The FA has finally clarified who is allowed to play this weekend as last season’s Women’s FA Cup restarts following the Covid-19 pandemic break.

This is a key point because clubs have made a good number of signings during the summer transfer window and had the FA decided to stop any new signings competing in last season’s competition, clubs like Leicester would have been in trouble.

The ruling is “up to six extra players can be registered prior to the quarter-finals”.

That means Arsenal can register and play their five new signings: Lydia Williams, who is not yet ready to play due an ankle injury, Stephanie Catley, Noëlle Maritz, Malin Gut and Lotte Wubben-Moy.

Manchester City can also register all their new signings: Chloe Kelly, Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood, Rose Lavelle and Samantha Mewis.

Chelsea can also select all their new signings: Niamh Charles, Melanie Leupolz, Jessie Flemming and Pernille Harder.

Tottenham can also register all their new signings including Alex Morgan, the US WNT striker. They also have Kerys Harrop, Rachel Williams, Shelina Zadorsky, Aurora Mikelsen and Alannah Kennedy.

Brighton will be able to select all their new players, and, although they signed seven during the summer window, one of them has gone on loan already and therefore they have Katie Robinson, Nora Heroum, Inessa Kaagman, Lee Geum-Min, Rebekah Sott and Denise O’ Sullivan to add to their list.

Birmingham will also be able to select all their new signings: Christie Murray, Rachel Corsie, Chloe McCarron, Mollie Green, Georgia Brougham and Destiny Toussaint.

Everton will have to choose from their new signings as they made seven: Claire Emslie, Poppy Pattinson, Ingrid Moe Wold, Nicoline Sorensen, Rikke Sevecke, Valerie Gauvin and Damaris Egurrola.

Leicester probably have biggest headache as they made eleven new signings during the summer transfer window as they changed their status from semi-professional to full-time professional.

They signed Kirstie Levell, Sophie Howard, Samantha Tierney, Esmee de Graaf  Remi Allen, Sophie Barker, Ruesha Littlejohn, Millie Farrow, Natasha Flint, Hannah Cain and Olivia Fergusson. Two of those players are currently injured so they will have to select six out of nine remaining players for this weekend.

The four Women’s FA Cup ties will be played as follows

• Arsenal v Tottenham Sat 26 Sep, ko 17.15, Meadow Park.
• Everton v Chelsea Sun 27 Sep, ko 13.00, Goodison Park.
• Brighton and Hove v Birmingham, ko 14.00, the People’s Pension Stadium.
• Leicester v Manchester City, ko 14.00, Sutton Park.