With European tournaments increasing the number of matches in the upcoming season, the FA is also considering ways to reorganize the schedules of domestic cup competitions such as the FA Cup and the League Cup.
Starting from the 2024/25 season, the Champions League and Europa League will expand from 32 teams to 36, primarily by extending the group stage to 10 weeks instead of the current 6. This, of course, directly affects the domestic football calendar.
England has two major domestic cup competitions, the FA Cup and the League Cup, making scheduling even more challenging. To ease the workload on players and facilitate the fixtures, the FA is considering eliminating replays when the initial matches in the third and fourth rounds of the FA Cup end in a draw. The fifth round could be scheduled over a weekend. Additionally, the two-legged semifinal format in the League Cup might be reduced to a single leg. These are proposals from the FA, and restructuring the schedules is complicated as the broadcasting rights for these competitions have already been sold until the 2024/25 season.
In addition to changes in UEFA competitions, the international football calendar will see significant adjustments from the 2025/26 season. Instead of playing four matches in two international breaks in September and October, national teams will engage in a four-match tour lasting 16 consecutive days.
This implies an additional 12 midweek slots will be available to accommodate domestic cup fixtures. However, the overall number of matches involving players will increase rather than decrease, leading to intense criticism.
