UEFA is to change the Champions League guidelines for subsequent season to provide house benefit to the most effective groups within the League Section all through the knockout rounds — after Arsenal and Barcelona each confronted semifinal heartbreak.
In 2024-25, the primary season of the expanded 36-team event, golf equipment who completed within the prime eight of the League Section have been assured to play second leg of their spherical of 16 tie at house. However for the quarterfinals and semifinals, an open draw was held, diluting the worth of efficiency within the desk.
On this season’s semifinals, Paris Saint-Germain (fifteenth) and Inter Milan (4th) have been each drawn to play the second leg at house, despite the fact that they completed decrease within the desk than their respective opponents, Arsenal (third) and Barcelona (2nd). PSG and Inter each went by to the ultimate after profitable within the second leg, with the Ligue 1 membership operating out commanding 5-0 winners on the Allianz Enviornment.
From subsequent season, the order of the tie shall be determined by which crew finishes highest — and they’re going to play the second leg at house.
The quarterfinals did not throw up such clear examples, with PSG the one crew lower-ranked than their opponents (Aston Villa, eighth) to advance, however they have been drawn to play the return leg at Villa Park.
The change was agreed by UEFA’s membership competitions committee in a gathering forward of Saturday’s Champions League last. Though the rules for 2025-26 have already been printed, the modification can nonetheless be made if ratified by the Govt Committee; as it isn’t attributable to meet once more till September, a digital assembly shall be held — no later than the League Section draw on Aug. 28 — the place approval shall be confirmed.
It should underline the significance of ending as excessive as doable in League Section, quite than simply being within the prime eight — which offers two clean gameweeks in February, when groups ranked ninth to twenty fourth participate within the knockout playoff spherical, and a house second leg within the spherical of 16.
So this season, by ending in first and second place, Liverpool and Barcelona could be assured essential house benefit throughout.
There was some dialogue about giving the higher-ranked membership the selection of taking part in house or away within the second leg, however it was determined to go along with computerized leg order.
The identical change is anticipated to use to each the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Convention League.
No different alterations have been made, together with a rumoured scrapping of additional time earlier than penalties and blocking golf equipment from the identical nation from taking part in one another within the knockout playoff spherical.