FA Cup replays will be phased out from the first round of the competition in the 2024-25 season.
All rounds of the Emirates FA Cup will also be played on weekends, including the fifth round, which has been played midweek for the past five seasons.
The changes are a part of a brand new six-year agreement between the Football Association (FA) and the Premier League.
The Premier League has also removed the mid-season break from its calendar.
The competition will start in mid-August, after one other three-week summer break as an alternative of a shorter winter rest period, and the decision will be made after “opinions from experts from medical and technical faculties.”
There are not any replays from the fifth round in the current FA Cup format, but the FA says the decision to eliminate them from an earlier stage was taken “in light of changes to the calendar resulting from UEFA’s extended competition”.
UEFA launched the European Conference League in 2021, and the variety of teams in the Champions League group stage will increase from 32 to 36 next season, while FIFA announced an expanded Club World Cup in 2025, with 32 teams.
What are the recent FA Cup rules?
The FA Cup qualifying rounds, where teams from England’s fifth and tenth divisions are competing for 32 places in the first round, will still be played if the tie is level after 90 minutes.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said the decision to withdraw first round replays was “frustrating and disappointing” and that the EFL would “seek appropriate compensation arrangements”.
He added: “This is another lost traditional revenue stream for EFL clubs at a time when the financial gap between the biggest clubs and those further down the pyramid is growing wider than ever.”
The winners of this 12 months’s FA Cup will receive £2 million, while non-league and lower league clubs will receive prize money and potential broadcast revenue with each round played.
Professional teams from League One and League Two will join the first round of the FA Cup, with teams from the Championship and Premier League joining from the third round.
Other changes will include the fourth and fifth rounds and the quarter-finals, which for the first time will be played without clashing with any Premier League match.
The fourth round will be played in an prolonged window from Friday to Wednesday.
The FA Cup final has also been moved to the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season.
The match will be played on Saturday and will be separate from any Premier League matches, as will be the Friday before the final, “to allow you to focus on preparations for the biggest event”.
The deal also sees the Premier League increase its funding for grassroots football with a further £33 million.
“The FA Cup is our greatest asset,” said FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.
“This new agreement between the FA and the Premier League strengthens the FA Cup and provides this unique tournament with exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar.”
“Short-sighted move” – response
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has said he would like the structure of the FA Cup to stay unchanged.
“As always, the game is dictated and dominated by the big boys, and the big boys don’t want an FA Cup repeat, do they?” Wilder said.
“I’m a traditionalist and I would like things to stay the same, but the game goes on and there are more minutes [are being played] in a game that people are trying to fight back against.”
Tranmere Rovers vice-chairman Nicola Palios accused the FA and Premier League of reaching the agreement “to secure further benefits at the expense of the rest of the football pyramid”.
“There are seven hundred and twenty-nine teams competing in the FA Cup. Why is its format dictated by the Premier League, which represents approx [about] 3% of them? A protest is needed!” – added Palios.
Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango said football needed a “collective approach” to the global fixture calendar somewhat than a “fight over available dates”.
He added: “The current unsustainable approach to the calendar must be seen as a problem for every club at every level if we are to continue to protect our domestic competitions.”
Fair Game chief executive Niall Couper said the decision “deprives lower league clubs of a much-needed source of income” and is a “short-sighted move that does nothing to strengthen the game”.
Credit : www.bbc.co.uk
