Following a protest from Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, competition authorities UEFA are allegedly debating whether to implement a total of three modifications to the Champions League’s proceedings as the first campaign under its current format draws to a close.
Since Real Madrid won the title in 2023–2024, there will be a new champion since the Gunners, along with their semi-final rivals Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Inter Milan, are the last four teams remaining in Europe’s biggest championship.
The four teams indicated above are aiming for a position in the May final in Munich, and as of April 23, the semi-finals are just a few days away. However, UEFA is already considering how they might enhance each team’s experience for the upcoming season.
The 2024–25 edition of Europe’s premier table included 36 teams competing in a league format instead of separate groups; the top eight advanced, while the remaining eight teams fought for the final 16 spots.
Three Champions League Changes Set to Be Discussed by Committee
Meeting scheduled for day before this season’s final in Munich
Three changes are being contemplated, according to German publication Bild, as reported by Mail Online. First, UEFA may modify its rules to give teams that place higher in the league phase home advantage for the return leg in the knockout stages. This season, teams that advanced through their favourable league phase finish played at home in the second leg of their Last 16 fixtures; however, as of right now, that is not the case for either the quarterfinals or the semi-finals. For instance, even though they won over two legs, Arsenal had to travel to Spain for the second leg of their quarterfinal matchup with Real Madrid, and the same will happen for their two-leg semi-final matchup with PSG.
This is true even if Real Madrid finished 11th and PSG, who are even worse off, finished 15th in the Champions League league phase, while Arsenal, who are generally considered to be among the biggest clubs to never win the Champions League, finished third.
The possible elimination of extra time would represent a significant shift in the structure of football games. According to Bild, UEFA is considering the possibility of moving matches straight to penalties if both teams are tied.
It would be implemented to reduce the burden, even if it would eliminate the possibility—and excitement—of any last-minute winners, even though there would only be an additional half hour of action. It would be an unprecedented development if the regulation were to pass.
Since the ties are not viewed as “attractive” by both fans and broadcasters, the final possible adjustment concerns the possibility of teams from the same nation facing one another in the league phase.
As a result, UEFA may try to reinstate the protection clause, which would force intra-national matches to wait until the quarterfinals. Before the most recent round of modifications to the tournament, that regulation was in effect.
As two noteworthy examples, PSG faced battle against Brest, a team from Ligue 1, in the Champions League play-offs this season. The two Madrid-based teams, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, also met each other in the Round of 16.
The Club Competitions Committee is scheduled to convene in Munich on May 30, one day before the Allianz Arena final, to review the three adjustments outlined above. In the meantime, supporters have the competition of this season to look forward to.
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