Need to know
The FA Cup returns this weekend with the third round of the competition and a decision has been made over whether or not VAR will be in use
Here, Mirror Sport takes a look at whether or not VAR will be in use during the third round of the FA Cup and the reasons behind the decision…
- Consistency of rules: To ensure every team in the same round competes under the same refereeing conditions, regardless of whether they are at a top-tier stadium or a non-league ground, there will be no VAR in use across all 32 FA Cup third-round ties this weekend.
- Infrastructure limitations: Many lower-league and non-league stadiums lack the high-speed fiber-optic cabling and specialized camera positions required to host VAR.
- Workforce demands: Implementing VAR across all 32 third-round fixtures would require a massive increase in trained VAR officials, which the PGMOL cannot currently provide simultaneously.
- Licensing constraints: The FA has not applied for a blanket International Football Association Board (IFAB) license for every stadium in the pyramid, limiting technology to specific certified venues.
- Sporting Integrity: The FA decided that having “different rules for different games” in the same round undermined the integrity of the world’s oldest cup competition.
- Simplifying Logistics: By removing it until the later rounds, the FA avoids the logistical nightmare of vetting and equipping dozens of stadia for a single weekend.
- For the 2025/26 season, VAR will officially come into play from the fifth-round proper (scheduled for the weekend of March 7, 2026) onwards. From that stage through to the Final at Wembley, every single match will utilize the technology.
- Notable fixtures: There are plenty of high-profile matches taking place across this weekend in the FA Cup, including Wrexham vs Nottingham Forest, Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace, Manchester City vs Exeter City, Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa, Charlton Athletic vs Chelsea, Portsmouth vs Arsenal, Manchester United vs Brighton and Liverpool vs Barnsley
