Daily Times

LONDON: The 2019-20 Women’s FA Cup has been given the green light to complete the last three rounds, with the final to be held at Wembley on Oct. 31, the Football Association said on Friday. The tournament was suspended at the quarter-finals stage due to the COVID-19 outbreak in March and will now resume three weeks into the 2020-21 women’s domestic season. The Cup will resume with the last eight on the weekend of Sept. 26-27, with the semi-finals to follow the same week, on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

While the Women’s Super League and Championship seasons were ended prematurely via the points-per-game method in May, the FA had requested special dispensation from FIFA to complete the cup competition in the 2020-21 season, which was granted. “A significant amount of work has been going on behind the scenes to ensure the Women’s FA Cup can be completed and I am delighted that we have received the necessary approval for its conclusion,” Kelly Simmons, the FA’s director of the women’s professional game, said in a statement. With government guidelines still uncertain on the number of fans allowed inside stadiums, it has not been decided whether October’s Wembley final will be open to the public. The FA said tickets purchased for May’s original date for the final will be refunded.