New UCL format set to undergo changes ahead of the 2025/2026 season

UEFA is reportedly set to implement a significant change to its Champions League (UCL) format beginning with the 2025/26 season.

One year after it’s introduction, reports now indicate that the newly introduced UCL format might undergo new changes ahead of the 2025/2026 season.

According to a report by ESPN, the European football governing body will modify the regulations to ensure that clubs who perform better in the League Phase will be granted the advantage of playing the second leg of all knockout ties at home.

The decision follows notable instances in the 2024/25 season where clubs that ranked higher in the League Phase were not afforded this advantage due to the current open-draw format used in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

Arsenal and Barcelona, who finished third and second respectively, were both drawn to play the second legs of their semi-final ties away from home.

Their opponents, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, who finished fourth and fifteenth in the League Phase, hosted the decisive second legs and subsequently advanced to the final.

The current Champions League structure, reformed under the new Swiss model, features 36 teams in a single league table, with each team playing eight different opponents. Under this system, only the top eight teams were previously guaranteed to host the second leg in the round of 16.

The later rounds were subject to a randomized draw, which many clubs and observers felt diminished the competitive reward for high performance in the League Phase.

From next season, the order of knockout stage fixtures will be determined by League Phase standings, ensuring the team with the superior record plays the second leg at home.

This adjustment, approved by UEFA’s club competitions committee prior to the 2025 Champions League final, is designed to enhance fairness and reinforce the value of league-stage performance throughout the tournament.

Although the formal regulations for the 2025/26 campaign have already been released, the change remains subject to ratification by UEFA’s Executive Committee.

If confirmed, this update will have strategic implications for clubs, increasing the incentive to finish as high as possible in the League Phase, not just to secure qualification, but to maintain competitive leverage in the knockout rounds.

The report also indicates that similar changes are being considered for the Europa League and Conference League, in a broader move by UEFA to standardize rules across its continental competitions and further emphasize the importance of consistent performance throughout the season.