In the hierarchy of football, the pecking order goes FIFA, UEFA, Premier League then FA – and this is the problem for the FA Cup. It remains a great tournament for fans but not the money men at clubs. It’s the desire to maximise money that has caused the recent announcement to scrap all replays from next season.

FIFA have been jealous of UEFA’s ability to generate money from the Champions League and other competitions annually, as well as the European Championships every four years. FIFA historically have only made money in the years when the men’s World Cup took place.

FIFA earned £4.7billion in 2022 from the Qatar World Cup, but this decreased by 80% in 2023. An expanded FIFA World Club Cup of 32 teams is scheduled to take place in the US in 2025, and FIFA is hoping this will boost earnings enough to catch up with UEFA. Manchester City earned £4million from winning the FIFA World Club Cup in 2023, but this only involved two matches. Whoever is successful next year is likely to bank around £90m, but the tournament will be spread over four weeks.

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FIFA hope the tournament will be a hit with viewers, but that is uncertain. The only certainty is that the tournament will push back the start time to the 2025/26 domestic season, which itself of course leads into the FIFA World Cup in the United States in the summer of 2026.

UEFA themselves have responded to the threat of a breakaway SuperLeague by expanding the Champions League. Clubs will play a minimum of two extra group matches. Many will have to play two play-offs as well. Some of these are scheduled for midweek in January, when FA Cup replays would potentially take place.

UEFA’s tournaments take precedence in terms of the contract with domestic competitions, so Premier League clubs would not be able to play replays on the traditional dates. Manchester City earned £116m in prize money alone from winning the Champions League last season. FA Cup winners get around £4m.

With UEFA cost control measures being linked to revenue, there’s only one priority for bean counters, and it eclipses the romance of the FA Cup.

  • Kieran Maguire teaches at the University of Liverpool and co-hosts podcast The Price of Football