Revolutionary Changes in FA Cup! No More Replays!

Get ready, football fans! Say goodbye to those nail-biting FA Cup replays from next season. It's official! The Football Association's new deal tosses replays starting from the first round proper. All for a whopping £33 million a year agreement with the Premier League.

Why ditch the replays? Thanks to the Champions League's expansion, there's just no room for them. Clubs outside the Premier League might lose some broadcast and matchday dough, but they'll get a piece of that £33 million pie starting in 2025/26.

FA Cup Final Shenanigans: Earlier than Ever!

That's not all! The FA Cup final's strutting its stuff to the second-to-last Saturday of the football season. Yep, that might shake up its prestige, but the FA's banking on empty Premier League stadiums to keep the spotlights solely on the Cup.

But hey, small clubs – don't panic yet! The big bucks from the Premier League’s cash fountain should trickle down to grassroots football and beyond.

"The magic of the cup is safe," says FA bigwig Mark Bullingham. But not everyone's popping the champagne. Accrington Stanley's top man Andy Holt's fuming - he reckons they're swiping opportunities from the little guys. Meanwhile, Gary Neville's waving goodbye to replays like he's just scored a winner.

Sorry, traditionalists – the football world's spinning fast, and the FA Cup's hitching a ride straight into the future!