Chelsea, the holders, will host Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup fifth round, in a repeat of last season’s final. Sonia Bompastor’s side were 3-0 winners against United at Wembley last May and they will meet again in the headline-grabbing tie of an intriguing-looking fifth round, which includes four all-WSL fixtures with just 16 teams left in the competition.
Also included in those four is a Merseyside derby, with Liverpool hosting Everton, while Brighton will travel to West Ham and London City Lionesses will host Tottenham, all vying for a quarter-final spot.
The lowest-ranked side left in the cup, fourth-tier Chatham Town, were handed a trip to face second-tier Birmingham City, but missed out on one of the more romantic fixtures they may have dreamt of, with Arsenal and Manchester City both hosting WSL2 opposition in Bristol City and Sheffield United respectively.
Chatham’s manager, Keith Boanas, managed Charlton to Cup glory in 2005 and his current side beat York City 3-0 in the fourth round on Sunday to reach this stage of the Cup for the first time. Their latest opponents, Birmingham, won the Cup in 2012.
Quick Guide
Women’s FA Cup fifth round draw in full
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Manchester City v Sheffield United
Liverpool v Everton
Chelsea v Manchester United
Oxford United v Charlton
West Ham v Brighton
London City Lionesses v Tottenham
Birmingham City v Chatham Town
Arsenal v Bristol City
The second lowest-ranked side remaining, and the only team other than Chatham who play below WSL2, are third-tier Oxford United, who have a home tie against the WSL2 leaders, Charlton. The ties will be held on the weekend of 22 February.
Manchester United have reached the final three years in a row and knocked out Chelsea in the semi-finals in 2024 on their way to lifting the Cup for the first time, but Chelsea got revenge in last season’s showpiece at Wembley as part of a domestic treble.
