Thursday 04 January 2024 9:00 am | Updated: Wednesday 03 January 2024 4:13 pm

Explained: How FA Cup replays work in 2023-24 and when they’ll be axed

Sports Editor

Manchester City v Sheffield United: Emirates FA Cup Semi Final — LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: A fan holds a tin foil FA Cup trophy during the Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Manchester City and Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium on April 22, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

FA Cup replays may be on borrowed time but they remain in place for the third round, which takes place this week and sees Premier League clubs enter the fray.

Replays were scrapped for two seasons – 2020-21 and 2021-22 – because the pandemic led to fixture congestion but they returned last year.

And they will again come into effect if any of the 32 third-round ties, which include four all-Premier League clashes, end in a draw after 90 minutes.

The fourth round will also have replays, after which the FA Cup traditionally reverts to one-off matches resolved by extra-time and penalties if necessary.

Beyond this season, however, FA Cup replays face an uncertain future.

They have been phased out over the last decade, with fifth-round replays axed in 2017-18 and those in later rounds scrapped in 2015.

And they are expected to be ditched from the third and fourth rounds too, as part of wider reform of the English football calendar currently under discussion.

Why FA Cup replays are on the way out

That is because available slots for scheduling replays are set to be squeezed further by a series of competition changes over the next few years.

From next season, the Champions League will feature two additional matches in its revised group stage, while the following season will see an additional round of Premier League games played midweek.

In summer 2025 the super-sized Club World Cup will be played for the first time, potentially delaying the start of the season, while in 2026 a new global calendar comes into effect, with new international windows.

Realistically, FA Cup replays could survive next season but it is hard to see how they can be accommodated beyond that, so this month could be one of the last times that top-flight teams are forced to play them.