The Football Association has confirmed England's players will get a four-week break before the 2006 World Cup. England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said he had received a guarantee for the tournament in Germany and the FA board has stayed true to its word.
It met on Thursday to discuss the matter and the FA Cup quarter-finals next season will be played on Wednesday to accommodate the promise.
The FA Cup final will now be the last game of the season on 13 May.
An initial plan was to abandon fifth and sixth-round replays for clubs involved in the FA Cup and Europe to help the four-week break be enforced.
But the FA Challenge Cup committee opposed the idea and, although it could have been overruled, the FA board has found a new solution.
The Premier League was also unable to help in the matter as it stated it could not start the Premiership season a week earlier because of the clubs' contractual arrangements.
An FA statement read: "The FA Cup final will be played on 13 May 2006 and there will be replays for every round of the competition, up-to and including the sixth round, in accordance with the desire of The FA Challenge Cup committee and the FA Premier League and Football League.
"The FA Cup sixth round ties will be played midweek.
"This solution is in the widest-possible interests of English football in the World Cup year of 2006."
MMIX
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A longer break will only increase our chances of winning the World Cup
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