Women's FA Cup revamp on hold after criticism

"Plans to change the format of the Women's FA Cup, which would have seen four sides seeded and pathways to Wembley mapped out from the last 32 onwards, will not be introduced next season. The proposals, first reported by the Guardian, external this month, would prevent the top four sides from the previous season's Women's Super League (WSL) meeting until the semi-finals and end the use of draws from the fourth round onwards."

"We understand how much the competition means to clubs, players and fans across the pyramid, and it is important that all parties have enough time to share their views. As a result, we will be extending the consultation phase to allow for further engagement informed by the questions and comments raised."

"The sporting merit in our game is slowly being eroded in favour of 'super matches' between elite level teams," the fan group wrote on X. "The rich will only get richer and teams up and down the pyramid will fade into obscurity with the knowledge that without tens of millions of pounds, they won't even sniff the big time."

Plans to change the Women's FA Cup format to seed four sides and map pathways to Wembley from the last 32 will not be implemented next season. The proposals would have prevented the top four WSL teams meeting until the semi-finals and eliminated draws from the fourth round onward. The FA argued the changes would increase the likelihood of consistent high-quality later-round matches and strengthen commercial potential. Multiple supporters' clubs and fan groups warned seeding would erode sporting merit, damage the FA Cup's magic, and concentrate wealth among the biggest clubs. The FA will extend consultations to gather further views.

Read at www.bbc.com