Arsenal were appearing in the FA Cup final for the 20th time, and for the third time in four years. They had won the cup twelve times, and were beaten finalists seven times; most recently in
2001. By comparison, Chelsea were making their 12th appearance in a FA Cup final. The club won the cup seven times and lost four finals. The clubs had previously met 13 times in the FA Cup. Arsenal held an advantage in those meetings, winning seven of the last eight; Chelsea won the last FA Cup tie, a victory in April 2009. This was the second FA Cup final to feature both sides; the first was won by Arsenal in 2002. was on course to win the
domestic double in his first season at the club. The most recent meeting between the two teams was a league encounter in February 2017, Chelsea winning by three goals to one, a result which moved them 12 points clear in first position. The victory was significant given that Chelsea had lost the reverse fixture 3–0 in September 2016, in what BBC journalist
Phil McNulty described as a "watershed moment" in their season. While Arsenal struggled to build momentum throughout autumn and winter, Chelsea manager
Antonio Conte's tactical switch from
4–3–3 to
3–4–3 thereafter resulted in a 13-match winning run. They won the Premier League with two matches to spare, Arsenal ended the season in fifth place, their lowest placing under manager
Arsène Wenger, missing out on
UEFA Champions League football for the first time in 20 years. Wenger's future had been cast into doubt following a bad run of form in February and March, which included the team losing on aggregate against
Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the worst
aggregate performance by an English club in the history of the tournament. To arrest the decline, Wenger adopted a similar tactical change to Conte, playing three defenders at the back. Arsenal went on to win eight of their last nine fixtures, but Wenger suggested his team were not favourites: "it's quite even or maybe Chelsea are ahead, so it's a bit similar to what happened in the semi-final against Manchester City. That's part of what makes it all exciting as well." Of his future he said, "It will not be my last match anyway, because I will stay, no matter what happens, in football." Former Arsenal player
Paul Merson's evaluation was, "Mertesacker is going to be crucial for Arsenal if he plays; he will have to play very well if Arsenal are to have any chance. If he doesn't play well then Chelsea are going to cut through Arsenal like a knife through butter." Conte described Wenger as one of the "greats" in football, and felt he would remain as Arsenal manager come the season's end. "He has done a fantastic job. Sometimes in England I think you undervalue the achievement of qualifying for the Champions League. Only this season they haven't qualified for the Champions League," he continued. Hazard, who was playing in his first FA Cup final, was eager to win the competition: "For Chelsea, for such a big club like this, you need to win one, two, three trophies every season if you can. Now we have the possibility to win another trophy so all the players are ready for that. It's such a great competition for the fans."
Per Mertesacker was expected to start; the
Germany international only featured once for Arsenal's first team during the season. The day before the final
The Guardian reported that Wenger chose
David Ospina to start in goal ahead of Čech. Both clubs received an allocation of approximately 28,000 tickets. For adults, these were priced £45, £65, £85 and £115, with concessions in place. The remaining 14,000 tickets were distributed to what the FA described as the "football family which includes volunteers representing counties, leagues, local clubs and charities". Security at Wembley Stadium was tightened in the wake of the
Manchester Arena bombing and Arsenal cancelled a screening of the game at their ground. Both clubs cancelled plans for
open top bus victory parades. The game was broadcast live in the United Kingdom by both
BBC and
BT Sport.
BBC One provided the free-to-air coverage and BT Sport 2 was the pay-TV alternative. It was the first time in the history of the FA Cup that a
spidercam was utilised during the match.
Sol Campbell and
Eddie Newton came onto the pitch to greet the supporters and place the trophy on a plinth. As they departed, the traditional Cup Final hymn, "
Abide with Me" was sung by representatives of eight clubs, including Lincoln City,
Guernsey,
Millwall and Sutton United. The teams emerged moments later led by their managers, and players were greeted by
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Soprano Emily Haig sang the national anthem and a minute's silence was then held to honour the victims of the Manchester attack. Prince William,
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, and FA chairman
Greg Clarke laid wreaths on the pitch in tribute. ==Match==