Barcelona and Arsenal Force UEFA to Overhaul Champions League Rules
The start of the Champions League 2025–26 league phase is approaching rapidly and anticipation is mounting for the comeback of Europe's top-tier tournament.
Thirty-six clubs will compete throughout the league phase to secure a prized spot in the Champions League knockout stage, where the tournament's signature unpredictability reaches even more spectacular levels.
The revamped Champions League structure was initially introduced last season and remains largely unchanged for this campaign, though there is one potentially significant modification when the knockout phases commence.
Champions League 2025–26 Home Advantage Rule Change
This campaign's Champions League features a modification to the location where knockout matches are contested. Previously, a random selection determined which team would host the second leg of quarterfinal and semifinal encounters in the tournament. Having home advantage in the second leg is considered a substantial benefit for participants, who can harness the atmosphere of their supporters as they pursue advancement.
Nevertheless, this season brings changes and the location of the second leg depends on league phase standings. Teams finishing in the top four positions will be assured their quarterfinal second leg at their home venue, with those in the top two also guaranteed home advantage in their semifinal second leg—assuming they progress to that tournament stage, naturally.
Yet the situation isn't entirely straightforward. The privilege of hosting the second leg can be earned—for instance, Paris Saint-Germain, who placed 15th in last season's league phase, defeated table leaders Liverpool in the round of 16 and would have secured the right to play their quarterfinal and semifinal second legs at home if those circumstances had occurred this season.
UEFA's Champions League regulations state: "Seeded teams, i.e. teams ranked 1 to 4 after the league phase, play the return leg at home in the quarter-finals, and teams ranked 1 and 2 also play the return leg of the semi-finals at home. If a seeded team is beaten in any round, the team that eliminates them takes over their seeding position in the bracket path (i.e. the higher ranking for seeding purposes is not recalculated after each round)."
There are worries about this rule modification as it now means clubs who place third or fourth in the league phase cannot secure home advantage in the semifinal second leg.
Why Has the Rule Changed for the 2025–26 Champions League?
The regulation has been modified following grievances from both Barcelona and Arsenal regarding the framework of last season's knockout phase.
Arsenal were compelled to face Paris Saint-Germain away from home in their 2024–25 semifinal despite finishing 12 positions ahead of the eventual European champions during the league phase. The Gunners were dissatisfied that they were in an unfavorable situation for the crucial second leg despite a better league phase performance.
Nevertheless, Arsenal would still be required to play last season's semifinal second leg in Paris if the same scenario unfolded this term, with PSG having earned home advantage by defeating Liverpool in the previously mentioned round of 16 encounter.
Barcelona encountered the identical situation, being forced to play their second legs away from home in both the quarterfinals and semifinals. They nearly gave up their 4–0 home advantage to Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park in the last eight and were subsequently eliminated in extra time by Inter at San Siro in the semifinals.