The Seagulls, cheered on by thousands of their fans in a crowd of more than 40,000, ended up well beaten 4-0 by City – but had actually been the better side for much of the first half, a half which remained goalless until City, crucially, struck twice in the 10 minutes before half-time.
They added two more late in the second half to leave Brighton empty-handed but with plenty of memories of a chance to play under the famous arch.
See pictures by Getty Images from the showpiece game on this page and those linked.
5. AFP or licensors
Brighton's Japanese midfielder #11 Kiko Seike (L) challenges Manchester City's Japanese midfielder #25 Yui Hasegawa (C) during the English Women's FA Cup final football match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium in north west London on May 31, 2026. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images) / NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE : Brighton v Manchester City, 2026 Women's FA Cup final at Wembley Photo: AFP via Getty Images : Getty Images
6. AFP or licensors
Manchester City's Japanese striker #20 Aoba Fujino (L) shoots the ball to score her team's third goal during the English Women's FA Cup final football match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium in north west London on May 31, 2026. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images) / NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE : Brighton v Manchester City, 2026 Women's FA Cup final at Wembley Photo: AFP via Getty Images : Getty Images
7. 2026 Getty Images
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 31: Madison Haley of Brighton & Hove Albion clashes with Ayaka Yamashita of Manchester City during the Adobe Women's FA Cup Final match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on May 31, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) : Brighton v Manchester City, 2026 Women's FA Cup final at Wembley Photo: Getty Images
8. 2026 Getty Images
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 31: Manuela Vanegas of Brighton & Hove Albion runs with the ball while under pressure from Laura Blindkilde Brown of Manchester City during the Adobe Women's FA Cup Final match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on May 31, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) : Brighton v Manchester City, 2026 Women's FA Cup final at Wembley Photo: Getty Images