“Abide With Me” at today’s F.A. Cup Final

It’s time again for my favorite hymn-sing of the year: “Abide with Me” at today’s F.A. Cup final. Here’s a notice about today’s hymn:

The singing of “Abide with Me,” the Final’s traditional pre-match ritual, will be led within Wembley Stadium by the B Positive Choir. The choir has members across the UK, many of whom include people who have blood-related medical conditions such as Sickle Cell disease, as well as blood donors and recipients. The singing of the hymn – often an emotional moment for the thousands in the stadium and the millions watching at home – will be dedicated to the memory of all those who have lost their lives in the COVID-19 pandemic.

In pre-Covid days the hymn would be sung by about 90,000 people in Wembley Stadium. This may be one of largest regular hymn-sings of all time.

Here’s what it looked like in 2015.