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.”
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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.
