This week.
Announced on the official website of the English Premier League
new season
FA Cup
The restructuring of the fixtures brings with it a number of important changes. The FA Cup will be completely altered for the new season, including the fact that all rounds will be played at weekends, with the fifth round no longer scheduled for midweek as it has been for the past five years.
In addition, from the first round of the FA Cup, the replay mechanism will be removed, meaning that matches will have to be decided in the first head-to-head. The fourth and fifth rounds, as well as the quarter-finals, will be played in exclusive slots where there is no Premier League, ensuring the attention and importance of the FA Cup competition. In particular, the fourth round fixtures will run from Friday to the following Wednesday, providing teams with more time to prepare for the competition.
Most notably, the FA Cup final will be brought forward to before the end of the Premier League season. The date of the final has been set for Saturday, May 17, 2025, a day on which no Premier League matches are scheduled. This adjustment means that the FA Cup winner will be crowned before the Premier League season finale, giving the historic cup competition a greater sense of independence and ceremony.
