombia quarter-final at 11:30am UK time on Saturday, one hour before Arsenal and Nottingham Forest begin their new campaigns at the Emirates.

The Lionesses’ last-16 clash against Nigeria was watched by over five million people on BBC TV, while tournament organisers have said they are on track to reach an audience of two billion viewers worldwide.

Forward England said: “It’s important that we keep, I think as we’ve seen over the last few years and since the Euros especially the amount of numbers that have grown in the women’s game and people’s interest and viewing numbers.

“I think hopefully we can still engage the fans enough to want to watch us and I know there’s a lot of people that have turned to women’s football because they’ve enjoyed watching us. It’s not just because the men aren’t playing.

“So hopefully we can continue that because we want to make sure that those viewing numbers are as high as possible, whether they choose to watch the men’s game or not.

“We can’t affect that. I think ultimately we’re going to go and try and put out our best performance and give the fans something to watch, and that they will want to keep coming back and watching us.”

England was part of Sarina Wiegman’s squad who lifted the Euro 2022 trophy last summer, a result that captivated the country and launched an unprecedented, record-breaking season of attendance and viewing figures for the Women’s Super League (WSL) and sold-out international contests at Wembley.

The European final took place on July 31, several weeks before the opening weekend of the Premier League.

England, 29, left Chelsea for Tottenham in January and finished as the WSL’s third-best goal-scorer behind only England team-mate Rachel Daly and Jamaica captain Khadija Shaw, whose side were beaten 1-0 by the Lionesses’ South American Saturday rivals Colombia.

England did enough to stand out to Wiegman, and not just to earn a ticket to Australia.

The Spurs striker has so far twice been rewarded with playing time as a substitute, and converted a critical spot-kick against Nigeria in the Lionesses’ dramatic 4-2 win on penalties.

England added: “I was in that situation last summer where I didn’t play and it was tough, but for me, this tournament has been very much different and it’s been an amazing feeling, and a very proud moment for me to have been able to have stepped onto the pitch for my national team in a major tournament.

“And I think it’s important, I remember having this conversation with some of the girls the other day, that you think it’s the end of the world because you’ve not played your part, but you’re all playing your part. And that’s exactly what I had to learn from myself last year, was that it might seem at the time like it’s really difficult but it really is worth it.”

A World Cup quarter-final seems a universe away from England’s early days.

Nine years ago, still several seasons before the WSL turned professional in 2018, she was doing night shifts at the the Wellington Street chippy in Barnsley while balancing football with Doncaster Belles alongside her A-levels.

England added: “When I look back to working in the chippy, doing a shift until 5am and clearing up drunk people’s food or alcohol bottles, I’m now playing in a major tournament. That for me is very much a ‘pinch me’ moment.

“Everyone’s story is different, everyone has got their own way in which they got here. I think it’s quite special because it’s really humbling as well that with things like that you are just a normal person but then you come to a tournament like this and think ‘wow, there are millions and millions of eyes watching me in these moments’.

“I just have to make sure I’m at my best and ready because you’re always watching us no matter what we do.”

Bethany England says she stayed longer than she should have at Chelsea feeling “wasted” as the striker looks to take her fine form for Tottenham into the World Cup.

After an impressive 2019-20 campaign with the Blues which saw her named PFA player of the year, the 29-year-old subsequently found herself in and out of their starting line-up, and was part of it only twice in the first half of the 2022-23 Women’s Super League season.

She subsequently made a January move to Tottenham, went on to score 12 goals in as many league starts and earned an England recall – her first involvement since last September – when boss Sarina Wiegman named her squad in May for this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

England said: “They (Chelsea) brought Sam Kerr in halfway through the (2019-20) season and I built up a great relationship playing with Sam, and then obviously it didn’t transpire to the next season where we didn’t play with a front two.

“Emma (Hayes, the Chelsea manager) opted for singular number nine, which made my chances much more difficult based off Sam being who she is – and she is a prolific goalscorer.

“So it was hard to kind of fight my way back in from that point and I think I probably overstayed maybe a year, a year-and-a-half too long, where I felt like I was just wasted there, and I wasn’t being used enough.

“It was a very difficult time, but I think I built up a lot of resilience from that and was able to take that into other scenarios in football.”

England, who joined Chelsea in 2016 and scored a total of 74 goals for them, added: “I think there was ultimately lots of reasons why I left, the World Cup being one of them.

“I think the move has paid off for me and, as you would say, (it has been) vindicated. Ultimately, I think if I had stayed where I was, sat on the bench, I would never be here today.”

England’s wait for an international recall initially went on after the January transfer despite her hitting goals for Spurs from the off, and she said: “I didn’t get selected for the (February) Arnold Clark Cup, and then I went and scored against Manchester United (running with the ball) from the halfway line.

“I think that was my ‘have some of that’ type thing. It was more like: ‘Look, I know I am good enough’.

“But equally, I had to balance not focusing too much on what was going on (with England), because ultimately if I didn’t do the job at club level, I wouldn’t have been here.”

Having continued to flourish with Tottenham, England, who was a member of Wiegman’s Euro 2022-winning squad as an unused substitute, is now among three main number nine options in the World Cup 23, along with Alessia Russo and Rachel Daly.

“I want to help the team and put the ball in the net, however they may go in,” said England, who has scored 11 goals in 21 international appearances.

“The biggest thing I would say is leading into the World Cup Sarina has been able to see me more, playing regularly, scoring goals.

“I am hoping, as a collective, everyone can see what qualities I can bring. They know I can bring that to this team and hopefully I am put in a position where I can help showcase that.

“I think me and Alessia are very different players. I would say I am more similar with Rachel. I think we are all great in our own way and whatever tactics suit the game at that time is going to showcase that.

“It’s a tough decision because we have all got different qualities, but whoever Sarina chooses to go for is her preference.”

England open their campaign by playing Haiti in Brisbane on Saturday.

Bethany England admits she “screamed the house down” when she found out the “big risk” of her mid-season transfer from Chelsea to Tottenham had paid off with a recall for this summer’s World Cup.

Having been part of the England squad that won the Euros last July and played in subsequent matches in September, the 29-year-old forward then found herself being omitted by boss Sarina Wiegman.

England was seeing limited game time for Chelsea, starting only twice in the Women’s Super League for the champions in the first half of the season, and she moved to Tottenham in January.

She went on to register 12 goals in as many league starts for Spurs, and a return to the international fold followed as on May 31 she was included in Wiegman’s 23-player group for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand that gets under way next month.

On her reaction to the recall, England said: “It was amazing for me.

“I think I’d done everything I could to get put in this position. I worked as best as I could, I was scoring the goals, so the question was just left to Sarina.

“I got the call, tried to play it nice and cool – but I hung up the phone and screamed the house down!

“The first thing I did was ring my mum, ring my partner. Obviously I was elated, it’s been a long time since I’ve been back in this environment. It’s just a pleasure to be back here wearing the badge and I’m really excited for the summer.”

England, who has 11 goals in 21 caps, added: “I think the situation I was in (at Chelsea), I wasn’t getting used, I was stuck on the bench and as Sarina said, rightly, I wasn’t getting picked (for England) because I wasn’t playing the minutes.

“It was up to me to make sure I was not only getting the minutes but making them count and I think I did that at Spurs. I can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to go out and play and be happy again.

“Ultimately it’s my career and I had to take it into my own hands and make sure that I put myself in the best position.

“I think it was just first and foremost I want to be back on the pitch, playing minutes and scoring and I’m glad I did that.

“Obviously at the back of my mind the World Cup was creeping up, I’d not been selected for a couple of camps leading into Christmas. Every player wants to be part of these big moments representing your country, going to big tournaments, so I think that was definitely a key factor in it.

“But ultimately, I think in myself I knew that I wasn’t happy. I knew that I’d been in a situation where it was going on for too long and I needed to make change.

“Change can be scary and I’ve never dealt well with change, but luckily I hit the ground running and I’m just thankful that it turned out well.”

England left Chelsea having been with them since 2016, netted 74 times for the club and won multiple trophies.

“It was a big risk, I’d been at Chelsea for seven years, that was a big part of my professional career and I didn’t really like the thought of change,” she said.

“But ultimately I didn’t want to be sat in a position where I didn’t try to give my everything to go. I could have stayed at Chelsea, could have stayed on the bench, in my comfort zone. But then I’d have been watching other people going out there to Australia, when I know it’s something I would have regretted looking back on.

“So I’m glad the risk paid off – and even if it didn’t and I didn’t come, I could have at least looked at myself in the mirror knowing I did everything I could to put myself on that flight.”

Bethany England has been included in Sarina Wiegman’s England squad for this summer’s World Cup, while Beth Mead misses out.

Striker England, who has not been involved for her country since last September, is recalled after scoring 12 Women’s Super League goals for Tottenham since joining them from Chelsea in January.

But there is no return for Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner and player of the tournament Mead, having lost her battle against time after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in November.

Tottenham have signed Bethany England from Chelsea for a reported fee of £250,000, a British-record amount for a domestic transfer in women's football.

The previous record was the £200,000 paid by Chelsea to Manchester United in 2021 for Lauren James, sister of the Blues' men's player Reece James.

The biggest fee paid for a women's player in world football was the reported £350,000 (€397,000) spent by Barcelona to sign midfielder Keira Walsh from Manchester City in September.

England has signed a three-year deal with Spurs, who are eighth in the Women's Super League, 18 points behind table-topping Chelsea with a game in hand.

A part of the England squad that won the European Championships last year, the 28-year-old has scored 11 goals in 21 appearances for the Lionesses.

England spent seven years at Chelsea, scoring 74 goals in 164 appearances and winning nine major trophies.