The Blues are one of the biggest and most successful clubs in English football. They have won the top-flight title on six occasions, the League Cup five times, and also claimed an impressive six major European trophies. But, the question here is, have Chelsea ever won the FA Cup?
Chelsea Have Won the FA Cup 8 Times
To cut to the chase, the answer is yes, Chelsea have indeed won the FA Cup. In fact, they have won it a whopping eight times, which as the table below shows, makes the west London giants one of the most successful teams in the long history of the competition.
Teams with the Most FA Cup Wins
| Rank | Team | Wins | Final Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 14 | 21 |
| 2 | Man United | 12 | 21 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 8 | 16 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 8 | 15 |
| 5 | Spurs | 8 | 9 |
| 6 | Man City | 7 | 12 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 7 | 11 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 6 | 13 |
| 9 | Blackburn Rovers | 6 | 8 |
| 10 | Everton | 5 | 13 |
So, not only have Chelsea merely won the FA Cup, only two sides have won it more times, those two (Arsenal and Man United) also the only teams to have made it to the final more often.
When Did Chelsea Last Win the FA Cup?
Chelsea’s most recent success in the FA Cup (correct ahead of the 2023/24 season) came in 2018. A crowd of 87,647 watched them at Wembley as they edged past Man United 1-0 in what was a cagey final. The Red Devils were probably the better team and it is perhaps telling that Chelsea centre back, Antonio Rudiger, was named Man of the Match.
The Blues, managed by Antonio Conte at the time (former Chelsea boss and legend José Mourinho was in the opposite dugout), mustered just six shots in the whole game and only three on target. Moreover, their goal came from a penalty kick, Eden Hazard converting in the 22nd minute, having himself won the penalty. The Blues had just 33% possession but defended bravely to hold on, this their eighth success in the FA Cup moving them into third in the all-time reckoning.
Which Years Did Chelsea Win the FA Cup?
The Blues first got their hands on the trophy in 1970 and so all eight of their victories have come in a short window of less than half a century. Considering the club was founded in 1905, and the FA Cup dates back to well before that (1872 was the first final) Chelsea’s glory has been rather condensed and, in fact, many of their wins have come in the 21st century, in the Roman Abramovich era, as we can see below.
| Win Number | Year | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1970 | Leeds United | 2-1 (in replay after first match ended 2-2, both after extra time) |
| 2 | 1997 | Middlesbrough | 2-0 |
| 3 | 2000 | Aston Villa | 1-0 |
| 4 | 2007 | Man United | 1-0 (after extra time) |
| 5 | 2009 | Everton | 2-1 |
| 6 | 2010 | Portsmouth | 1-0 |
| 7 | 2012 | Liverpool | 2-1 |
| 8 | 2018 | Man United | 1-0 |
In 2010 the Blues also won the league, thus completing their first, and currently only, double. As we can see, all of their finals have tended to be close contests, and they have often prevailed by keeping a clean sheet on the big day.
How Many Times Have Chelsea Reached the FA Cup Final?
As noted above, the Blues are only behind the Gunners and Man United in terms of the number of times they have reached the FA Cup final. They have made it to the last two 16 times and have a strike rate in those finals of exactly 50%, winning eight and losing eight.
Their most recent FA Cup final defeat came in 2022 when Liverpool beat them on penalties in a game that ended 0-0 after extra time. That win moved the Reds onto eight FA Cup wins as well, so level with Chelsea, but who will be first to a ninth win?
The west Londoners would probably have expected to be on nine or even more already as that loss to Liverpool was actually the third FA Cup final in a row where they had suffered defeat. 12 months earlier Leicester City claimed their first ever FA Cup success by beating the Blues 1-0, whilst winding back a further year, Arsenal won FA Cup number 14 by seeing off Chelsea 2-1.
Blues fans will have been well and truly sick of Arsenal too as the Gunners got the better of Chelsea by that same score just a few years earlier, winning 2-1 in the 2016/17 FA Cup final. Incredibly that means the club have appeared in five of the last seven FA Cup finals but have won just one of those. Perhaps Poch (if he’s still in charge!) can turn things round and guide the club to their ninth (and, dare we be greedy, maybe 10th!) FA Cup triumph?
Didier Drogba is Blues FA Cup Final King
Only one player has scored more goals in the FA Cup final than Blues legend Didier Drogba. The powerful Ivorian played in four finals with the club, in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012. He netted four goals to help the club to four victories in just six seasons, including defending their crown (and winning the double to boot) in 2010.
Drogba, who scored 157 goals in 341 games for the Blues, notched a single goal in each of those four finals. He enjoyed a glittering career at Stamford Bridge, winning four Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, a hat-trick of League Cups and the 2011/12 Champions League as well.
Returning to the FA Cup, no player can match his feat of scoring in four finals but one man can better his tally of four goals in the showpiece fixture. Liverpool legend Ian Rush netted five goals in finals, scoring two in 1986 as the Reds beat Everton 3-1, another brace against the local rivals in a 3-2 (after extra time) win in 1989, and a fifth goal as the Reds saw off Sunderland 2-0 in the 1992 finale.