FA Cup replays will be scrapped from the first round onwards in the 2024-25 competition.

[davieG]

FA Cup replays will be scrapped from the first round onwards in the 2024-25 competition.

All rounds of the Emirates FA Cup will also be played on weekends, including the fifth round which has been played in midweek for the past five seasons.

The changes come as part of a new six-year agreement between the Football Association (FA) and the Premier League.

 

 

 

The Premier League has also removed its mid-season break from the calendar.

 

Matches will start in mid-August following a consecutive three-week summer break instead of a shorter spell of rest in the winter, with the decision coming from "expert advice from medical and technical departments".

In its current format, the FA Cup has no replays from the fifth round onwards, but the FA says the move to eliminate them from an earlier stage has been made "in light of changes to the calendar driven by the expanded Uefa competitions".

Uefa launched the Europa Conference League in 2021 and the number of teams in the Champions League group stage will rise from 32 to 36 next season. Fifa has announced an expanded 32-team Club World Cup for 2025.

The FA Cup qualifying rounds - where teams from the fifth to the 10th tiers of English football compete for 32 spots in the first round - will still have replays.

The first round of the FA Cup sees professional teams from League One and League Two enter, with Championship and Premier League teams joining from the third round.

Other changes will see the fourth and fifth rounds, and the quarter-finals, played without clashing with any Premier League fixtures for the first time.

The fourth round will be played in an extended window from Friday to Wednesday.

The FA Cup final has also been moved to the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season.

It will be played on a Saturday, and will also be independent of any Premier League matches, as will the Friday before the final "to allow focus on the build-up to the showpiece event".

The agreement also sees the Premier League increasing its funding to grassroots football, with an additional £33m being provided.

"The FA Cup is our biggest asset," said FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.

"This new agreement between the FA and the Premier League strengthens the FA Cup and gives this very special tournament exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar.

"We have also agreed new funding for the grassroots game, disability football and the women's and girls' game.

"All football begins at the grassroots, and this is recognised by the Premier League with very welcome additional financial support."

[davieG]

The selling the soul of English Football pandering to the PL ££££s continues.

 

 

 

 

[davieG]

All rounds of the Emirates FA Cup will also be played on weekends, including the fifth round 

 

The fourth round will be played in an extended window from Friday to Wednesday.

 

???? Confused

[Leicester_Loyal]

Crap.

 

At least one bad game can knock the big 6 teams out if they get it wrong.

 

Not a fan of the FA Cup final being the weekend before the last PL games, it should be the end of season showpiece, prior to the European finals.

[Yes N'Didi]

"in light of changes to the calendar driven by the expanded Uefa competitions"

 

So the needs of 7/8 teams has overridden the needs of over 700 teams.

 

The only positive of this is getting rid of the entirely midweek rounds. The rest is absolutely abhorrent to the future of the competition.

[Aus Fox]

Another nail in the coffin

[SemperEadem]

Pathetic

[ajthefox]

No shits given about the fans or clubs, all about the ££££s

[Stuntman_Mike]

I might be in the minority, but I think I prefer it.

 

I just don't like that it's being done to benefit the 'elite' and that the early rounds are still replays. It should be all or nothing. 

[purpleronnie]

I find replays boring so I'm all for it, just hope the money gets filtered down to make up it.

[Super_horns]

2 minutes ago, Stuntman_Mike said:

I might be in the minority, but I think I prefer it.

 

I just don't like that it's being done to benefit the 'elite' and that the early rounds are still replays. It should be all or nothing. 

Yes how does scrapping them in rounds one and  two benefit PL teams?

[foxestalkisfullofidiots]

I get why the premier league want to scrap replays, it’s all about less domestic games and more European games but why do they care if the replays are scrapped in rounds 1 and 2??? 

[foxile5]

So the FA can break its tradition to suit the UEFA demands on the players? How about not having League matches on Sundays for European teams? How about arranging the league fixtures preferably like European countries do so that the likes of Liverpool/Arsenal/Man City play on Saturday in the mornings? Of course, that might limit the amount of "Super Sundays" that you can coin it off of over the footballing calender.

 

It also removes the possibility of a draw doesn't it. We all know which demographic cannot handle 'ties'.

[MPH]

There was always something magical about having non-league teams securing a replay against a top team. It was financially great for them too. 
 

 

seems a big shame to me..

[Daggers]

Dead game

[oxford blue]

59 minutes ago, purpleronnie said:

I find replays boring so I'm all for it, just hope the money gets filtered down to make up it.

Do you think that's likely?

If a lower or non league gets a draw at home they were previously sure of a good pay day in replay as revenues shared equally. 

As mentioned it will just enable top PL clubs to play more European games as authorities keep demanding bigger competitions. And of course lucrative friendlies are also essential for some clubs?

 

[purpleronnie]

1 minute ago, oxford blue said:

Do you think that's likely?

If a lower or non league gets a draw at home they were previously sure of a good pay day in replay as revenues shared equally. 

As mentioned it will just enable top PL clubs to play more European games as authorities keep demanding bigger competitions. And of course lucrative friendlies are also essential for some clubs?

 

Well I'd hope so, maybe also this will increase the chances of a giant killing too?

[grobyfox1990]

Good. Attendances are low, tv ratings are crap, teams play weakened sides. Fans clearly could not give a toss about replays, they were seemingly only being played to get sponsors names on screen more often and satisfy tv contracts. Get rid.

[Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot]

Think they should just get rid of teams in Europe for the fa cup. None of them care. Even we played entirely different 11s in the later stage to prioritise the second division. If even championship teams don’t take it seriously what’s the point of it anymore.

[Chelmofox]

Just now, Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot said:

Think they should just get rid of teams in Europe for the fa cup. None of them care. Even we played entirely different 11s in the later stage to prioritise the second division. If even championship teams don’t take it seriously what’s the point of it anymore.

To be honest, if they did this they would probably just give teams in Europe a bye into the 5th round.

[Thefox81]

Im just glad we won it before the competition dies.

[Super_horns]

Funny thing is these top teams get to the final stages generally so surely they aren’t that bothered about extra games .

 

Just play a load of kids in the 3rd round which is what some in the lower PL and Championship do.

 

I guess managers will prefer the risk of their team playing 120 minutes plus penalties once before a mid week game than a replay .

It will free up an extra week too from their point of view .

All down to money though of course. 

Edited 18 April by Super_horns

[foxgas]

3 hours ago, purpleronnie said:

I find replays boring so I'm all for it, just hope the money gets filtered down to make up it.

A replay at a big club can keep a lower league team afloat. It will lead to smaller clubs reversing the fixture if drawn at home to a big club destroying the magic of the cup.

 

[StanSP]

Good statement by Tranmere. I expect other clubs to follow suit... 

 

Tranmere Rovers condemn the disgraceful decision taken by The FA and the Premier League to change the format of the FA Cup, including the scrapping of replays.

There was no consultation with Football League clubs, National League clubs or grassroots clubs to whom the competition represents not only their best opportunity to create life-long memories for supporters but also a hugely important source of income. We also understand that FA Council members were not consulted about the changes.

The decision, and the way it was taken, demonstrate a total lack of respect for the football pyramid and its fans. Football belongs to all of us and decisions should not be taken in back room deals in which only the very wealthiest clubs are allowed to participate. It is yet another eloquent example of the 19th-century governance that means that football simply cannot regulate itself and needs the Independent Football Regulator to have real teeth.

We condemn the changes wholeheartedly and urge The FA to suspend them immediately until all stakeholders in the game are properly consulted. 

 

 

 

 

[David Hankey]

It seems to me this has all been engineered by the Premier League pandering to the so-called 'Big Clubs'.

 

No forethought has been given to the potential loss of revenue for lower league Clubs some whom received significant amounts of cash from replays.

 

Again, it is yet more evidence of the lowering standards of a world famous cup competition.