FA Cup prize money set to be recalculated in effort to make sure lower league clubs can still cash in after controversial move to scrap replays

FA Cup prize money is set to be recalculated as part of plans to ensure lower league clubs do not miss out following the controversial move to scrap replays.

Mail Sport understands that, while the overall pot will remain the same, the sums handed over to winners and losers in earlier rounds are likely to rise, with figures in later rounds being cut to facilitate the switch.

Last week, the FA and Premier League announced that all replays from the first round onwards would be axed thanks to pressures on the calendar on the back of an expanded Champions League.

The cull triggered a furious backlash, amid allegations from those lower down the pyramid that they would be hit in the pocket.

Officials at the FA, which received £33m from the top flight that will be spent on grassroots, are adamant that nobody would be financially worse off.

They say that more fixtures in early rounds will be televised, which will present increased opportunities to make more on broadcast revenue. 

They also hailed the fact that all ties would be played on weekends, while pointing out that an annual review of prize money will again take place.

Currently, first round winners get £41,000, which rises to £67,000 in the second round and £105,000 in the third. 

In the fourth round the figure for winners is £120,000 increasing to £225,000, £450,000 and £1m for semi-final winners. 

Semi-final losers get £500,000 while FA Cup winners pocket £2m with the losing finalists taking £2m.

No decision has yet been made on how the changes will look. Prize money for losers in some of the earlier rounds may well form part of the discussions.

A replay against one of the Premier League’s bigger sides could be worth as much as six figures, while a second match against a well-supported Championship outfit could fetch between £250,000 to £500,000 according to sources at EFL clubs.