English FA Cup set to resume from 27 June

The English Football Association has announced 27 June as a provisional restart date for the FA Cup, after the knock-out competition was suspended as a result of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The quarter-finals of the 2019-20 FA Cup will take place over the weekend of 27-28 June, with the ties having already been decided prior to the competition being halted in mid-March.

Newcastle United will play holders Manchester City; while Leicester City face Chelsea; Sheffield United will play Arsenal; and Norwich City are due to face Manchester United.

The semi-finals will take place across the weekend of 11-12 July, with the FA Cup Final scheduled for 1 August.

“The competition has been an integral part of the English football calendar for nearly 150 years, and we’d like to thank the Premier League executive and clubs for their support in scheduling the remaining matches during this unprecedented time,” FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said.

“This has been a difficult period for many people and, while this is a positive step, the restart date is dependent on all safety measures being met. The health and wellbeing of players, staff and supporters remains our priority.”

The FA Cup is recognised as the oldest knockout club football competition in the world, having first taken place in the 1871-72 season.

The announcement of the provisional resumption dates comes after the English Premier League yesterday (28 May) also confirmed that its 2019-20 season will restart on 17 June.

The Premier League also halted play due to the outbreak, but clubs provisionally agreed to resume play next month, 100 days since the league was suspended.

The first two matches back will see Aston Villa take on Sheffield United, while Manchester City plays Arsenal, on 17 June. After these games have taken place, each club in the division will have played 29 times, and a full fixture list will return over 19-21 June.