The FA had already dropped replays from the fifth round onwards and said the move to ditch them from earlier rounds had been agreed "in light of changes to the calendar driven by the expanded UEFA (European) competitions". From next season the Champions League will feature an extra 64 games, creating increased pressure on the domestic calendar.
World governing body FIFA has announced an expanded 32-team Club World Cup for 2025. But the English Football League (EFL), which oversees tiers two, three and four, said it would seek compensation over the "frustrating and disappointing" decision to scrap replays, which provided vital income for lower division clubs when they played bigger teams.
The FA said all rounds of the FA Cup would now be played at weekends and there will be no Premier League matches on weekends set aside for the fourth and fifth rounds and the quarter-finals. Teams from the third and fourth tiers of English football enter the FA Cup in the first round, with Premier League and Championship clubs joining from the third round.
The FA Cup qualifying rounds for clubs outside the top four tiers will still have replays. EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: "This represents 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 bigger than ever.
"We will now be discussing the implications for EFL clubs and seeking appropriate compensation arrangements." The changes announced on Thursday, which are part of a six-year agreement, will also mean the removal of the mid-season break from the Premier League calendar.
The English top-flight will start the 2024/25 season in mid-August to give players a consecutive three-we
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