Premier League Confirms Dates for 2024-2025 Season, Potential Impact on FA Cup and Carabao Cup Structure

The Premier League have confirmed the dates for the 2024-2025 season which will begin on Friday, August 17, 2024 and conclude on May 25, 2025.

It will begin just 90 days after the conclusion of the 2023-2024 campaign which ends on May 19. The final round of matches for the 2024-2025 season will be played on May 25 when all of the matches will kick off simultaneously as normal.

In keeping with previous commitments made to clubs to address the congested schedule across Christmas and New Year, arrangements will be made to allow for more rest time over three of the festive match rounds. No club will play within 60 hours of another match and there will be no fixture on December 24.

The 2024-2025 season will initially consist of 33 weekends, four midweek rounds of matches and one bank holiday match week.

This schedule could have a significant impact on the FA Cup, with the sport’s oldest cup competition possibly scraping replays from the third round onwards. The Carabao Cup (EFL Cup) may also change its structure with the two-legged semi-finals, which have been a feature since its inception in 1961, possibly being replaced by the straight shootout match as the EFL Cup needs three midweeks to get from the third round to the last-four stage.

The adjustment to the schedule means there will be four weekend rounds and that, when coupled by the tight overall calendar, leaves just six midweeks across the entire country with no Premier League or European match days scheduled.

The overall European club calendar is being squeezed to fit into the calendar due to the expansion of the Champions League and Europa League as well as UEFA’s desire for the latter and the newly created Europa Conference League to have each one “exclusive” midweek when no other competitions are played.

The conclusion of the 2024-2025 season will be swiftly followed by the expanded 32-team Club World Cup which starts on June 15, 2024.