In a historic decision on Thursday (April 18), the Football Association (FA) has decided to scrap replays for the FA Cup from the 2024-25 season. The decision speculated to come sometime soon is historic in its right, considering FA Cup replays have been part of the traditional football calendar ever since the tournament started in 1871. Scrapping FA Cup replays will now help accommodate extra matchdays for the extended UEFA calendar from the 2024-25 season.
The FA and The @premierleague have reached an agreement to strengthen the #EmiratesFACup format and increase support for grassroots football.
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— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 18, 2024
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FA Cup replays scrapped
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has said: “The new schedule ensures the magic of the Cup is protected and enhanced while working for the whole of the English game. The longer summer period also allows a much-needed player break before the start of the next season.”
While Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters said: “The FA and the Premier League have worked in partnership to deliver more exclusive weekends without compromising the excitement of knockout football and this has been achieved at the same time as allowing us to ease fixture congestion generally.”
The FA Cup replays have been part of the football calendar ever since its inception, however, with increasing physical demands and stress on the players, scrapping the replays at various stages had become mandatory. During the 2013-14 season, FA Cup replays were scrapped for the quarterfinals and later from the fifth round. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21, there were no replays and matches decided in a single leg.
The changes come as part of a new six-year agreement between the Football Association (FA) and the Premier League. The decision will help UEFA to accommodate extra matchdays in the 2024-25 season.
With the extended format in UEFA Champions League, there will be two more matchdays in the group stage while a playoff round will take place before the Round of 16.
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”.