Major shake-up to FA Cup coming NEXT SEASON in almighty blow to lower-league clubs

FA CUP replays will be scrapped from the third round onwards in new plans drawn up by the FA, according to reports.

It is a big blow for lower league clubs and the move will likely be met with opposition from the EFL.

PA

FA Cup replays could be scrapped from the third round onwards[/caption]

Replays from the fifth round onwards were scrapped in the 2018-19 season, meaning lower league clubs only have a chance to profit in rounds three and four.

Televised third and fourth-round replays are worth £40,000 and £55,000 respectively, with clubs splitting gate receipts equally.

It comes after ten top-flight clubs rejected the Premier League’s proposal to introduce a £900million package to be filtered down the leagues with the aim of easing financial pressures.

The EFL are expected to respond to the knock-backs by withdrawing their offer to scrap two-legged Carabao Cup semi-finals from next season.

Negotiations have broken down with the Premier League keen to address concerns about fixture scheduling.

The FA also need to consider when replays would be held as there will be fewer mid-week slot available following the expansion of the Champions League.

Uefa’s Premier competition will be extended to 36 teams from 32 for the 2024-25 season.

But instead of eight groups of four clubs in the initial phase, there will be a new “league” format.

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Each club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.

The format will be mirrored across all three European competitions, except for six matches instead of eight in the Conference League.

The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.

Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.