(Part 5: 2006-2023)
Part 1 covering 1955-1971 is HERE
Part 2 covering 1971-1985 is HERE
Part 3 covering 1986-2000 is HERE
Part 4 covering 2001-2015 is HERE
2016 FA Cup Final
Not only did Manchester United take to the field sans-outerwear for the 2016 edition of the FA Cup final, it appears that no game specific clothing was created beyond the embroidered match shirts, as those on the bench wore run of the mill dark blue and red apparel such as quarter-zip pullovers that had been in use throughout 2015/16.
As with Aston Villa the year before, Macron saw the benefit of additional items being seen beyond just match kit, and Crystal Palace took to the field in royal blue jackets. The self-coloured collar, cuffs and waistbands had red tipping trim matching the red zips, the full length centre fastener and those that closed up the ‘kangaroo’ pockets.
Macron’s ‘hero’ device was heat applied in red on each shoulder, with the brand’s wordmark embroidered in red on the right breast (as worn) over white game detail text like that of the match shirts. Over four lines, it read: The Emirates FA Cup Final, Crystal Palace v Manchester United, Wembley Stadium, 21st May 2016. The reverse of the jacket had CPFC in red in a sans-serif typeface across the back.
Full time wasn’t quite full enough, with 90 minutes ending 1-1 after goals from Jason Puncheon and Juan Mata. Chris Smalling received a second yellow card in extra time and won a free red one to go with them, but being a man down didn’t harm United too much, Jesse Lingard struck what would be the winning goal to seal a twelfth FA Cup for the club.
2017 FA Cup Final
Chelsea reversed course in a pleasing way in 2017, breaking out pre-game jackets for the final after four last games sans-outerwear, five if you count 2002 when jackets were made but not seen.
The Blue’s adidas jackets continued the 2010s trend for ‘kangaroo’ pockets established by Liverpool (2012), Aston Villa (2015) and Crystal Palace (2016), only these didn’t just borrow the pocket style of hoodies, they were hoodies.
The adidas logo was moved to the left sleeve (as worn) to make way for the logo of sponsor Carabao (Thailand’s second most popular energy drink!) on the right breast, opposite the club crest which had game detail in white underneath reading: EMIRATES FA CUP FINAL, WEMBLEY STADIUM, 27TH MAY 2017 over three lines.
If bespoke for the final, these jackets were likely the last garments made for Chelsea by adidas, who agreed to end their deal six years early at the end of 2016/17.
In 2015, Arsenal matched jackets with their yellow and navy change kit, but in their primary kit in 2017 they went with a windcheater design described by Puma as a ‘Stadium Vent Jacket’ in Peacoat (navy blue) and High Risk Red. They had red shoulder stripes that were truncated mid-arm, and large loop zip pulls.
The Puma logo and club crest were applied high up, at collar bone level, due to seams that cut across the chest. FLY EMIRATES was applied in white under the crest, whereas the Puma logo on the left side (as worn) had game detail underneath: THE EMIRATES FA CUP FINAL arched over a silhouette of the trophy, which was above WEMBLEY 2017 applied straight.
This was Arsenal’s 20th FA Cup final appearance, their third in four years, and a 2-1 win gave them a 13th success in the competition. Chelsea had the Premier League crown to console themselves with.
2018 FA Cup Final
They might have lost the 2017 final, but Chelsea’s hooded jackets won them style points, and they gained even more the following year ahead of facing Manchester United at Wembley. These jackets were more traditional, no hood this time, fully blue except for a thin white stripe that ran from the neckline to the elbow where it was cut off by a solid blue forearm panel.
Under Nike’s swoosh logo white embroidery over three lines read EMIRATES FA CUP FINAL, WEMBLEY STADIUM, 19TH MAY 2018. Under Chelsea’s crest lay the logo of club sponsor Carabao. The reverse of the jacket had CHELSEA FC in straight, white letters.
Manchester United elected to not have jackets, so no style points, just silver medals. In the first final to use the video assistant referee system, Chelsea won courtesy of a 21st minute penalty after Eden Hazard was fouled in the box, and he, himself finished from the spot. The match ended 1–0 to Chelsea, winners for the eighth time.
2019 FA Cup Final
The ‘romance of the cup’ quickly turned to heart-rending anguish at Wembley for Watford, who on making their second ever final were dispatched 6-0 by Manchester City, completing a domestic treble. Though the on pitch contest was wildly uneven, the sartorial duel was a more evenly contested affair.
Watford’s kit supplier adidas were unable to restock the club with primary match shirts, leading the Hornet’s to manufacture their own ‘leisure shirt’ facsimiles with cup final detail, but they did have pre-match jackets that looked the real deal. The basic construction was all black, including the three stripes on the sleeves which were applied tonally.
Both the club crest and adidas Performance logo were added in white, while game detail was applied in gold: under the supplier mark a silhouette of the FA Cup trophy with ribbons was circled by embroidered text reading THE EMIRATES FA CUP FINAL and 18 MAY 2019. On the left sleeve (as worn) an advert for the MO-Play betting app replicated the match shirt’s sleeve sponsor, and on the back the word-mark of main sponsor FxPro was applied in white.
Manchester City have a fine tradition of FA Cup final jackets and in 2019 they wore the first ones made by Nike. The otherwise sky-blue jackets had what was termed a ‘speed blur stripe’ that resembled a sound-wave on the arms in black. There was no game detail text on the front of the jacket, just a Nike swoosh in black and the club crest, which may have been a way of avoiding use of the cup’s title sponsor Emirates airlines, given that City were backed by rival carrier Etihad.
The city of Manchester’s coat of arms, moved to the sleeves in 2013 after being used in lieu of a club crest in 1969, 1981 and 2011, was added to the backs of the 2019 jackets. Goals from Silva, Gabriel Jesus (2), De Bruyne and Sterling (2) meant that Manchester City’s margin of victory equalled Bury’s 6–0 win over Derby County in 1903, making it the joint-largest in an FA Cup final.
2020 FA Cup Final
For a third time, London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea would face each other in an FA Cup final in 2020. It was no ordinary final, however, government-imposed restrictions on large gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 meant the 139th edition of the competitions showpiece game was a behind closed doors, broadcast-only event which took place 70 days late following a pandemic driven postponement.
Arsenal, now supplied by adidas (they wore Puma in their 2017 appearance) entered the field in red jackets with tonal club crest, makers mark and sleeve stripes. The only contrast elements were in white; game detail under the adidas logo that was the trophy silhouette with HEADS UP FA CUP FINAL arched above and WEMBLEY 2020 flat underneath, and under the tonal crest, EMIRATES FLY BETTER got some additional branding in for the competition’s main sponsor.
Chelsea’s Nike jackets had thick white bands circling the mostly blue garments, which had self-coloured collars, cuffs and waistbands. The only other trim was thin red and white shoulder stripes that ended just above elbow level. Opposite Nike’s swoosh device in white, Chelsea’s crest had THE FA CUP FINAL arched above it, and a white outlined scroll below containing WEMBLEY 2020.
Christian Pulisic gave Chelsea the lead, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice to hand Arsenal a record 14th competition win, as Mikel Arteta became the first person to both captain and manage Arsenal to victory in an FA Cup final. The Gunners received the trophy on the pitch, instead of by climbing steps to the Royal Box for the presentation.
2021 FA Cup Final
After three pandemic mitigating ‘lockdowns’, restrictions on travel or social gatherings that saw the 2020/21 league season largely played behind closed doors and the Euro 2020 tournament postponed for a year, cup games were used to trial the return of spectators at games.
The Carabao Cup final at Wembley in April 2021 was the first outdoor sports event with fans in attendance as part of an ‘Event Research Programme’ to track virus transmission risk, and one of the FA Cup semi-finals had a small crowd. This led to 20,000 fans being allowed to attend the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Leicester City.
Chelsea’s jacket-less era was now a thing of the past, they were four-for-four in finals from 2017. They debuted their 2021/22 jackets instead of amending the 2020/21 set, just as they elected to wear the 2021/22 primary kits. These jackets, with dark blue Raglan sleeves, collars and waistbands, took some visual cues from the new shirts. Above and below solid blue chest band panels on the front and back were panels that replicated the warped, tonal chequerboard pattern seen on the left side and sleeves (as worn) of the shirts. There was no game details added. however.
Leicester on the other hand, wore jackets that bore little visual connection to their match attire, the all-maroon third kit. The black jackets had been seen previously ahead of the semi-final against Southampton: they had the three stripes on the sleeves in grey, while the adidas performance logo on the right breast (as worn) is in white, opposite the club crest which had the yellow logo of training-wear sponsor Parimatch underneath, and the Cypriot betting firm had their logo on the back of the jacket too, though in much larger scale than what was used on the front.
Youri Tielemans’ long range strike midway through the second was enough for Leicester, who’s 1–0 win gave them a first FA Cup success after four previous attempts ended in failure. With the win, the Foxes completed the domestic trophy set: Premier League 2015/16, League Cup 1963/64, 1996/97, 1999/2000, FA Charity/Community Shield 1971 and now FA Cup.
2022 FA Cup Final
The 2022 FA Cup final was a rematch of the League Cup final three months previous, Liverpool v. Chelsea. That tie ended 0-0 after extra time and was settled by spot-kicks with the Scousers taking the trophy, but that couldn’t happen again, right?
**SPOILER ALERT** It did.
From a construction standpoint, Liverpool’s 2022 jackets were the same as used by opponents Chelsea a year earlier, but whereas Chelsea’s 2021 jackets used different shades of blue, the Scousers’ full-zip tops used solid tones of red that only appeared to be different up close because of a change in material. The top and bottom panels on the front and back, plus collar, sleeves, cuffs and waistband were all a deep matte red, but chest bands on the front and back were of a glossy fabric decorated with a repeating pattern of elements from Anfield’s Shankly Gates: the liver bird, a fleur-de-lis, a St. Andrews Cross and a thistle. Nike’s swoosh was white, as was Liverpool’s liver bird and initials crest, and the word-mark of training-wear sponsor AXA.
Chelsea were the designated ‘home’ team, yet decided to wear their yellow and black change kit, which we can speculate was a superstitious choice after losing the EFL Cup final in blue. and their anthem jackets were in this yellow and black colourway, but with the proportions reversed.
These jackets also conformed to the Nike template used by the Blues the year before and by Liverpool in this final, and again Chelsea went with patterned panels. Most of the jacket, including collar, cuffs and waistband, was black and it was the chest-band panel on the front and back that was patterned (in contrast to Chelsea’s 2021 jackets), with a warped chequerboard again used, this time in high contrast colours. Under a yellow swoosh white game detail read EMIRATES FA CUP FINAL, WEMBLEY STADIUM, 14TH MAY 2022 over three lines. Chelsea’s crest was applied only in yellow, with the word-mark of training-wear sponsor Trivago in white underneath.
Once more, Liverpool won the trophy on penalties after the game remained goalless after extra time, the first goalless final since 2005 and the first to go to penalties since Liverpool won in 2006.
2023 FA Cup Final
The 142nd FA Cup final was a Wembley hosted Manchester derby, as Pep Guardiola’s City and Erik ten Hag’s United faced off. This was Manchester United’s sixth final of the 21st century, and they opted against pre-match jackets in all of them, and given the stone-cold classics they’ve modeled over the years, that’s a huge disappointment.
Manchester City saved the day from an anthem jacket standpoint, now wearing Puma after sporting Nike the last time they reached the big game. These jackets were full-zip shower jackets with an all over sublimated print of squares in grey and varied blues, overlaid with sky blue parallelograms of differing lengths. Cryptocurrency platform OKX had their logo in white underneath the club crest on the front, and the same logo appeared on the back though this application was much larger.
Manchester City won the match 2–1 to claim their seventh FA Cup title and a second Double. İlkay Gündoğan broke the record for the fastest goal ever in a final, netting after just 12 seconds.
HULL CITY KITS 