Is there VAR in FA Cup fifth-round matches? Is semi-automated offside technology in use at Man United and Man City?
By Leon Imber
Published 01/03/2025 at 09:36 GMT
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There will be a first for competitive English football this weekend, as FA Cup fifth-round ties held at Premier League stadiums are set to utilise semi-automated offside technology - a system which previously garnered praise for its swift decision-making at UEFA Euro 2024. But will the remainder of the fifth-round ties deploy VAR?
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History is to be made in English football this weekend, as semi-automated offside technology is used across Premier League grounds for their respective FA Cup fifth-round ties.
The system, utilised in the UEFA Champions League, as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and UEFA Euro 2024, is slowly being introduced across leagues worldwide in a bid to shorten delays over decisions - and should provide more definitive evidence for the big decisions made in matches.
And the introduction of the technology - the first instance of it being used in competitive English football - marks the return of video-assisted officiating to the FA Cup, after the first four rounds took place without it.
In a throwback to football pre-VAR, on-field officials took centre stage in the previous rounds of this year's competition, after it was decided that a "consistent refereeing approach" should be taken across all matches up to the fifth round, with such technology not implemented at clubs involved lower down the pyramid.
The lack of VAR threw up some controversial goals, including Harry Maguire's stoppage-time winner against Leicester City, which Ruben Amorim even admitted should have been ruled out.
Here's all you need to know about the changes for this weekend's FA Cup ties.
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Which matches have semi-automated offside technology?
Per the FA, the technology is fuelled by "30 newly-installed cameras" planted around top-flight stadiums, with "several capturing footage at 100 frames-per-second, twice the frame rate of typical broadcast cameras".
The English footballing body added: "SAOT will not affect the accuracy of the decision-making or change offside calls. In the Premier League this season, offside calls have been adjudged to be 100% correct.
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"It will enhance the speed and efficiency of the process. The expected average reduction of decision time in close offside calls with SAOT is approximately 30 seconds."
As has been evidenced in the Carabao Cup this season, referees will also announce the decisions made by VAR and the offside technology to the stadium - in a bid "to provide improved clarity and understanding for spectators and viewers".
The technology will be utilised for the following fifth-round matches:
Friday, February 28
- Aston Villa 2-0 Cardiff City
Saturday, March 1
- Crystal Palace v Millwall
- Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle
Sunday, March 2
- Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion
- Manchester United v Fulham
Monday, March 3
- Nottingham Forest v Ipswich Town
What about other FA Cup ties?
Well, there is actually only one fifth-round tie which is not held at a Premier League ground, thus not benefiting from the new semi-automated offside technology.
Preston North End host Burnley in an all-Championship tie, which guarantees a second-tier side will land in the quarter-finals.
VAR will be in use at Deepdale, though, and like all the other clashes this weekend, will see referees announce their decisions to the stadium.
It is the first instance of VAR being implemented at a ground outside of the Premier League and Wembley Stadium, with the FA citing "infrastructure, workforce and costs" to implement the technology as a reason it has not previously been deployed competition-wide.
When is FA Cup quarter-final draw?
The final four fixtures of this year's FA Cup will be drawn on Sunday, March 2, following Manchester United's clash against Fulham.
The quarter-final matches will be played across the weekend of March 28-30, with the semi-finals set for April 26 and the final on May 17.
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