FA planning major change to FA Cup next season which could be hugely controversial

The FA are planning a major change to the FA Cup next season, according to reports.

According to the Sun, FA Cup replays are set to be scrapped from the third round onwards in new plans drawn up by the FA.

The move will come as a major blow to lower league teams, and will likely be met with opposition from the Football League.

In the 2018-19 season replays from the fifth round onwards were scrapped, meaning lower league outfits would only have a chance to profit from a replay in rounds three and four.

Televised third and fourth-round replays are worth some £40,000 and £55,000 respectively, with clubs having an equal split of gate receipts.

The decision comes after ten Premier League clubs are reported to have rejected a proposal to introduce a £900million package to be filtered down the leagues.

As per the Sun report, the EFL are expected to respond to the knock-back by withdrawing their offer to scrap the two-legged Carabao Cup semi-finals from next term.

The Premier League have been keen to address concerns regarding fixture scheduling.

Moreover, the FA would have needed to consider when replays can take place, with fewer mid-week slots available following the Champions League expansion from 32 to 36 teams from next season.

The revamped competition will now have a new 'league' format rather than the traditional eight groups of four clubs in the initial phase.

UEFA have drawn up plans for a new Champions League group stage format (Getty)

Each club will play eight matches in the opening phase against seeded opposition. The system is designed to ensure teams play opponents of a similar standard.

The format will mirrored in all three of UEFA’s European competitions, though the Conference League will have six matches instead of eight.

The top eight teams in the final table will qualify automatically for the last 16, with the remaining sides competing in a play-off to determine the other eight sides for the knock-out stages.

The European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots, despite there being only eight matches in the opening phase.

Topics: FA Cup, Football, Premier League, Carabao Cup, Champions League, UEFA

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.