How to watch the 2024 FA Cup final

Manchester City and Manchester United go head-to-head at Wembley in what is a repeat of last year’s FA Cup final.

Akhil Arora, an avid football viewer and infrequent FIFA player, who has been writing about sport since 2010. He has reported live from Wembley and Wimbledon.

Bernardo Silva dribbles with the ball in the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United
Photo: Courtesy of Manchester City

For the second time in as many seasons, the FA Cup final will be contested between Premier League’s two rival Manchester clubs: City and United. The Premier League champions are the easy favourites in the tie—should they win, City would end up with a back-to-back cup and league double. How did United even get here? They have been unconvincing throughout. In the fourth-round encounter against fourth-division team Newport County, they let slip a two-goal lead. United barely scraped by Nottingham Forest in the next round. The quarter-final against Liverpool was a last-gasp affair, with the Manchester club nabbing unlikely late goals in regulation and extra time. To top it off, United were ghastly in the semi-final where they gave up a three-goal lead and somehow pushed it to penalties.

The 2024 FA Cup final is at Wembley Stadium, as is customary. (Wembley is also set to host the men’s Champions League final next week between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.) It might be the last time that the final of the FA Cup takes place after the conclusion of the Premier League campaign, though. In April, the Football Association inked a new deal that scrapped replays and moved the final to the weekend of Premier League’s 37th matchday. (Each club plays 38 games in the league.) That means, at least for the next six years, the FA Cup final will be held before the Premier League season wraps up.

What will be the story on the pitch, though? The odds are truly stacked against United, but anything can happen in football. If you’re planning to tune into the 2024 FA Cup final, here’s what you need to know, depending on where you live.

How to watch the FA Cup final 2024 in the UK

The kick-off time for City v United in the 2024 FA Cup final is 3 pm on Saturday, May 25 in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

On TV, you can tune into BBC One and ITV 1 to catch the contest. Alternatively, if you prefer the streaming route, the FA Cup final will be available on ITVX and BBC iPlayer. Both platforms are free with an account.

This is thanks to British law which dictates that the final must be shown on free-to-air television in the UK.

How to watch City v United in Ireland

Since Ireland shares the same time zone as the UK, the 2024 FA Cup final kicks off at 3 pm local time in Ireland too.

You can watch City v United on Premier Sports in Ireland. It will also be available on UTV, BBC One, and ITV 1 UK.

As with the UK, the 2024 FA Cup final can be streamed in Ireland on ITVX and BBC iPlayer.

How to watch the FA Cup final 2024 in Australia and New Zealand

Over in Australia, Paramount+ has the rights to the 2024 FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United. The kick-off time is 12 am (midnight) on Sunday, May 26.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the match will be live on Sky NZ at 2 am on Sunday, May 26.

How to watch the 2024 FA Cup final in India

The FA Cup final between City and United begins at 7:30 pm local time in India on Saturday, May 25.

You can stream the 2024 FA Cup final on SonyLIV in India. On TV, you can watch it on Sony Ten Sports 2 and Sony Ten Sports 3.

How to watch the FA Cup final 2024 in the US

ESPN has the rights to the FA Cup in the United States. As such, the 2024 final between Manchester City and Manchester United will be on ESPN on TV and will stream on ESPN+.

The kick-off time is 7 am on the West Coast and 10 am on the East Coast.

How to watch City v United in Singapore

City v United begins at 10 pm local time in Singapore on Saturday, May 25.

The FA Cup final will be available on mio Sports on Singtel TV. You can stream City v United with Sports Plus on Singtel CAST.

How to watch the 2024 FA Cup final in Africa

The kick-off time for City v United is 3 pm West Africa Time, 4 pm Central Africa Time, and 5 pm Eastern Africa Time.

On TV, the FA Cup final will be available on Supersport in 50 territories, including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

If you prefer to stream City v United, you can do so on DStv Now.

Akhil Arora