Brighton & Hove Albion had never reached a women's cup final. They reached this one, played the better football for half an hour, and lost 4-0, which is roughly how finals treat clubs arriving for the first time.
The match
Manchester City won 4-0 in front of 43,917 at Wembley, per TNT Sports' match coverage and Manchester City's own record of the game. Bunny Shaw scored and set one up, the captain Alex Greenwood scored and set one up, and Aoba Fujino and Vivianne Miedema added the others.
Brighton were the better side for the opening half hour and had nothing to show for it. Efforts were cleared off the line, and Fran Kirby could not convert from point-blank range. Melissa Burgin refereed.
Why it mattered
City had already won the Women's Super League, so this completed a domestic double.
The margin is misleading about the match and honest about the gap. Brighton's first thirty minutes at Wembley were the best half-hour of their history and produced no goals; City's four came from four different players, two of whom also created one. A squad with that many people capable of ending an afternoon does not need its best day.
Sources: TNT Sports live match coverage and result, 31 May 2026; Manchester City official match centre, 31 May 2026.