Emirates FA Cup/calendar: a new agreement between The FA & the Premier League from 2024-25

The Football Association and the Premier League have signed a new agreement "for a minimum of six years" concerning the Emirates FA Cup from the 2024-25 season, announced the English body on 18/04/2024.

As for the competition itself, "all rounds of the Emirates FA Cup will now be played on weekends, including the fifth round which has been played in midweek for the last five seasons. The fourth and fifth rounds and the quarter-finals all will be exclusive of Premier League fixtures for the first time, and the fourth round will have an extended window from Friday to Wednesday to allow fans to watch consecutive days of Emirates FA Cup football," explained The FA regarding the new format, which also sees the complete abandonment of "replays" (matches replayed in the event of a tie at the end of 90 minutes) from the first round (this rule was still in force for the first four rounds in 2023-24), "in light of changes to the calendar driven by the expanded UEFA competitions."

"The Emirates FA Cup Final will now take place on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, on an…