Melbourne: The English FA Cup final is unlikely to be played at the new Wembley stadium until at least 2008 after the construction company in charge of the project said it would not be ready to host a major event until June 2007.
Australian firm Multiplex Group said on Tuesday it had conducted an analysis of the program to complete the job and said it did not expect the London stadium to be ready in time for the English season's showpiece final.
"The analysis has been reviewed with an expert in the operation of major stadia and indicates that it is unlikely that the stadium will be able to hold a test event for 90,000 spectators before June 2007," Multiplex said in a statement.
Multipex had previously said the stadium was likely to be completed by September 2006.
The 750 million pound ($1.40 billion) redevelopment in northwest London has been dogged by problems and soaring costs.
The 90,000-seater stadium was originally due to be ready to stage the 2006 FA Cup final but the match was switched to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, the venue for the event since 2001.
The English Football Association has already rescheduled England's home 2008 European Championship qualifiers in September for alternative venues.
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