English FA have announced the schedule for 2024-25 FA Cup, which contains no replays beyond Qualifying Rounds.
The competition will commence with an Extra-Preliminary Round on weekend of 2-4 August, followed by the Preliminary Round which will be played between 16-18 August.
The four Qualifying Rounds will be played on the following dates, with replays to be held in the following midweek after each Qualifying Round;
- QR1 – 30 August – 1 September
- QR2 – 13-15 September
- QR3 – 27-29 September
- QR4 – 11-13 October
The First Round will see League One and League Two clubs – including EFL debutants, Bromley – enter the competition, with ties taking place on weekend of 1-4November, with the winners advancing to the Second Round which will take place between 29 November – 2 December.
From the First Round onwards, there will be no replays in a controversial move to aid fixture congestion.
Premier League and Championship clubs will enter at the Third Round Stage, which will be played between 10-13 January, with reigning champions – Manchester United amongst clubs who receive a bypass to this stage.
Fourth Round ties will be played across the weekend of 7-10 February.
The Fifth Round will return to a standalone weekend slot on the weekend of 28 February – 3 March, with no Premier League fixtures scheduled for that weekend, marking the first time that specific round won’t be played in midweek since 2018-19 season.
Quarter-Finals will be played on the weekend immediately following the international break, of 29-30 March, in a change to recent tradition of being held on the weekend immediately before March’s international break.
Semi-Finals will take place on weekend of 26 and 27 April, with both semi-finals played at Wembley Stadium, London.
The Final will take place on Saturday 17 May with no top-flight league fixtures scheduled for that specific date, thereby marking the first time since 2012-13 that the FA Cup Final will be played before the conclusion of the Premier League season.
This season will be the last edition to be played under the current free-to-air (FTA) broadcasting deal between BBC and ITV, before TNT takes over as primary rightsholder from 2025-26 season on a four-year contract whilst BBC will sublicense FTA coverage across the same period.
| Round | Date |
| Extra Preliminary | 2-4 August |
| Preliminary | 16-18 August |
| QR1 | 30 August – 1 September |
| QR2 | 13-15 September |
| QR3 | 27-29 September |
| QR4 | 11-13 October |
| R1 | 1-4 November |
| R2 | 29 November – 2 December |
| R3 | 10-13 January 2025 |
| R4 | 7-10 February |
| R5 | 28 February – 3 March |
| Quarter-Finals | 29-30 March |
| Semi-Finals | 26-27 April |
| Final | 17 May |
Leave a Reply