Huge FA Cup changes affecting Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal to come into affect ahead of the 2024/25 tournament

Huge FA Cup changes affecting Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal to come into affect ahead of the 2024/25 tournament

The FA and Premier League have reached an agreement on some major changes that will come into play for next season’s FA Cup with replays to be scrapped from the first round proper. The 2022/23 tournament had no replays from the fifth round onwards but now they are to be removed completely.

For lower league sides, this news will come as a significant blow with replays often providing vital revenue to clubs that need it most. However, the decision to have FA Cup exclusive weekends has been made with a number of changes to the calendar which is unlikely to go down well among Premier League clubs.

Part of an FA statement read: “The FA and the Premier League have reached a new agreement which will strengthen the Emirates FA Cup format with new and exclusive calendar windows.

“The agreement, which is for a minimum of six years, starts next season. All rounds of the Emirates FA Cup will now be played on weekends, including the fifth round which has been played in midweek for the last five seasons.

“The fourth and fifth rounds and the quarter-finals all will be exclusive of Premier League fixtures for the first time, and the fourth round will have an extended window from Friday to Wednesday to allow fans to watch consecutive days of Emirates FA Cup football.”

One of the other big changes will see the FA Cup final take place on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League with no fixtures to take place on days surrounding the game to allow the focus to be solely on the Wembley Stadium clash. Also in the update, it has been announced that the Premier League will increase their funding to £133million per season to grassroots football, which is £33million more than what is currently filtered through the pyramid.

That change will come into affect for the 2025/26 season with the aim that “new money will provide significant support to a range of areas as the game continues to grow.” Following the announcement, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “The Emirates FA Cup is our biggest asset and generates over 60 per cent of our revenue to invest into the game, so it is critical to secure a strong format for the future.

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

“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.”