The Fa Cup Quarter Final Draw has delivered a blockbuster last-eight: Manchester City v Liverpool, Chelsea v Port Vale and Arsenal away to Southampton among the ties announced — the fa cup quarter final draw sets the route to the semi-finals in the 2025-26 competition. Joe Cole and Joe Hart conducted the draw ahead of the final fifth-round tie between West Ham United and Brentford. The quarter-finals will be played across the weekend of Saturday 4 April 2026 (ET), with exact kick-off times to be finalised.
The Fa Cup Quarter Final Draw: key ties and facts
The draw places Manchester City hosting Liverpool in a heavyweight north-west clash. Chelsea will host League One Port Vale, and Arsenal — record 14-time winners — travel to St Mary’s to face Southampton, who sit eighth in the Championship. The remaining quarter-final sees Leeds United paired with the winners of the pending West Ham United v Brentford tie. The fa cup quarter final draw confirms Port Vale as the lowest-ranked club left in the competition and marks only the second time in the club’s history they have reached the quarter-finals.
What the draw means now
Port Vale earned this reward after beating Sunderland and will visit Stamford Bridge for the quarter-final tie; the fa cup quarter final draw therefore creates a David-versus-Goliath fixture that has not occurred in competitive play since 1929. For Manchester City and Liverpool the draw produces a classic top-level meeting with major stakes as both clubs seek progression in the Emirates FA Cup for the 2025-26 season. Arsenal’s trip to Southampton pits a record-winning side against a Championship challenger, and Leeds United will await the outcome of West Ham United v Brentford before knowing their quarter-final opponent.
Next steps and schedule
Clubs, broadcast partners and local authorities will confirm the final schedule in due course; kick-off times and television windows will be announced once those talks conclude. The fa cup quarter final draw fixes opponents and venues but not the precise timetable, so stakeholders will now move to agree match dates and operational details ahead of the weekend of Saturday 4 April 2026 (ET). Preparations will accelerate for squads and travel plans as teams turn from fifth-round obligations to quarter-final planning.
All ties are set to be contested across the weekend of 4-5 April 2026, and officials will publish the fixture list and kick-off times in the coming days; the fa cup quarter final draw has set the calendar in motion and clubs will confirm availability and broadcast arrangements before final publication.
