Football: Historic! FA Cup replays scrapped from 2024-25 season to accommodate UEFA's extended calendar

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.

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.

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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