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English Football Association (FA) on Thursday made a six-year-long agreement with the Premier League to strengthen domestic football and announced a new format for the FA Cup. As per the statement from the association, all the matches from the next season will be on weekends, including the fifth-round matches which used to take place in the midweeks.
No replays from the next season
The fourth and fifth rounds and the quarter-finals of the FA Cup fixtures will be exclusive from the Premier League dates for the first time.
The fourth round will have an extended window from Friday to Wednesday for the fans to enjoy the games of the tournament on consecutive days.
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Along with that, the announcement stated that, from the next season all the replays will be scraped off and the final will now take place on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, on an exclusive Saturday with no Premier League games taking place on that day.
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"The Emirates FA Cup Final will now take place on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, on an exclusive Saturday with no Premier League fixtures taking place on the same day. Additionally, there will be no Premier League games on the Friday night before the Final, to allow focus on the build-up to the showpiece event," a statement from the FA stated.
Mark Bullingham, the CEO of the FA said, "This new agreement between the FA and the Premier League strengthens the Emirates FA Cup and gives this very special tournament exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar.
"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."
Moreover, the Premier League will now provide £133 million per season from the 2025-26 season to strengthen the structure of grassroots football and help support the ongoing development of the girls' game as well.