VAR won't be used in any FA Cup third round ties
The FA Cup third round (stream all games live on ESPN+, U.S. Only) gets underway on Thursday — but VAR won’t be used in any of the ties.
VAR was introduced into the FA Cup in the 2017-18 season starting in the third round — but only in ties when a Premier League club was at home “due to the infrastructure, workforce and costs that are required for its operation.”
It meant that over the course of the next seven seasons, the competition effectively had a two-tier approach, and where a tie was played determined if a refereeing error was corrected. Also, if a lower-league team earned a replay at the ground of a Premier League club, different conditions would be in place for the two fixtures.
In the 2023-24 season VAR was used in only 10 of the 32 third round ties, and seven of the 16 matches in the fourth round.
The Football Association has now made a crucial change which “ensures that there is a consistent refereeing approach for all clubs taking part in the same stage of the competition.”
There will be no VAR in any game in Round 3 and 4, but all matches will have VAR from the fifth round onwards, regardless of where the game is being played.
