FA Cup semi-final draw – LIVE!
The FA Cup semi-final draw took place this afternoon. Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa have booked their places at Wembley, and will be joined by either Bournemouth or Manchester City.
Palace reached the semi-finals with an impressive 3-0 win away at Fulham on Saturday and they will face Aston Villa at Wembley, after Unai Emery’s side eventually clicked into gear against Preston. It was goalless at half-time at Deepdale, but Marcus Rashford then scored his first two goals for the club in a routine win over the Championship side.
In the other semi-final, Nottingham Forest will go up against either Bournemouth or Manchester City. Forest have needed penalties in each of the previous three rounds, edging past Exeter, Ipswich and Brighton, and their reward could be a Wembley date against Pep Guardiola’s side, who are looking to end a miserable season on a high. Recap the draw with Standard Sport’s dedicated blog below!
FA Cup semi-final draw latest
- Crystal Palace to take on Aston Villa
- Nottingham Forest could face Man City
- Semi-final dates
Another upset?
17:10 , Matt VerriIt’s been a competition full of big names falling so far.
We could well have another one, even if this one wouldn’t be a huge shock.
Bournemouth are 1-0 up against Manchester City, with five minutes to go in the first-half.
As it stands, the semi-finals will be Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth.
Just as we all expected at the start of the summer...
Glasner: Not talking about trophy yet
16:29 , Matt VerriCrystal Palace now just two wins away from the FA Cup trophy.
Oliver Glasner, though, insists it is still too early to be thinking about that.
"I don't want to talk about winning a trophy because even in the next game we can't win a trophy. It is just the semi-finals," he said.
"When you enter a cup competition it doesn't matter if you lose in round number one or the semi-finals, we enter the competition to win it.
"It is a great achievement to play the semi-final and especially in that environment at Wembley as it is always something special."
Calendar cleared for FA Cup final
16:08 , Matt VerriThe FA Cup final this season will be played on Saturday, May 17.
That is the weekend before the Premier League season ends, but there will be no clash with other top-flight fixtures.
It has been agreed that Premier League matches will not be played on May 17... so expect a very busy Sunday!
Rashford leads the way...
15:45 , Matt VerriSo Aston Villa will take on Crystal Palace at Wembley.
Unai Emery’s side also have a Champions League quarter-final tie against PSG to look forward to - big end to the season coming up.
Good time for Marcus Rashford to find form with his first two goals for the club.
'I've been playing better football since I've been here' 🤝
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) March 30, 2025
Player of the match Marcus Rashford on his first two goals for Aston Villa this afternoon. #BBCFootball #FACup pic.twitter.com/HlmhlPYwmh
When will semi-final ties be played?
15:34 , Matt VerriThe FA Cup semi-finals will be played across the weekend of April 26 and 27.
The final will be held on Saturday May 17, which is the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season.
Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth/Man City
It's time!
15:29 , Matt VerriJoe Hart has taken his place in the hot seat, it’s time for the semi-final draw.
Don’t blink, this won’t take long...
Reminder of the ball numbers...
15:27 , Matt Verri1. Crystal Palace
2. Aston Villa
3. Bournemouth or Manchester City
4. Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa are through!
15:20 , Matt VerriWe have our third team through to the semi-finals confirmed.
Aston Villa have eased to a 3-0 win over Preston, so it will be an all-Premier League quartet at Wembley.
Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, and either Bournemouth or Man City.
Draw coming up very shortly!
Glasner not thinking about Wembley suit
15:14 , Matt VerriOliver Glasner was asked whether he will abide by tradition and get a new suit made for Crystal Palace’s trip to Wembley for their FA Cup semi-final next month.
He joked: “You don’t like my jumper? No, I’ve just planned for tonight and my dinner.
“If we have to arrive in a suit we will arrive in a suit. But the game is in four weeks’ time.
“Tomorrow [Sunday] at 11am, we will be on the pitch and train. Half of the team will recover; the other team will train, will train tough, because Monday we’re off.”
New winner of the FA Cup?
15:07Crystal Palace have never lifted the FA Cup, having been beaten in the final in 1990 and then again in 2016, when Manchester United got the better of them.
Bournemouth, too, are eying their first success in the competition - they have never even reached the semi-finals.
Aston Villa are seven-time winners, while Nottingham Forest won it in 1898 and 1959.
A long wait is going to end for someone... unless Manchester City spoil the party.
Rashford at the double
14:58 , Matt VerriThe semi-final draw might not be too far away.
Marcus Rashford has scored twice in five minutes for Aston Villa against Preston, they lead 3-0 with 20 minutes to go.
Draw will follow straight after that match, and extra-time now looks extremely unlikely, to put it mildly.
Forest hold their nerve...
14:46 , Matt VerriIt wasn’t exactly a classic at the Amex last night.
Chances were limited, particularly in normal time, and it went all the way to a shootout.
Nottingham Forest got over the line, ending the possibility of a showdown between rivals Brighton and Crystal Palace at Wembley.
Guardiola: FA Cup success would not change poor season
14:31 , Matt VerriMan City are relying on the FA Cup if they are to finish the season with any domestic silverware.
They travel to Bournemouth in the quarter-finals later this afternoon, but Pep Guardiola has said even lifting the trophy at Wembley in May would not be enough to make up for a frustrating campaign.
"Of course it would be nice to arrive in the final of the FA Cup and win it, and qualify for the Champions League," Guardiola said.
"That would be a big success but the season has been poor and it's not going to change.
"Our standards and many things were not good, this is the reality. That's not going to change for the fact we win one title or qualify for the Champions League.
"We'll be happy, of course. We want to do it but the season has not been good."
Half-time at Deepdale
14:17 , Matt VerriReminder that the FA Cup draw will take place after Preston’s match with Aston Villa, not the Bournemouth vs Man City game later this afternoon.
It’s half-time at Deepdale and it’s 0-0 currently, so we could have a bit of a delay to the draw if it stays like this.
Aston Villa have named a strong side but they have struggled to create chances so far.
How Eze inspired Palace march to Wembley
13:59 , Matt VerriOliver Glasner substituted Eberechi Eze in the 90th minute and rather than a swift pat on the back, given to others who’d come off, the Eagles boss instead placed an arm round his player’s shoulder and delivered words of thanks to the man who had sent Crystal Palace to Wembley.
“I told him that his goal helped him a lot today,” Glasner explained. “We got the belief from that. It was fundamental.”
His confidence suitably sky-high five days after he notched his first international goal for England, Eze had inspired Palace’s 3-0 rout of Fulham by the riverside, scoring a pearler to break the deadlock and then, five minutes later, laying on a plate for Ismaila Sarr to make it two.
This FA Cup quarter-final between two of the capital’s more upwardly-mobile Premier League outfits had appeared to be on a knife-edge, too close to call — both fanbases yearning for their Wembley outing yet wary of how the opposition could hurt their side.
At half-time, one Fulham supporter could be heard lamenting: “Do not let Eze have that much space on the edge of the area.” Alas, Fulham had. They were 2-0 down, and it would get worse, not better.
Nottingham Forest dream continues...
13:44 , Matt VerriThird in the Premier League and now in the semi-finals of the FA Cup!
This could be a very, very special season for Nottingham Forest - fair to say it’s going slightly better than most of their fans would have expected.
Three penalty shootout wins in a row in the FA Cup this season, to beat Exeter, Ipswich and then Brighton yesterday.
Just look at what it means to these @NFFC fans ❤️#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/nXzCmx5rUd
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 29, 2025
Palace going to Wembley!
13:28 , Matt VerriThe FA Cup quarter-finals kicked off at Craven Cottage yesterday.
Fulham actually made a decent start to the match, but couldn’t take their chances and Crystal Palace then seized control before half-time.
Eberechi Eze the star of the show for the Eagles.
FA Cup semi-final dates
13:12 , Matt VerriThe FA Cup semi-finals will be played across the weekend of April 26 and 27, 2025.
The final will be held on Saturday May 17, which is the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season.
FA Cup semi-final draw ball numbers
12:58 , Matt Verri1. Crystal Palace
2. Preston North End of Aston Villa
3. Bournemouth or Manchester City
4. Nottingham Forest
How to watch FA Cup semi-final draw
12:49 , Matt VerriTV channel: The draw will be broadcast for free on BBC One.
Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch via the BBC Sport website, BBC iPlayer and the FA Cup’s official social media channels.
When is the FA Cup semi-final draw?
12:37 , Matt VerriThe FA Cup semi-final draw takes place following Preston vs Aston Villa this afternoon.
The game at Deepdale Stadium kicks off at 1.30pm BST, so the draw will not be held before 3.30pm.
The draw would be delayed beyond 4pm if extra time or penalties are required to decide a winner.
Good afternoon!
12:28 , Matt VerriHello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of the FA Cup semi-final draw!
Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest have already booked their places at Wembley - who will be joining them?
Aston Villa take on Preston this afternoon, before Man City travel to face Bournemouth.
We’ll have all the latest on the FA Cup action and full coverage of the last-four draw. Stick with us!
