Liverpool meet Chelsea once more at Wembley with a trophy on the line this afternoon, but if you questioned the unusual kickoff time for the FA Cup final, you are not alone.
Jurgen Klopp will send out his side in the FA Cup final for the first time, with a familiar foe in Chelsea awaiting at Wembley.
The match is to get underway at 4.45pm (BST) today, an unusual slot for many on what is a traditional day for football in England.
But the kickoff time for the showpiece final for the oldest club competition in the world has been dictated by another competition entirely, the Eurovision Song Contest, to be exact.
We know Liverpool fans at Wembley today will give them a run for their money, though!
But it is bizarrely why kickoff was shifted to an earlier slot than that of the 2021 and 2020 finals, which had respective starts of 5.15pm and 5.30pm.
With the BBC having broadcasting rights to both finals, the FA Cup was brought forward to navigate the scheduling issues with the FA Cup on BBC One to later be followed by Eurovision after its switch from BBC Two at 7.15pm.
Extra time and penalties today will throw a spanner in the works but coverage of Liverpool’s meeting with Chelsea will not be cut short, so nothing to worry about there.
BBC and ITV share the coverage of the FA Cup final today and we’ll have a comprehensive list of where you can watch from around the world in the hours preceding kickoff.
For now, get your vocal cords warmed up for the only final that matters today. Up the Reds!
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