FA, Premier League agree to scrap FA Cup replays from 2024-25

The FA have announced that there will be no replays in the FA Cup proper from the 2024-25 season onwards as part of a new agreement with the Premier League.

In the current edition of the FA Cup, all qualifying and proper matches up until the fifth round had replays, but top-flight managers in particular have voiced their displeasure at adding another game to an already-congested calendar.

The schedule is set to become even more relentless for teams in the upper echelons next year, when the revamped Champions League will feature 36 teams instead of 32, while FIFA's expanded Club World Cup in 2025 will also be comprised of 32 sides.

FA Cup replays are still considered sacred for lower-division teams for financial reasons, but calls for rematches to be scrapped have now been sanctioned by the FA as part of a new six-year agreement.

The governing body has announced that qualifying matches will still contain replays, but games from the first round onwards will be settled on the day with extra time and penalties if needs be.

In addition, the FA Cup final will also take place on the penultimate Premier League weekend, rather than keeping the showpiece match as the final fixture on the English football calendar, although no top-flight games will take place that day.

Furthermore, all fourth round, fifth round and quarter-final fixtures will be exclusive of Premier League fixtures, in changes that the FA made «in light of changes to the calendar driven by the expanded UEFA competitions.»

The mid-season winter break has also been abolished in favour of a longer summer recuperation period, allowing players a full three weeks off on the basis of «expert advice» from