FA not considering scrapping third-round replays or moving FA Cup to midweek

The Football Association is not considering scrapping FA Cup third-round replays or moving the competition to midweek, Press Association Sport understands.

The growing influence of the Champions League and Premier League has seen the FA Cup's impact fade over the years.

The competition, won last month by Arsenal, undergoes continual review, but an FA source says ending third-round replays and moving it into a primarily midweek event is not on the agenda at the moment.

A report suggested club bosses believe the inevitable outcome of discussions between the FA and Premier League regarding the calendar would eventually see the introduction of a winter break, along with end of replays in the third, fourth and fifth rounds.

That move may come down the line but does not appear imminent, although t he 2016/17 campaign saw no quarter-final replays after a sudden-death format was approved by the FA board.

More than 11,000 players took part in last season's FA Cup, with Arsene Wenger's men denying Chelsea the double with a 2-1 win in the Wembley final.

The FA confirmed on Thursday morning that the 2018 FA Cup final will take place on Saturday, May 19, with the women's showpiece event a fortnight earlier.