Women's FA Cup will not resume until after England comes out of lockdown

The Women's FA Cup will not resume until after England comes out of lockdown, the Football Association confirmed on Wednesday, further delaying this season's competition.

Telegraph Sport understands the idea of settling the delayed earlier rounds of the Cup via coin tosses has not been taken off the table completely, but it now seems unlikely that the competition's organisers will go down that route as there is now no rush to find a solution before 31 January.

That was the date when the fourth round was previously set to be played, when 'elite' clubs from the Women's Super League and Women's Championship  enter. However, no matches will take place this month following Wednesday's announcement, with the country expected to stay in lockdown until at least the middle of February, and perhaps March.

One first-round match and 17 second-round ties remain outstanding, while nine third-round ties - which have not yet been drawn - are still needing to be settled one way or another before the competition can proceed.

That's because all rounds of the Cup prior to the fourth round have been classed as 'non-elite' by the Government, meaning they cannot be played during lockdown. Only one of the 18 second-round ties took place on 3 January, just before England re-entered lockdown. The fourth round is deemed 'elite' and could play under the current restrictions.

The FA will hold talks with all clubs still involved, hoping to resolve the situation once lockdown ends.

Many players reacted critically to the suggestion - revealed by Telegraph Sport - that the FA might have to use coin tosses to settle the outcome of the postponed 'non-elite' fixtures.

Telegraph Sport understands one of the main reasons why the FA is reluctant to delay the latter stages of the competition is because of the scheduled training camp for the Team GB women's side in June, shortly after 22 May's final at Wembley. That camp and the Tokyo Olympics, which are set to start in July, make it unlikely that the FA could rearrange the Cup Final during the summer months.

"With all sport across the country outside of the elite level currently shut down, the competition is not in a position where the second and third rounds can be played, with clubs currently in the competition not permitted to train or play due to being at amateur level," an FA statement said.

"Whilst it would have been possible to play elite v non-elite fixtures under elite criteria with Government support, as seen in the Emirates FA Cup, fixtures involving all non-elite teams do not meet elite criteria and cannot currently go ahead.

"Therefore, the competition will remain paused during the current lockdown, with a number of options currently being explored on how best to complete it. The health and wellbeing of players and staff are of paramount importance and we are not prepared to put any individual at risk during this pandemic.

"It remains The FA’s preference to complete the 2020-21 competition with all clubs having the opportunity to play their fixtures, however, the developing situation will continue to be closely monitored and will be reviewed before any further decisions are made. The FA will now enter a period of consultation with all clubs that remain in the competition, alongside those who are due to enter from the fourth round, to discuss the options available."