Four matches are on tap when the 2025-26 FA Cup resumes this weekend, but one game above the rest is particularly eye-catching.
Manchester City hosts Liverpool on Saturday in a battle of Premier League heavyweights, with both clubs looking to inch one step closer to winning English soccer’s oldest club competition.
Third-division outfit Port Vale looks to continue its magical run with a win over Chelsea, having already upset another top-flight club in the fifth round.
Here’s what you need to know about the FA Cup and this weekend’s quarterfinal round.
FA Cup on Sportsnet
One of the world’s oldest sporting competitions resumes with the FA Cup. You can watch the all the quarterinal action this weekend on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Single-elimination format: No replays
The four matches that make up the quarterfinals are all single elimination and not two-legged, home-and-away affairs. If a game is tied after 90 minutes of regulation time, it’ll go to extra time and penalty kicks (if necessary) to determine the winner.
Traditionally, when an FA Cup match ended in a draw before the semifinals, teams faced each other in a replay at a later date to decide the winner. But starting last season, replays were scrapped during the proper rounds of the FA Cup. Replays aren’t being used again this season.
UEFA Europa League spot at stake
The 2026 FA Cup final will be played at London’s Wembley Stadium on May 16. The winner of the tournament will also earn a place in the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League.
Crystal Palace are the defending FA Cup champions after defeating Manchester City in last year’s final. But Palace won’t repeat — they lost to Macclesfield F.C. in the third round of this year’s competition.
Breaking down the field of teams still alive
Six of the eight teams still alive in the FA Cup compete in the Premier League, including current leaders Arsenal, defending champions Liverpool and Manchester City.
Southampton of the Championship (second division) and Port Vale (third division) round out the field.
Canadian Cyle Larin in action for Southampton
Fresh off an appearance for Canada in the most recent international window, forward Cyle Larin should figure prominently for Southampton this weekend in its home match against Arsenal.
Larin, a 30-year-old from Brampton, Ont., is Canada’s second all-time leading scorer (30 goals in 88 games), but has struggled the past few seasons at club level, bouncing between RCD Mallorca and Feyenoord with little success.
The good news is that Larin has been in fine form since his loan move to the English second division with Southampton in January, scoring four goals (including one in the FA Cup) and adding an assist in 11 games.
“Larin’s move to Southampton is exactly what he needed. You can see like now already, his confidence, his rhythm, his fitness, his power, everything, like, he looks really good, so we are really excited,” Canadian coach Jesse Marsch said.
Manchester City vs. Liverpool
These two heavyweights kick off the quarterfinal round when they face each other at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday (7:45 a.m. ET).
Man City sits second in the Premier League table, 12 points above fifth-place Liverpool, and has already defeated the Reds twice this season – including a convincing 3-0 home win last November.
The Blues have advanced to the FA Cup semifinals on seven consecutive occasions (a tournament record) and have never lost in eight quarterfinal matchups under manager Pep Guardiola. What’s more, Man City is riding a 17-game winning streak at home in the FA Cup, having previously lost at home to Middlesbrough in January 2015.
At the same time, Liverpool has won four straight games against Man City in the FA Cup, dating back to 1988. In fact, Man City haven’t defeated Liverpool in the FA Cup since 1973.
More good news for Liverpool is that star winger Mohamed Salah is expected to be available this weekend after sitting out the latest international window with Egypt due to a muscle injury. Salah has 10 goals in all competitions this season for Liverpool.
“[It’s] another example of what makes him special because the moment he got injured, there was a bit of a situation where they thought, ‘I don’t think he’s available for City. ‘But Mo looked at me and said, ‘I think I will be available for City,’” manager Arne Slot told Liverpool’s website.
Chelsea vs. Port Vale
The FA Cup quarterfinal round continues when Chelsea welcomes Port Vale to Stamford Bridge on Saturday (12:15 p.m. ET).
Port Vale pulled off a major upset in the previous round when it posted a stunning 1-0 win over the Premier League’s Sunderland to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1954.
A win over Chelsea would be a welcome relief for the Valiants from their problems. Port Vale sits at the bottom of the third division table and will almost assuredly be relegated to the fourth division, barring a late-season miracle. Making matters worse for Port Vale is that Chelsea is undefeated in its last 25 FA Cup matches against lower-division clubs dating back to 2015.
But maybe the third division outfit is catching the Premier League giants at the right time. Chelsea has lost four games in a row across all competitions. One player that Port Vale will have to keep close tabs on is Chelsea’s Pedro Neto. The Portuguese winger is among the top scorers in this season’s FA Cup with four goals.
Southampton vs. Arsenal
Saturday’s FA Cup triple header concludes when Southampton hosts Arsenal at Saint Mary’s Stadium (3:00 p.m. ET).
Arsenal is in the quarterfinals for the first time since they last hoisted the FA Cup in 2020 during manager Mikel Arteta’s first season in charge. The Gunners remain on course to record a treble, as they also sit atop the Premier League standings and have advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.
The London-based club is dealing with several injured players and given the club’s heavy schedule and upcoming Champions League commitments, Arteta could use Saturday’s match as an occasion to rest some of his starters and rotate his squad.
Southampton sit sixth in the second division table, clinging to the last playoff spot for the promotion playoffs as the season enters the home stretch. While the Saints haven’t won the FA Cup since 1976, they have now reached the quarterfinals four times in nine years, and they did beat Fulham of the Premier League in the fifth round.
West Ham United vs. Leeds United
The quarterfinal round of the FA Cup concludes with a second all-Premier League battle between West Ham United and Leeds United at London Stadium on Sunday (11:30 a.m.).
Not much separates these two clubs. While West Ham sits just in the relegation zone in 18th place, Leeds sits in 15th, just four points from safety. A crucial match between the clubs on the last matchday of the campaign could determine whether or not they’ll return to the Premier League next season or drop down to the second division.
It’s been a while since these adversaries have made it this far in the FA Cup – West Ham’s last quarterfinal run came in 2015-16, while it’s been even longer for Leeds United (2002-03).
Leed might have a bit of an edge based on their 2-1 home win over the Hammers earlier in the Premier League season. But really, this one is far too close to call.
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