Fresh off the euphoria of being crowned champions, Manchester City Women head to Stamford Bridge this Sunday with their sights firmly set on a historic domestic double.
The Cityzens enter this Adobe Women’s FA Cup semi-final with the wind in their sails, having officially secured the 2025/26 Women’s Super League title earlier this midweek.
The title race reached its climax not on the pitch, but through the results of their rivals Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion mathematically confirmed City as the champions of England.
With the primary objective of the league trophy now safely in the cabinet, Andrée Jeglertz side shift their focus to the prestigious FA Cup, looking to maintain their ruthless momentum against a formidable Chelsea side.
Securing a domestic double is a feat reserved for the truly elite, and City appears to have the clinical edge required to pull it off. However, the path to Wembley must first go through West London.
Here everything you need to know
How to Watch
Kick-off is at 15:30 (BST), with coverage available both on streaming on HBO Max, and on TV on TNT Sports 1.
Recent Form
Chelsea Women: Chelsea have been on a good run of form since their exit from the Women’s Champions League. Their road to the semi-final included a 5-0 win against Crystal Palace, a 2-1 win over Manchester United and a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the quarterfinals. All of Chelsea’s games in the FA Cup have been played at home.
Manchester City Women: The newly crowned champions of the WSL have only suffered one defeat in their last 8 games. Their run in the FA Cup consisted of a 6-0 win over AFC Bournemouth and a 4-0 win against Sheffield United. To make the semi-finals, they edged Birmingham City 1-0.
| Date | Competition | Venue | Result | Key Detail |
| Sept 5, 2025 | WSL | Stamford Bridge | Chelsea 2–1 City | Chelsea opened the season with a narrow win. |
| Jan 21, 2026 | League Cup (SF) | Joie Stadium | City 0–1 Chelsea | A Wieke Kaptein header sent Chelsea to the final. |
| Feb 1, 2026 | WSL | Etihad Stadium | City 5–1 Chelsea | A dominant hat-trick from Kerolin fueled City’s title charge. |
Ones to Watch
Sam Kerr (Chelsea Women): Following her return to play from an ACL injury, she has found her goal scoring form again having a goal involvement in her last six games for Chelsea in all competitions.
Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City Women): A defensive powerhouse in the WSL. She has been nominated for the Player of the Season award for her contribution to the Cityzens. She will be hard to break down on the right hand side.
Team News
Chelsea Women: Sonia Bompastor confirmed in her press conference that Hannah Hampton is “completely fine”. She was named on the bench in the game against Leicester last weekend. Naomi Girma is ruled out of this tie through injury.
Manchester City Women: The only doubt for Andree Jeglertz is defender Rebecca Knaak who will be assessed in the coming days with a shoulder injury. Other than that, Jeglertz says the squad looks good.
Managers have their say
Chelsea Women – Sonia Bompastor: Chelsea Manager Sonia Bompastor has congratulated Manchester City on their league win. “I think it’s a great achievement from them. Congrats also to Andree (Jeglertz), being able to achieve that in his first season in this league.”
She looked forward to the FA Cup tie saying ‘We want a winning mentality to be the culture around the women’s team,
“All the details around all the support we can bring to the players. I think there are many things we can do.
‘We are already doing a lot of good and positive things, but we also know we have room for improvement. It’s for us to reflect on that and to be able to bring the best support into our environment to make sure the players can perform at their best level.”
Manchester City Women – Andree Jeglertz: Andree Jeglertz believes that the league win will give the squad confidence to complete the domestic double. “We know we have beaten them before, we know we can win one title, we need to keep working to win the next one.
“You build confidence by winning a title and you can also bring it to the next competition and game.
“We’ve shown as a team that even though the game is back and forward, we’ve found a winner. That’s a confidence boost for the group.”
The ReadWSL Verdict
While City enter as the statistical favorites and league champions, Chelsea’s superior record in head-to-head cup ties this season makes this an impossible match to call. The winner won’t just earn a trip to Wembley—they’ll earn the psychological “edge” in the most intense rivalry in the WSL.
