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FA Cup and Carabao Cup set for controversial shake-up as UEFA expand club competitions

The FA Cup and Carabao Cup are getting set for a controversial shake-up as UEFA get set to expand their club competitions.

A report from BBC Sport states that FA Cup third and fourth round replays as well as the two-legged Carabao Cup semi-finals are expected to be scrapped in a bid to reduce a hectic schedule especially for those competing in Europe.

The changes, which hasn’t got a confirmed date of when this will come into effect, would also see the FA Cup fifth round go back to a weekend slot rather than midweek.

This comes in light of the expansion of European competitions, the Champions League and Europa League expanding to 36 teams next term with the new ‘league phase’ lasting 10 weeks, four more than the current format, and sees the Premier League potentially getting extra European qualification places.

A new TV contract is set to commence in 2025-26, so it could well be for then.

Along with UEFA competition changes, we are also set to see a different international break format from 2025-26, so instead of stopping in both September and October for four games, nations are set to take part in a 16-day flurry of four games on international duty.

That then sees 12 ‘spare’ midweek slots for domestic football, in order to avoid an unwanted clash with European competitions.

Usually the midweek slots are needed to be kept as spare for rearranged games that are forced to be rescheduled due to clashes with cup games played on the weekend already.

So the one solution to finding more space would be by getting of of the replays for the third and fourth rounds of the FA Cup and lose one leg of the Carabao Cup semis, as well as move the FA Cup fifth round to the weekend.

In the four-year cycle beginning in 2025, the Prem has already offered up five midweek rounds of fixtures to broadcasters, one up from the current offering.

You can read more on the potential changes by clicking HERE.

Here’s how fans reacted with the FA Cup and Carabao Cup set for a controversial shake-up as UEFA expand club competitions…

@FulhamTransfer: Awful decision. The non League sides that rely on the replay money will be hit hard.

@stephen2427: Could do what I think they do in France the lower rank team picks whether to play home or away. I also think having no reply’s will allow more Fa cup shocks which is what people remember about the fa cup.

@Wozz77: So lower league clubs lose out on potential paydays because the greedy league are complaining about too many games… The same greedy league clubs that travel all over the World for about 6 weeks before the season begins playing god knows how many games to boost revenue..🤬

@kiddyhlee77: This Just hurts non league/smaller teams who need the money. Here’s a thought perhaps the big teams should win there games in the first place if there that good.

@fcislocheng: Keep the FA Cup as it is. Make the League Cup a tournament only for teams that aren’t in Europe and solve the fixture congestion issue that way?

@Freddie_Galen: The FA Cup has around 750 teams enter it. Rules shouldn’t be made based on the fixtures of 7 or 8 of them.

@JohnAustin75: Just thinking about those few big teams again who have loads of money anyway instead of the hundreds of others who are doing their best to keep going with this being one of the ways that they can make a bit of money.

@ansteypete: FA CUP replays have proved an incentive and driving force for lower league, non-league clubs for over a century. Once again the FA is not thinking of grassroots football… bowing down to the big clubs and International fixtures AGAIN.

@DB_Jackson1606: Terrible for the game as a whole. Premier league teams have enough squad to play all games they don’t need the extra help

@AndyPBurton; Another move to benefit the bigger clubs

@Blue_Cav: Boils my piss these debates. Around 85% will play 50 matches a season. Changing rules to suit the more successful clubs just makes the gap bigger and defends the cash flow they receive. Maybe clubs who play Euro should not play LGE Cup or use there U 23’s in the comp.

@C_Ward93: For the benefit of a tiny proportion of clubs. Shambolic

@Bottman94: What about the thrill for a lower league teams when they’ve earned a replay at premier League grounds

@PaulRawlings13: I went to Sheffield wednesday v arsenal in 1979 that need 5 games to decide the tie, its one of my favourite memories ever and what made the Fa cup the best tournament in the world… dont let greed win

@_arrongallagher: Also why scrap replays when that’s financially better for the lower league teams?

@a49bullsfan: So presumably Premier League clubs will be willing to give up the prize money from a win and also their entire share of the gate receipts, home or away, as compensation then? 🤔

@eddwillmot: Another step to help the big premier league clubs! Taking more earning opportunities away from lower league and non league clubs! Bet PL clubs still spend pre season on the other side of the world. Add this to the youth player stockpiling that goes on! #supportlowerleaguefootball

@Lyndontaylor7: All to suit the big six and take money off the lower league clubs.sometimes a replay is a financial godsend to them

@TheDamphair: Something that will benefit the few big clubs at the top and help cripple smaller clubs further down the pyramid. Class lads. Fucking the game up one decision at a time 👏

@maffoo12: If the big 6 clubs are that arsed about their amount if games, they could pressure UEFA to reduce the amount of games in the Champions League. Gee, I wonder why they won’t.

@theo1881: 50 man squads and they worry about one or two extra games – farcical

@GWard63: I can see both sides of the argument but massively detrimental to the good of the whole of the sport. As a bare minimum, retain replays at 3rd round where most shocks come. That’s what made the FA Cup so famous. Its not just about the big clubs…

@jewkesyno4: That doesn’t help the smaller, lower league clubs. This helps out a handful of teams at the top at the expense of everyone else.

@Weysider: These games are not the problem. The problem is the greed of the larger clubs and UEFA.

@sutchdesign: Fa Cup replays have been a huge part of why the FA cup is so special, though because of all the money in football now, it has sadly lost its spark over the years as so many teams don’t take it as seriously as they should. It’s a real shame

@paynaar: There are 729 clubs in the cup this year and this decision panders to what? The top half of the prem who’ve probably got more money than the other 720-odd clubs combined? Absolute shambles forgoing tradition and forgetting grassroots

@lemons1110: If the big clubs don’t like replays, maybe they shouldn’t enter. A replay for a lower league club could set them up financially for the season or a few seasons.

@McL4UGHL1N: All to suit the top few clubs. For eg. Man Utd have 53 players aged 18+ on their books that represent the 1st team and U21 teams. The other clubs will be the same. 53 adults available to play an 11 a side game. It’s never enough for these clubs. Always want more and more.

@King_Solomon67: England gradually losing its aged long footballing tradition. Leave as it is.

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