- This season’s FA Cup final is taking place on the same day as Eurovision
- Manchester City will face Crystal Palace in the final at Wembley on May 17
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The BBC are pushing for a 3pm kick-off in the FA Cup final over fears that viewership will suffer because of a clash with the Eurovision song contest.
Manchester City, who lost last year’s final to Manchester United, will take on Crystal Palace at Wembley on May 17.
But the showpiece fixture, which drew in 9.1million viewers last year, could overlap with the Eurovision contest grand final which is being held in Basel, Switzerland.
ITV also share the rights to the FA Cup final, but it is the BBC who own exclusive rights to the song contest.
Manchester United shocked rivals Manchester City, with Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo netting before a Jeremy Doku consolation goal, in the final last year which kicked off at the traditional 3pm berth.
However, 5.15pm has become an increasingly popular starting time and was when the semi-final between Palace and Aston Villa began.
The BBC are pushing for a 3pm kick-off in the FA Cup final because of a clash with Eurovision
Manchester United beat Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final which started at 3pm
Manchester City will face Crystal Palace in the final after beating Nottingham Forest on Sunday
The other semi-final, between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City started at 4.30pm.
If this season’s final begins after 5pm and reaches extra time or penalties, it runs the risk of overlapping with the start of Eurovision, creating a headache for TV bosses.
However, a 3pm start means the game would end by 6.30pm at the latest, even if it went to penalties.
Pop girl group Remember Monday will represent the United Kingdom in the 69th edition of the song competition, with Graham Norton confirmed as the host.
The hugely popular song contest features 26 acts in the final and is even being shown in cinemas throughout the country.
The competition was hosted in Liverpool last year and drew in a peak of 11 million viewers, equalling 63% of the TV audience share at the time, the BBC said.
Although a decreasing number of matches take place at 3pm, the slot remains vastly popular with fans.
An earlier kick-off will also allow plenty of time for Manchester City supporters to make the journey back home outside London.
Palace beat Aston Villa 3-0, with goals from Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr, to reach the final
Pep Guardiola will hope to bounce back from last season’s defeat to win his third FA Cup
Pop girl group Remember Monday will represent the United Kingdom in the song competition
A number of other considerations impact kick-off times with the FA consulting with police and the council.
This year’s final is being held before the end of the Premier League season but no other top-flight fixtures will take place on the same day.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s last Premier League home game of the season against Manchester United was moved to make sure it did not clash with the Women’s FA Cup final.
The women’s final, between Chelsea and Manchester United, kicks off at 1.30pm on May 18.
