Why the VAR will not be used in FA Cup third round

The popular Video Assistant Referee, VAR, would not be put to use as the FA Cup third-round fixtures kick off on Thursday.

Recall that VAR was used in the FA Cup since the 2017-18 season, starting in the third round, but it was only implemented in ties when an EPL side was playing at home “due to the infrastructure, workforce, and costs required for its operation.”

Since then, the tournamenet has effectively had a two-tier approach.

The stadium where a game was played would determine if a refereeing error was corrected.

Also, if a club from a lower-league earned a replay at the ground of a Premier League team, different conditions were applied for the two fixtures.

A typical scenario was in the 2023-24 season when the VAR was used in only 10 of the 32 third-round ties and seven of the 16 matches in the fourth round.

In a recent update, the Football Association has introduced a new rule that “ensures a consistent refereeing approach for all clubs taking part in the same stage of the competition.”

Going forward, there would be no VAR for matches in Rounds 3 and 4, but all matches will have VAR from the fifth round onwards, regardless of the host stadium.