FA Cup replays will be scrapped from the first round onwards, starting with next season's competition, in a controversial move that was announced this morning.
In a statement published on the FA's website, it was confirmed that an agreement had been reached with the Premier League to 'strengthen the Emirates FA Cup format with new and exclusive calendar windows'.
The agreement, which is for a minimum of six years, will see replays scrapped from the first-round proper, which is when Football League sides enter the competition.
Ipswich Town have been involved in numerous replays in recent years, albeit that they've ended up on the wrong side of many, famously losing to the likes of Lincoln City and Barrow in 2017 and 2019 respectively. They were also knocked out by Burnley at Turf Moor last season, having played out a goalless draw at Portman Road.
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There are some concerns that this will slash revenue and opportunities for clubs lower down the football pyramid, to which the Premier League has responded by providing an 'additional £33 million for grassroots football on top of the £100 million it currently gives to good causes each season'.
All rounds of the competition will now be played on weekends, including the fifth round, which has been played in midweek for the last five seasons.
On top of this, there will also be implications for the Blues if they are promoted to the Premier League this season.
The statement reveals: '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.
'The Emirates FA Cup Final will now take place on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, on an exclusive Saturday with no Premier League fixtures taking place on the same day. Additionally, there will be no Premier League games on the Friday night before the Final, to allow focus on the build-up to the showpiece event.'
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