The 2017 FA Cup final was an association football match between London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea on 27 May 2017 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. It was the 136th FA Cup final overall of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup), organised by the Football Association (FA). This was a rematch of the 2002 FA Cup Final and the first final since 2003 in which the sides had won once in the Premier League against one another, with a 3–0 victory for Arsenal in September 2016, and a 3–1 win for Chelsea the following February. The game was broadcast live in the United Kingdom by both BBC and BT Sport. BBC One provided the free-to-air coverage and BT Sport 2 was the pay-TV alternative.

The match was refereed by Anthony Taylor in front of a crowd of 89,472. Arsenal kicked off and dominated the early stages, opening the scoring with a controversial goal from Alexis Sánchez in the fourth minute. On 68 minutes, Victor Moses fell in the Arsenal penalty area under pressure and appealed for a penalty but instead was shown his second yellow card by the referee for diving and was sent off. In the 76th minute, Diego Costa scored for Chelsea to level the score at 1–1: he received the ball from Willian and struck the ball past David Ospina, the Arsenal goalkeeper. Two minutes later Aaron Ramsey scored with a header past Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after a cross from Olivier Giroud, who had come on as a substitute less than a minute earlier, to make it 2–1 to Arsenal. After four minutes of stoppage time, the whistle was blown and Arsenal won the FA Cup final 2–1, to secure a record-breaking 13th title, while Arsène Wenger became the most successful manager in the tournament's history with seven wins.

Winning the FA Cup would have meant Arsenal qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage had they not already secured their place in the competition after finishing fifth in the 2016–17 Premier League. They also earned the right to play Chelsea who were the Premier League champions for the 2017 FA Community Shield.

As a Premier League team, Arsenal started their campaign in the third round and were drawn away at EFL Championship club Preston North End. At Deepdale, Callum Robinson put Preston ahead from close range in the seventh minute to give the home side a 1–0 lead at half-time. A minute after the interval, Aaron Ramsey equalised with a powerful shot from the edge of the Preston penalty area before Olivier Giroud's deflected strike gave Arsenal a 2–1 victory. In the fourth round, they faced fellow Premier League side Southampton away from home at St Mary's Stadium. Danny Welbeck scored twice before the midway point of the first half before crossing to Theo Walcott to score from close range to make it 3–0 at half-time. Walcott completed his hat-trick in the second half, with two assists from Alexis Sánchez, and Arsenal won 5–0.

In the fifth round, Arsenal were drawn away against non-League side Sutton United of the National League who were 105 places below them in the English football league system. At Sutton's Gander Green Lane, Arsenal won 2–0 with goals from Lucas Pérez and Walcott either side of half-time. The match was also noted for Sutton United's reserve goalkeeper Wayne Shaw being investigated by the Football Association and Gambling Commission: he had eaten a pie pitchside and admitted after the match that he had known that a betting company had offered odds on him doing so. In the quarter-final, Arsenal were drawn at home at the Emirates Stadium against National League club Lincoln City. Walcott gave Arsenal a one-goal lead in first-half stoppage time before second-half goals from Giroud, Sánchez and Ramsey, and an own goal by Luke Waterfall, gave the home side a 5–0 victory. In the semi-final which took place at Wembley Stadium as a neutral venue, they played against fellow Premier League team Manchester City. After a goalless first half, Sergio Agüero put Manchester City ahead on the hour mark before Nacho Monreal scored the equaliser with a volley from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross. The match ended 1–1 in regular time and went into extra time. In the 101st minute, Sánchez scored from close range to put Arsenal ahead, a lead which they kept for a 2–1 win and progression to the final.

Chelsea also started their FA Cup campaign in the third round where they were drawn at home at Stamford Bridge against League One side Peterborough United. The home side took the lead through Pedro, and Michy Batshuayi doubled their advantage before half-time. Willian made it 3–0 seven minutes after the interval before John Terry was sent off for a foul on Lee Angol. Three minutes later, Tom Nichols scored for Peterborough but Pedro scored with 15 minutes to go to make the final score 4–1. In the fourth round, they were drawn against Championship team Brentford at home. Goals from Willian and Pedro made it 2–0 after 21 minutes, before Branislav Ivanović's goal on the break and a penalty from Batshuayi gave Chelsea a 4–0 victory.

In the fifth round, Chelsea faced Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers away at Molineux. After a goalless first half, Pedro gave Chelsea the lead with a header midway through the second before Diego Costa secured a 2–0 win with a low strike in the 89th minute. In the quarter-final, Chelsea were drawn at home against fellow Premier League side and FA Cup holders Manchester United. Ander Herrera was sent off for Manchester United in the 35th minute for a second yellow card before N'Golo Kanté scored the game's solitary goal early in the second half with a low driven shot which beat David de Gea. In the semi-final at Wembley Stadium, Chelsea took on Tottenham Hotspur, their London rivals. Willian gave Chelsea the lead in the fifth minute with a free kick before Harry Kane equalised with a low header. Son Heung-min was adjudged to have fouled on Victor Moses on 43 minutes and Willian converted the subsequent penalty to give Chelsea a 2–1 half-time lead. Dele Alli equalised from a Christian Eriksen pass early in the second half but strikes from Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matić secured a 4–2 win for Chelsea and qualification for the final.

Arsenal were appearing in the FA Cup final for the 20th time, and for the third time in four years. They had won the cup twelve times, and were beaten finalists seven times; most recently in 2001. By comparison, Chelsea were making their 12th appearance in a FA Cup final. The club won the cup seven times and lost four finals. The clubs had previously met 13 times in the FA Cup. Arsenal held an advantage in those meetings, winning seven of the last eight; Chelsea won the last FA Cup tie, a 2–1 victory in April 2009. This was the second FA Cup final to feature both sides; the first was won by Arsenal in 2002.