UEFA changes rules on League knockout legs

UEFA has announced a significant change to the Champions League format, modifying how home advantage is determined in the knockout stages from 2025–26 season.

The shift comes in response to concerns raised after this season’s semifinals, where higher-ranked teams were forced to play crucial second legs away from home due to random draws.

Under the new rule, teams that finish higher in the League Phase standings will automatically earn the right to host the second leg of every knockout round, including the quarterfinals and semifinals — a right previously only granted in the round of 16.

The change is designed to reward top-performing clubs in the newly expanded 36-team League Phase, which debuted in the 2024–25 campaign. Previously, only the round of 16 guaranteed this advantage to the top eight finishers, while the rest of the knockout stage fixtures were decided via open draws.

This season, the system sparked controversy when Paris Saint-Germain (15th) and Inter Milan (4th) were drawn to host the second legs of their semifinal ties against higher-ranked Arsenal (3rd) and Barcelona (2nd), respectively. Both PSG and Inter used the home advantage to advance to the final — with PSG delivering a commanding 5–0 victory in their second leg at the Allianz Arena.

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The updated rule will now ensure that performance during the League Phase is reflected throughout the tournament. For example, teams finishing first or second — such as Liverpool and Barcelona this season — would be assured of playing decisive second legs at home in every knockout round, providing a potential competitive edge.

The proposal was finalized during a meeting of UEFA’s club competitions committee just before this season’s final. While the official regulations for the 2025–26 campaign had already been released, UEFA plans to hold a virtual Executive Committee meeting before August 28 to formally ratify the update ahead of the next season’s League Phase draw.

UEFA also considered giving the higher-seeded club the option of choosing whether to play at home or away in the second leg, but ultimately opted for an automatic allocation based on ranking.

In addition to the Champions League, the same rule is expected to be implemented in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.

No other structural changes were made at this time. Reports had speculated on potential reforms, such as eliminating extra time in favor of going straight to penalties or preventing clubs from the same country from facing each other in early knockout rounds, but UEFA did not adopt these ideas.

Ultimately, the new rule reinforces the value of each League Phase match, encouraging clubs to fight not only for qualification but also for every possible ranking point that could determine their path to the final.

ESPN