#womens-fa-cup

#womens-fa-cup

Arsenal forward Olivia Smith was taken off on a stretcher during the Gunners' 3-0 victory over Bristol City in the Women's FA Cup. Smith, 21, was involved in a clash of heads early in the second half, which led to lengthy pause in play and 14 minutes of second-half stoppage time. She was carried off the pitch, having been fitted with a neck brace, to a standing ovation inside the Mangata Developments Stadium.

Birmingham City vs Chatham Town information Date: Saturday, 21 February 2026 Kick-off time: 5:15pm GMT / 12:15pm ET Venue: St Andrew's Stadium, Birmingham TV & Streaming: TNT Sports, Discovery+ (UK) Watch from anywhere: Get 70% off NordVPN Chatham Town will aim to continue their historic FA Cup run when they visit WSL 2 side Birmingham City on Saturday. The fourth-tier club are playing in the fifth round of the competition for the first time and are eyeing another memorable victory at St Andrew's.

The Football Association has outlined plans for a significant overhaul of the Women's FA Cup that would fundamentally change how the competition is drawn and ultimately who benefits from it. Central to the proposal is the introduction of seeding for the first time. The top four teams from the previous season's Women's Super League would be kept apart in the draw, theoretically preventing them from facing each other until the latter stages.

Women's Super League leaders City cruised to a 6-0 win at third-tier Bournemouth, after Khadija Shaw opened the scoring with a thumping 19th-minute header. Three further goals - a Lauren Hemp drive and a double from Laura Coombs - settled the contest before half-time, with substitute Vivianne Miedema netting twice after the break as City stretched their unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions.

Brighton manager Dario Vidosic will take a period of leave for family reasons, the club have confirmed. As a result, he will miss Brighton's Women's FA Cup fourth-round tie with Nottingham Forest on Sunday (13:00 GMT). Assistant head coach Chris Roberts, supported by first-team coach Arthur Brammer, will take interim charge for the foreseeable future. Roberts has previous experience as interim manager, fulfilling the role while at Everton at the end of the 2021-22 season.

James, ranked at no.23 among the world's best women's players, faces an uphill battle for fitness ahead of the Euros, starting in less than 50 days.

Chelsea's final Premier League home game of the season against Manchester United has been moved to 16 May to avoid a clash with the Women's FA Cup final.