The FA Cup could be set for wholesale changes which include scrapping replays, moving the early rounds to midweek nights and having the final played on the same weekend as Premier League games.
This extraordinary deal could see the Premier League sell overseas TV rights for the FA Cup for ten years starting from the 2024/25 season, which would give top flight clubs control of the entire domestic calendar. These changes would be the biggest that the competition has experienced in its 152-year history.
FA Cup Set For Drastic Changes
It is understood that FA chief executive mark Bullingham is minded to accept the Premier League’s offer and their terms, which include:
- The abolition of FA Cup replays.
- The prospect of early rounds of the competition being played midweek.
- The end of a stand-alone weekend for the FA Cup final at the end of the season, with the showpiece occasion being brought forward to clash with a regular weekend of Premier League fixtures every year.
- The FA Cup final will likely be held on the penultimate Saturday of the season, with a full Premier League schedule taking place on the Sunday
- A 10-year deal to sell foreign TV rights for all overseas markets, and the possibility of subsequently selling the domestic rights, which are currently held by BBC and ITV.
- An increased offer payment from the Premier League to the FA to fund grassroots football.
Replays have already been banned from the fifth round onwards, but these changes would see them scrapped completely.
Another huge change would be that the FA Cup final is played on the same weekend as other Premier League fixtures.
Traditionally, the FA Cup is the stand alone fixture of that weekend its played on, however the league now want it to take place alongside other fixtures. This change would see the competition’s final played on the penultimate Saturday of the season, with the remaining league games all played on the Sunday.
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