FA Cup Final 2021: Live on BBC One & BT Sport

The BBC and BT Sport will broadcast live coverage of 140th FA Cup final from Wembley on Saturday, 15 May, where Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and Leicester City face off in the oldest cup competition in football.

This year’s showpiece is a mouthwatering contest between eight-time winners Chelsea and Leicester, who will attempt to lift this trophy for the first time in their 137-year history.

Chelsea boast an impressive FA Cup pedigree, with eight final appearances this century, while head coach Thomas Tuchel will hope to win a fourth domestic cup of his career.

Leicester have reached the prestigious showpiece for the first time since 1969 and will attempt to end a run of four FA Cup final defeats.

Thanks to the easing of coronavirus restrictions, more than 20,000 will be welcomed back to Wembley to watch the final unfold.

Follow all the drama and excitement of what still remains one of the biggest day’s in the British sporting calendar on BBC One and BT Sport 1.

Details of both broadcaster’s coverage of the match, which is due to kick-off at 5.15pm, can be found below.

The 2021 final will be the last to be broadcast on BT Sport, as their FA Cup rights switch to ITV from next season, ensuring that all live televised FA Cup matches will be broadcast on free-to-air television across the BBC and ITV.

For a full list of all forthcoming major football matches on the box, visit SOTB’s dedicated football TV listings page.

BBC Sport has all the action from the 2021 Emirates FA Cup Final covered for free-to-air audiences across all of its platforms – TV, radio and online.

Cup final day build-up on BBC TV begins on BBC One at 12pm with a live Football Focus special, where Dan Walker is joined by Alex Scott and Dion Dublin at Wembley.

On the show, Dion talks to Leicester’s Kasper Schmeichel, there’s an interview with Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell and Gary Lineker shares his memories of the 1969 final. There’s a special appearance from Leicester band Easy Life, a look back at Manchester City’s title win and Mark Clemmit is in Barnsley ahead of their play-off appearance.

There are further FA Cup-themed programmes from 1.45pm on BBC One, starting with a new edition of FA Cup Rewind, featuring classic moments from the FA Cup involving Chelsea and Leicester City.

At 2.45pm, there is another chance to see the Match of Their Day episode featuring seven-time FA Cup winner Ashley Cole, who relives some of the best cup finals he played in with Arsenal and Chelsea.

This will be followed by a look back at the biggest stories from this season’s FA Cup in The Road to Wembley, presented by Dion Dublin and Emma Saunders.

Then following a short break for the news, BBC One begins its live build-up to the big match from 4.15pm, with Gary Lineker joined in the studio by former England striker Alan Shearer, two-time Arsenal FA Cup winner Ian Wright, and three-time FA Cup winner Ashley Cole.

The 2021 FA Cup Final kicks off at 5.15pm. Guy Mowbray leads the match commentary team alongside Jermaine Jenas, while pitchside reports and pre/post-match interviews will come from Dan Walker and Kelly Somers.

Gabby Logan will present highlights of the FA Cup Final, as well as a round-up of the day’s Premier League action, on BBC One from 10.20pm, with studio analysis from Leon Osman and Karen Carney,

Following that, there is another edition of the MOTD Top 10 Podcast, presented by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, with the trio looking back at some of the finest finals in FA Cup history.

All of BBC One’s Cup Final Day programmes, including the full match coverage, will be available to watch live on the BBC Sport website – bbc.co.uk/facup – with live streaming and catch-up via BBC iPlayer.

Also on iPlayer throughout Saturday, a special FA Cup Final channel will be running, which will include a mixture of classic archive, features and the latest news from the two teams, starting at 9am and running through to the end of BBC One’s coverage of the final.

During the final itself, the FA Cup Final channel will also offer a different audio option featuring BBC Radio 5 Live’s commentary.

BBC Radio 5 live will have full live commentary of the match, while there will be live text commentary on the BBC Sport website, which will include build-up, the game, and post-match reaction.

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SATURDAY 15th MAY

BT Sport will also broadcast full live coverage and extensive build-up of what will be its last FA Cup final under the current TV rights cycle.

The pay-TV broadcaster’s five-hour broadcast of the 2021 final starts at 3pm on BT Sport 1 and in ultra-high definition via BT Sport Ultimate, presented by Jake Humphrey and guest including BT Sport regulars Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole, alongside 2001 FA Cup winner Emile Heskey.

For their last FA Cup final, BT Sport are the host broadcaster for the match coverage. Commentary comes from Ian Darke, Glenn Hoddle and Robbie Savage, while reports and interviews come from Des Kelly and Jules Breach.

BT Sport’s digital platforms – the BT Sport app and BTSport.com – will also be showing the game in the enhanced video player, giving subscribers to chance to catch-up on key moments they may have missed, access to ground-breaking 360° live streams and the option to watch from a camera angle of their choosing.

Subscribers will also be able to watch a full 1080p HD stream via Xbox, Samsung TV and Apple TV via BT Sport’s new large screen app.

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SATURDAY 15th MAY

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