Lower league football clubs have slammed the Football Association’s decision to cancel replays of the men’s flagship competition.

FA Cup Replays for next season will be scrapped amid concerns an increasingly congested fixture list could impact on player welfare.

Sky News revealed players union in December Consider taking legal action In a crowded football year.

The current FA Cup format does not include replays of fifth-round games, but “given the changes to the schedule resulting from the expansion of UEFA competitions” there will now be no replays of first-round games.

But clubs in lower leagues will miss out on the chance to get paid for replays with higher-tier teams.

Such matches are often televised, making it difficult for smaller clubs to generate associated revenue and likely to sell their stadiums.

“The FA and Premier League have reached an agreement to further adapt to their own needs at the expense of other parts of the football pyramid,” said Nicolas Palrios, vice-chairman of League Two club Tranmere Rovers.

While calling for protests, she added: “There are 729 teams taking part in the FA Cup. Why is the FA Cup format determined by the Premier League, which represents around 3% of the teams?”

Andy Holt, chairman of League Two club Accrington Stanley, said: “Why would the hapless FA cancel a potentially lucrative early replay for the minnows?”

AFC Wimbledon supporter Ray Armfield cited the club’s famous 1975 replay against Leeds United which he said raised money from a crowd of 45,701.

He said on X that without it the club might not be in the Football League in two years’ time.

The English Football League (EFL), which consists of the Championship, League One and League Two, said: “We will now discuss the impact on EFL clubs and seek appropriate compensation arrangements.”

“Magic will be protected”

The new format is part of an agreement between the FA and the Premier League that will see the top flight provide up to an additional £33 million per season to grassroots football.

The FA said up to £133m would be provided to the football pyramid each season from 2025-26.

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Meanwhile, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said the “magic” of the game would be “protected”.

The FA has blamed the expansion of the Champions League next season for an overhaul of its flagship men’s competition – with each team playing eight games instead of six in the first phase of the new look.

Those concerns are further exacerbated by FIFA’s launch of a new 32-team Club World Cup in 2025, when most Premier League players will be furloughed.

The mid-season break has also been scrapped to allow the Premier League to start in mid-August, with a longer break giving clubs a better chance of giving players three weeks’ rest.

FA sources have questioned the view that replays are a major source of income for lower league clubs, which have been part of their 150-year tradition.

Over the past 10 years, 12 of the 19 third and fourth round replays played by EFL teams away from home have attracted more than 25,000 spectators. During the same period, only a handful of the first and second round rebroadcasts reached more than 7,000 viewers.