Cardiff City v Portsmouth
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
The Final
3pm, Saturday 17 May 2008
Wembley Stadium
Winning clubs will receive £1,000,000 from The FA
Seating plan - click here



Cardiff City and Portsmouth both have long FA Cup histories - but they will meet for the first time in The Cup at Wembley next month.

Cardiff City, formed as "Riverside FC" in 1899, first entered The Cup in the 1910-11 season, losing to Merthyr in the First Round Qualifying. They reached their first Final in 1925, going down to Sheffield United, but were back at Wembley two years later to beat Arsenal with Hughie Ferguson's goal and famously take The Cup out of England for the one and only time.

Portsmouth, their opponents in the 127th Final on 17 May, came into being in 1898 and make their FA Cup debut a year later with a 10-0 thrashing of Ryde from the Isle of Wight in the First Round Qualifying.

Five wins took them through to the First Round Proper, where Blackburn knocked them out in a second replay at Villa Park. Pompey were Finalists in 1929 and 1934, losing out to Bolton and Manchester City respectively, but put their name on The Cup after a surprise 4-1 victory against favourites Wolves in 1939.

Cardiff have had 87 seasons in The Cup and Portsmouth have had 98 and yet, until the current campaign, they had never faced each other in the competition.

The last Finalists in that position were Crystal Palace and Manchester United. When they played that Wembley classic in 1990, drawing 3-3 after extra time, they were meeting in The Cup for the first time.