2004 FA Cup final

The 2004 FA Cup final was the 123rd FA Cup Final and the fourth to be played at the Millennium Stadium, the Welsh national stadium in Cardiff, due to the ongoing reconstruction of the usual venue, London's Wembley Stadium. The match took place on 22 May 2004 and it was contested by Manchester United, who had finished third in the Premier League that season, and Millwall, who had finished 10th in the First Division.

Manchester United secured a record 11th FA Cup victory with a headed goal from Cristiano Ronaldo and a brace from Ruud van Nistelrooy, which included a penalty kick. In contrast, it was Millwall's first appearance in a final of either the FA Cup or the Football League Cup. At the trophy presentation after the match, the Manchester United players wore shirts bearing the name and number of midfielder Jimmy Davis, who died in a road accident in August 2003.

The match was refereed by Jeff Winter. Tony Green and Roger East were the assistant referees and Matt Messias was the fourth official.

Manchester United were appearing in their 16th FA Cup final and had won it on 10 of their previous 15 appearances. Two of these victories had yielded a League and FA Cup double (in 1994 and 1996) and in 1999 they had won the FA Cup as part of an unprecedented treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup wins.

For Millwall, 2004 was their first appearance in an FA Cup final, although they had reached the semi-finals on three prior occasions: 1900, 1903 and 1937. Their appearance in the 1937 semi-final was notable as Millwall were the first team in the old Third Division to reach that stage. They also became only the second team from outside the top flight of English football to reach the final since 1982, and the first team from outside the Premier League since its foundation in 1992. Millwall reached the 2004 decider without having met any club from the Premier League along the way.

Due to the ongoing reconstruction of Wembley Stadium, the match was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the fourth year in a row. The stadium was built in 1998 ahead of the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales, with a capacity of 72,500. While it was being built, the Wales national rugby union team played its home matches at the old Wembley Stadium, so after Wembley was torn down in 2000, the Millennium Stadium was selected to host the finals of the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League play-offs until at least 2003. Delays to the construction of the new Wembley meant that deal was later extended until 2006.

The referee for the final was Jeff Winter from Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, who was officiating in his last match as a professional referee, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 45. Winter's assistant referees were Roger East and Tony Green, while Matt Messias was the fourth official.

The match was broadcast live on television in the United Kingdom on both BBC One and Sky Sports 1. The BBC broadcast was presented by Gary Lineker, with Alan Hansen, Peter Schmeichel and Michael Owen in the studio, and commentary from John Motson in his 25th FA Cup Final as lead commentator. The BBC also provided live radio coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live, presented by Mark Pougatch, with commentary from Alan Green and Mike Ingham, and analysis from Jimmy Armfield and Steve Claridge.