Why There Aren't FA Cup Replays in the 2024-25 Season | OneFootball

The Premier League will take a breather this weekend and instead, all top flight teams will play round three of the FA Cup. The oldest tournament in the soccer world kicks into gear but there is a very significant change this season: Replays have been scrapped from the competition.

What is a replay? In the past, whenever teams drew their matches from the first round up until the fourth round, a second game took place at a later date in the home of the visiting team in the first fixture. If the second game also ended with a draw, then 30 minutes of extra time and a penalty shootout ensued.

In a decision taken jointly between the English Football Association and the Premier League, an agreement was reached to abolish replays altogether. The expansion of the UEFA competitions this season is cited as the main driver for the change. Without replays, teams—especially Premier League sides—can handle an already congested calendar better.

However, not everyone is in favor of the change. Teams in the English Football League and lower divisions in English soccer have criticized the decision for a variety of reasons. The removal of replays takes away a traditional revenue stream from hosting games against Premier League teams. They also argue that since the decision was taken between the FA and the Premier League, they were left out of the decision making process. Finally, there are those who are against taking away a tranditional feature from the worlds oldest soccer tournament.

"English Football (soccer) is set to lose part of its soul." "A total lack of respect," and "simply unacceptable," are some of the things spokespersons from clubs in the lower divisions said when the changes were announced. However, the FA argues that the changes will benefit these teams in the long run and that the new calendar was approved by Professional Game Board, which is made up of four representatives from the Premier League and four from the EFL.

What Changes Have Been Announced for the 2024-25 FA Cup?