Ahead of the 2025/26 Carabao Cup final at Wembley, Mikel Arteta penned some programme notes for our supporters. Here is what he had to say:
We’re all really looking forward to this Carabao Cup final today. It’s going to be a big day and of course the most important thing is making sure we get the outcome we want.
It’s our first appearance in a final since 2020, and it’s great to share these special moments together with our supporters. It’s going to be a different occasion to the FA Cup final in 2020 because we will have our people with us in the stadium this time, and that changes everything.
Having our supporters together, sharing the moment, makes it more special. We deserve to be in this position to be able to win a trophy, and it’s always what you want – to be able to share these moments with your people, so let’s make the most of that opportunity, and do it together.
As a club, there have been some great memories of playing at Wembley Stadium, including that 2020 final, but this is a very different team to the one that won the FA Cup in 2020, so it’s time for us to make new memories now.
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Being in a cup final is one of the best moments you can have in a season, and every time you get to step out at Wembley, it’s very, very special. The atmosphere is great in a cup final with the two ends of the stadium full of their own supporters – it’s unique and something different in the season.
Playing at Wembley is about the history, the memories, all the games and incredible moments that we’ve seen on TV growing up or experiencing it ourselves. I’m lucky enough to have experienced it a few times myself, as a player and as a manager as well – I have some great memories with this club. There is a special energy in the stadium, a special feeling that makes it unique. You can sense the history and what’s happened before when you arrive here.
Of course, I want to continue the good record we have at Wembley in my time at the club. Let’s keep that momentum, feed off that positive energy and do our best to win the trophy.
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The first time I played at Wembley was the 2014 FA Cup semi-final against Wigan Athletic, and I have very happy memories of that day. I remember first arriving at the stadium before the game, stepping out onto the grass and looking around, realising where I was. For sure it’s one of the most iconic stadiums in the world and one with the biggest history.
To be able to play in a cup final is a dream you have as a kid, and to make that come true, and lift the trophy at the end, is what you want. I experienced that with Arsenal in the FA Cup final that year too, when we beat Hull City. I’ve been privileged to have been involved in a lot of matches at Wembley and know how much it means when you win at the stadium.
I remember even before that though, watching cup finals on TV as a kid. It was usually the FA Cup final to be fair, because it was the final game of the season and everybody would be watching.
For us, we can’t wait for the game to start. It’s a chance to make some history for the club. We haven’t won the League Cup since 1993, so it’s about time we did it again. That’s what we all want, to work hard and make our supporters proud.
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When you get to these moments, these opportunities, you have to deliver on the day. Let’s play in the manner that we’ve done all year, all the way through the competition, enjoying matches in front of our people.
Whenever you have the chance to get over the line and win a trophy, it’s a big day. If we can do that, it will bring something very special to the team. It will add another level of conviction, belief and energy. To be able to share a beautiful moment always brings you closer to having some other ones that are also really, really positive.
We know the importance of that, so now it’s down to us, all of us – players, coaches, staff, supporters – to make sure we do it together.
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