The Blues start our 2025/26 FA Youth Cup journey on the road, aiming to progress in the competition and round off the calendar year on a high note in our final Under-18s fixture before the new year. Kick-off against Brentford at Wheatsheaf Park is at 7pm and supporters can watch the match live for free on the Chelsea Official App and website.

Last season, we reached the fifth round of the tournament after a series of impressive performances. Memorable moments included a dramatic 3-2 victory over Leicester City and a dominant 7-1 win against Merstham, before our cup run came to an end with an away defeat to Manchester United.

The squad head into this year’s competition in confident form, having most recently recorded a convincing 3-0 victory over Ipswich Town to extend our unbeaten run in the Under-18 Premier League. With league action complete for the year, full focus now turns to the prestigious Academy knockout competition.

Preparations at Cobham have been carried out with intensity and purpose, as the players fine-tune their work ahead of Tuesday evening’s challenge. Take a browse through a selection of our favourite training images below, capturing the team putting the finishing touches to their plans for a highly anticipated fixture.

Support our boys!

Chelsea supporters around the world can tune in to our first FA Youth Cup fixture against Brentford on Tuesday 16 December via our free live stream. To access the coverage, simply visit the homepage shortly before the 7pm kick-off or follow the Brentford vs Chelsea Under-18s Match Centre below.