FA Cup third round: Why were replays scrapped from the competition?

The FA Cup third round remains one of the most memorable weekends of the football season, but the competition will look a little different this year after a seismic change.

As always, the draw has thrown together some intriguing ties, from a showdown between two of the competition’s most successful sides in Arsenal and Manchester United, to a meeting of Tottenham Hotspur and National League side Tamworth FC.

But while these fairytale ties against top-flight sides can still be the high point of a season for some clubs in the lower tiers, the decision to scrap replays from this season onwards has not been a popular one.

So why was this decision taken, and what are the competition’s new rules? Here’s everything you need to know.

The FA took the decision to scrap FA Cup replays in April 2024, with the country’s governing body working with the Premier League to come to an agreement in light of the expansion of the format to Uefa’s main competitions.

With the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League all being expanded, there were concerns about fixture congestion for sides in the top flight. Replays had already been scrapped from the fifth round onwards in previous seasons.

In addition, it is believed that the decision was also taken to try and help resolve fixture congestion for sides throughout the Football League.

The new agreement between the FA and Premier League will also see the top flight pay an additional £33m towards grassroots football.

Replays used to offer clubs from the lower tiers the chance at getting a famous result, or at least some potentially much-needed revenue, against sides from several leagues above them, but that possibility has been taken away.

Some argued that replays could provide notable income for lower-league clubs, though there doesn’t seem to have been an in-depth analysis of exactly how much such games can be worth.

Another argument in favour of replays concerns the possibility of lesser sides progressing in the tournament, with the imposition of extra-time now making it less likely that clubs from lower divisions can win a given game.

A recent example came in the second round, when non-league Harborough Town scored in the 86th minute to level the match 3-3 against Reading. Under old competition rules, they would have played a replay at Harborough’s home ground, but instead, extra-time was played and Reading eased to a 5-3 win.

However, it could also be said that a non-league team has more of a chance of progressing against a more-favoured opponent if the tie is settled on the day rather than going to a replay.

As well as the removal of replays, several other changes were agreed to the competition format.

Firstly, the FA Cup final will now be played on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, rather than after the conclusion of the league season.

In addition, all rounds of the FA Cup will now be played across the weekend, rather than in midweek, while the fourth round, fifth round and quarter finals will no longer clash with any Premier League fixtures.