UEFA is checking out three major changes to the Champions League format for the 2025/26 season. These initiatives could transform the knockout stage of the most prestigious football competition on the “old” continent. Clubs, players, and even sportsbooks like GGBet will have to consider those changes when analyzing the football matches and predicting game outcomes.
UEFA tested the new format in the 2024/2025 season. They replaced a traditional group stage with a single 36-team league phase. The new format created a more dynamic competition but also caused some confusion. Nevertheless, clubs and managers complained about its lack of transparency. UEFA is now considering changes to make the competition more transparent and sustainable. They might eliminate extra time and make tweaks in seeding and fixture advantages. Will these changes be implemented as soon as next season? Let’s check out the details!
Elimination of Extra Time in Knockouts
UEFA also suggested removing extra time in the Champions League knockout rounds. Under current rules, if a match ends in a draw after 90 minutes, an additional 30 minutes of extra time is played. If no winner emerges, the tie is decided in a penalty shootout.
UEFA is planning to skip extra time and go straight to penalties after getting a draw in regulation time. This decision is associated with the player’s well-being. Football players have more matches in their schedule than ever before, which increases the physical strain. UEFA and national football associations want to reduce the pressure and minimize health risks for players. Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal have expressed their concerns over the growing number of fixtures. With the expanded league phase, cutting down on game time would benefit both performance and player health.
Critics say that extra time creates more drama, mentioning some legendary matches that were decided in the final minutes. Extra time can increase viewership during significant games. With that said, UEFA prioritizes practical concerns over financial profits.
Reinstatement of the Country Protection Rule
The “country protection” rule is another change on the way. It doesn’t allow clubs from the same country to face each other before the quarterfinals.
The new draw system for the 2024/25 season did not include this feature, which meant that early matchups between Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen and PSG vs. Brest. While some fans welcomed these matchups, others felt they reduced the international context of the early knockout rounds.
Bringing back the country protection rule would help preserve the diversity of matchups in the knockouts. Clubs will face a wide range of opponents from different countries. This change could also increase global interest by reducing the chances of early eliminations for teams from the same league. However, this change could create some logistical challenges. With 36 teams participating in the league phase, 16 move forward directly or via playoffs. How can you create a knockout bracket that both respects seeding and avoids inconvenient ties? This is the question to be solved.
Home Advantage for Higher-Ranked Teams
UEFA is also rethinking how home-field advantage is assigned in the knockout rounds. In the current format, only the top eight teams from the league phase can play the second leg of the round of 16 at home. After that, fixtures are determined by an open draw, without considering previous rankings. Some clubs that excelled in the league phase had to play a second leg away from home. Arsenal finished third in the standings, but had to play their quarter-final against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. How fair is that?
A team’s performance in the league phase should be rewarded beyond just the round of 16. UEFA is now expanding home advantage for higher-ranked teams throughout the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The higher-seeded club will host the second leg regardless of the draw, giving a strategic edge to those who perform well. Critics raise some caution that too much emphasis on league performance could make the latter stages more predictable.
A Responsive Approach to an Evolving Competition
The changed league format has added excitement to the Champions League and revealed areas for improvement. UEFA will discuss these changes at its upcoming Club Competitions Committee meeting on May 30, 2025. Final decisions will likely be announced before the group stage draw for the 2025/26 season.
The potential changes reflect UEFA’s willingness to address the concerns of top clubs, players, and fans alike. Will these changes directly benefit the Champions League? We can’t say for sure. But the competition is entering yet another phase of evolution.
