FA Cup replays and two-legged League Cup semis scrapped

Measures have been taken to ease fixture congestion.

FA Cup replays will be scrapped for the 2020/21 season in order to reduce fixture congestion. The coronavirus pandemic has pushed the start of next season back to September 12 and some matches have been removed from the calendar in order to finish the season on time. FA Cup ties that end in a draw will go straight to extra time and penalties. Replays have been an important part of FA Cup tradition since the tournament's conception, offering teams in the lower leagues the chance to have a lucrative payday should they come up against a Premier League side. Teams down the pyramid will be hopeful these measures remain temporary and the footballing calendar reverts to the norm for 2021/22. The semi-finals of the Carabao Cup will also be changed from two-legged affairs to a one-off match, as has been the case in European competition this month. The first four rounds of the Carabao Cup are set to be played before the end of September, somehow, as the EFL look to blitz through the competition. Prize money for the FA Cup is also going to be reduced back to its 2017/18 level, after two years of increases, as the financial impact of the coronavirus is felt far and wide.