FA Cup Replays Scrapped From Next Season, 2024-2025 EPL To Start Mid-August

The English Football Association said they have agreed with the Premier League to scrap FA Cup replays from the first round to the end of the campaign.

This means that from next season, there wouldn’t be room for double-legged affairs in the FA Cup according to the FA announcement on Thursday, April 18.

A statement from the FA explained that this development is “in light of changes to the calendar driven by the expanded UEFA (European) competitions”.

Note that the UEFA Champions League comes with 64 more games next season causing more congestion in the domestic football calendar.

To adjust to the congestion, the FA Cup would now be played at weekends including the fifth round, which used to be played in midweek for the past five seasons.

This means that there won’t be Premier League matches on weekends set aside for the fourth and fifth rounds as well as the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Based on this arrangement, there won’t be a mid-season break in the domestic calendar from next season. The agreement for these changes is expected to last for six years.

Following the new arrangement, the 2024-2025 Premier League season will commence in mid-August. This will give room for the players to enjoy at least a three-week break from football after this season.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “The FA Cup is our biggest asset and generates over 60 percent 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 FA Cup and gives this very special tournament exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar.”

He added: “The longer summer period also allows a much-needed player break before the start of the next season.”

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