Port Vale’s fairy-tale run sparks Chelsea showdown as Man City host Liverpool in epic FA Cup quarter-final

The draw for the 2025-26 FA Cup quarter-finals has thrown up a blockbuster slate, headlined by a titanic clash between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad while League One strugglers Port Vale prepare for a dream date with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

City and Liverpool booked their places in the last eight by seeing off Premier League rivals Newcastle and Wolves respectively in the fifth round, and their meeting next month shapes as the tie of the round. The encounter will be played over the weekend of April 4-5, 2026, with a Wembley semi-final berth on the line.

Yet the romance of the Cup belongs to Port Vale. The bottom-placed side in League One stunned top-flight Sunderland at the weekend to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years. Their reward is a trip to west London to face Chelsea, a fixture that guarantees the Valiants a share of the national spotlight and a welcome financial windfall.

Southampton, the only other non-Premier League survivor, also secured an away-day scalp, edging Fulham 1-0 in the fifth round. The Championship side will now welcome record 14-time winners Arsenal to St Mary’s, hoping to extend their Cup journey at the expense of the competition’s most decorated club.

The final quarter-final berth will be determined on Monday evening when West Ham United and Brentford conclude their fifth-round tussle. The victors will return to London the following weekend to face Leeds United, ensuring an all-top-flight contest in the capital.

The winners of the quarter-finals will advance to the semi-finals on April 25-26, 2026, with the final scheduled for Wembley Stadium on May 16.