European competitions expanding has caused the English footballing calendar to have a rethink regarding its fixture list.
FA Cup replays and Carabao Cup two-legged semi-finals are all set to be scrapped to make way for the growing European tournament. The FA Cup fifth round will also go back to its traditional weekend slot.
Changes to European tournaments come into place as early as next season when the Champions League and Europa League expands to 36 clubs. This means that group stage matches will now consist of 10 games instead of its usual 6.
There is currently no word as to when the changes could come into place, though a new TV contract is set to commence in 2025-26.
With Fifa’s international match calendar not set to change until 2026, the four games that are currently played in September and October will run across a single 16 day window. This leaves a maximum of 12 spare midweeks for domestic matches to be played if clashes with European club competitions.
The FA could give up third and fourth round replays in exchange for a return to a weekend date for the fifth round of the competition for the first time since 2019-20.
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