The stadium is the venue for a joint news conference being held on Thursday by the Football Association and the Football League, when the announcement is set to be made.

FA head of communications Paul Newman said: "The FA have always made it clear that the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is our preferred option for staging the FA Cup final while Wembley is being rebuilt.

"We are delighted that lengthy negotiations are now near to a successful conclusion and we expect to make an official announcement at midday tomorrow."

The FA and Football League have been involved in negotiations with officials at the Millennium Stadium for some time with regard to hosting this season's finals.

The last game has now been played at the current Wembley stadium and while there have been considerable delays over the rebuilding project, the bulldozers are expected to move in soon.

The stadium will not reopen until at least 2004 and arrangements have therefore had to be made in the meantime, with Twickenham and various club grounds such as Old Trafford having also been considered.

However, Cardiff was always the preferred option for the FA and Football League and it is now expected that the deals will be officially announced.

The England national team will meanwhile continue with their plans to embark on a tour of club grounds around the country until the new Wembley has been completed.

The first game to take place at the Millennium Stadium between two English football teams is therefore set to be the Worthington Cup final on February 25.

The FA Cup final, on May 12, is meanwhile expected to be the first time the showpiece occasion has taken place outside England.