Brighton will walk out at Wembley on Sunday with the chance to win the first major trophy in the club’s history, and they will do it against Manchester City in the Womens FA Cup Final 2026. For Dario Vidosic, the match will also carry the memory of his father, Rado, who died from cancer four months ago.

Vidosic, 39, said his father is still with him in the work, the choices and the pressure of a day like this. “He’s always in my thoughts,” he said, adding that he will carry that with him not just to Wembley but in every moment of life. His wife and children will be in the stands for the final, where Brighton will try to turn a first major women’s final into something the club has never had before.

Brighton did not arrive here by taking the easiest route. They came from two goals down at Liverpool in the semi-final and won 3-2, with Nadine Noordam scoring in the 95th minute after coming off the bench. It was the kind of finish that can change how a club sees itself, and it sent Brighton into their first major women’s final after three semi-finals in six years. They also beat Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-final, a run that underlined how far they have come against opponents with more history and more silverware.

That is what gives Sunday’s final its edge. Brighton have already shown they can hurt one of the game’s bigger names, beating Manchester City in their most recent Women’s Super League meeting in April, but Wembley asks for more than a good performance. It asks for the one result that lasts. Brighton’s own people know that as well as anyone, because in football the achievement matters, but the winner is the one that stays in the memory.

Rado Vidosic knew the terrain too. He had worked as Brighton’s women’s team head of coaching when he died, and before that he had helped win major honours in Australia, including an A-League double with Melbourne City in 2020 and trophies as Ange Postecoglou’s assistant at Brisbane Roar 15 years ago. For Brighton, Sunday is a shot at history. For Vidosic, it is history with his family beside him, and with the man who helped shape him still very much part of the day.

The final now comes down to one simple thing: whether Brighton can turn all that momentum, grief and belief into the club’s first major trophy, or whether they leave Wembley with only the knowledge that they had their chance.