Official: FA Cup Semi-Finalists Confirmed! Shenhua and Taishan Eliminated, Two Teams Make History, Guoan Face Haigang

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FA Cup final four officially confirmed! Shenhua and Taishan eliminated on the same day, Yukun and Yingbo fight for history, Guoan face Haigang in November

A night of upheaval! Shenhua lost 0-1 away at Suoyu Bay, Taishan were crushed 0-3 at home, and two new powers emerge among the FA Cup final four

FA Cup final four set: Guoan and Haigang clash in a blockbuster semi-final, while either Yukun or Yingbo will reach the final for the first time

On the evening of September 2, at Yuxi Plateau Sports Center, Jonica's follow-up shot sent Chongqing Tonglianglong out, and the 1-0 scoreline sent Yunnan Yukun into the 2026 FA Cup semi-finals. After that goal, the script of this season's FA Cup was completely rewritten—Shenhua fell 0-1 away at Suoyu Bay, Taishan were beaten 0-3 at home by Haigang, and two traditional cup contenders exited in the same week. The four remaining places belong to Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Haigang, Yunnan Yukun and Dalian Yingbo. The upper bracket features Guoan versus Haigang, while the lower bracket is a clash between Yukun and Yingbo. The surprising part is that neither of these two second-year Chinese Super League teams has reached an FA Cup final, meaning after the November semi-final, one team will create a new record in club history. The question is: who can withstand this final-level clash between Guoan and Haigang?

At 19:35 on September 1, three quarter-final matches kicked off simultaneously, and each result was more unexpected than the last.

At Jinan Olympic Sports Center, Shanghai Haigang visited Shandong Taishan. Before the match, Taishan were widely favored due to home advantage and a record of being unbeaten in their previous four meetings with Haigang. Haigang coach Muscat switched directly to a 3-4-3 formation and took the initiative away from home. They scored twice within four minutes in the first half—Liu Zhurun and Ampeim found the net in succession, tearing apart Taishan's defense. In the 79th minute of the second half, Li Xinxiang's diagonal pass split the Taishan defense, and Yang Xi calmly finished inside the box to complete a goal and assist, making it 3-0.

Taishan were shut out throughout the match. Cryzan and Valeri Kazaishvili repeatedly attacked, but they could not beat Yan Junling. The eight-time FA Cup champions ended their cup campaign this season with a decisive home defeat.

At the same time in Suoyu Bay, Dalian Yingbo hosted Shanghai Shenhua. Just four minutes into the match, Yingbo goalkeeper Huang Zihao was shown a straight red card, leaving the team with ten men. In the 53rd minute, Stanciu scored from the penalty spot to make it 1-0. Later, Shenhua substitute Mineiro was sent off for a kicking action, returning both teams to ten men. Yingbo defended the 1-0 lead until the final whistle. The attendance that night was 53,178, which was Yingbo's lowest home attendance of the season but set a single-match attendance record for this season's FA Cup.

Since Shenhua's new coach Milojovic took charge, the team has recorded one win and three losses in four matches, scoring seven goals and conceding eleven. The team that had challenged for the title in the previous two years was stopped by Yingbo before reaching the semi-finals.

At Beijing Workers' Stadium, Beijing Guoan, forced by competition rules to field an all-Chinese lineup, faced Lanzhou Longyuan Athletic, the only China League Two team among the quarter-finalists. Deng Jiefu scored with a shot in the 26th minute, before Lanzhou equalized with a long-range effort. In a desperate situation, Zhang Yuning took advantage of a goalkeeper error to score into an empty net in the 86th minute, and Cao Yongjing sealed the win with a long-range shot in stoppage time as Guoan completed a 3-1 comeback.

Guoan claimed the final semi-final spot among Chinese Super League teams and sent the China League Two dark horse Lanzhou Longyuan Athletic home.

At 20:00 on September 2, Yunnan Yukun hosted Chongqing Tonglianglong at Yuxi Plateau Sports Center Stadium.

The two teams had only three shots combined in the first half. Diomande scored once but the goal was ruled invalid. In the second half, Wu Yuxi missed a great chance, before Jonica followed up to score, making it 1-0. Yukun reached the FA Cup semi-finals for two consecutive seasons.

At this point, all four 2026 FA Cup quarter-finals had concluded, and the semi-finalists were officially confirmed: Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Haigang, Yunnan Yukun and Dalian Yingbo. Chinese Super League teams occupy all four semi-final places, meaning the cup champion will come from the top-flight group.

With the final four confirmed, the semi-final matchups were also finalized:

Beijing Guoan vs Shanghai Haigang

Dalian Yingbo vs Yunnan Yukun

According to the competition calendar released by the Chinese Football Association at the start of the year, the semi-finals are expected to be held on November 21 and 22—Beijing Guoan against Shanghai Haigang on November 21, and Dalian Yingbo against Yunnan Yukun on November 22. Since Haigang and Guoan both have AFC Champions League matches on November 3, the semi-finals are highly likely to take place in the November 21-22 window, with exact kickoff times subject to the CFA's official announcement.

The FA Cup semi-finals are single-match ties, with extra time and penalty shootouts used if the score is level. The winners of the two semi-finals will meet in the final, which has been confirmed to take place at the neutral Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre on December 6.

Dalian Yingbo have improved step by step in the FA Cup over the past three seasons—from the round of 48, to the round of 16, and now to this year's semi-finals. Yunnan Yukun reached the semi-finals in their first-ever FA Cup appearance last season and have reached the final four again this season.

Neither team has ever reached an FA Cup final. On November 22, when Yukun host Yingbo, whichever side wins will reach the FA Cup final for the first time in club history.

For Yingbo, this semi-final carries extra significance. According to the 2027/28 AFC Champions League slot allocation plan, the 2026 Chinese Super League champions and FA Cup champions will directly qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite, while the CSL runners-up will qualify directly for AFC Champions League Two. If Yingbo can reach the final or even win the title, they will take a substantial step toward continental competition qualification.

For Taishan, elimination from the cup means they have lost the possibility of qualifying for the AFC Champions League Elite through the FA Cup, leaving only AFC Champions League Two qualification to pursue.

The Guoan versus Haigang semi-final is the biggest highlight of this round's final four.

Guoan are the defending FA Cup champions, defeating Henan 3-0 in last season's final. It was Guoan's first domestic trophy in seven years. This season, Guoan's goal is clear—defending their title.

Haigang defeated Taishan 3-1 in the 2024 FA Cup final to win the trophy for the first time in club history. With their league title challenge looking difficult this season, the FA Cup has become an important route for Haigang to reach the AFC Champions League Elite. The 3-4-3 formation used by Muscat on September 1, along with his switch to a five-man defense after taking the lead, showed precise cup-match planning.

The semi-final is expected to be played on November 21 at Beijing Workers' Stadium, with Guoan continuing to host the match. The two teams will first meet in the CSL this weekend before facing each other again in the November semi-final, making the consecutive clashes even more intriguing.

For Guoan, Davan will serve a two-match suspension from a previous boxing incident, which will be carried out in the semi-final or final. For Haigang, Wang Zhen'ao is suspended after accumulating four yellow cards. Both teams will need to adjust their lineups with unavailable players.

The November semi-finals will take place after the league season ends. Teams' physical condition, injuries and the workload from AFC Champions League matches will add more uncertainty to these two single-match knockout ties.

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