Uefa to change champions league rules next season after arsenal make complaint

UEFA IS SET TO MAKE A CHANGE TO THE KNOCKOUT ROUNDS OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEXT SEASON AFTER ARSENAL WERE LEFT FUMING OVER THEIR LAST-FOUR DRAW THIS TERM FELIX KEITH 11:06, 01 Jun 2025 UEFA

is poised to make a slight adjustment to the Champions League format next season, following the introduction of a completely new structure just a year ago. The Champions League concluded in

Munich on Saturday night with Paris Saint-Germain deservedly securing their maiden trophy in the competition by trouncing Inter Milan. This match marked the end of the first season under

the new league table format, which seemed to be a triumph for UEFA. Despite the final being rather one-sided, the European football organisers successfully merged the expanded 36-team format

with numerous thrilling matches. However, it appears they are not entirely satisfied with their innovation, where 36 teams battle in a league table phase to determine who progresses to the

knockout stages. Under the current system, a team's position in the league phase dictates their seeding for the play-off round. This means the top eight teams receive a bye to the round

of 16, where they face a play-off winner and have the advantage of playing the second leg at home. Nonetheless, from the round of 16 onwards, home advantage is determined by a random draw

due to UEFA's preference for an 'open draw'. Consequently, teams that performed well in the group stage could find themselves obliged to play the home leg first in the

quarter-final or semi-final stage, reports the Mirror. Article continues below This season, Arsenal found themselves in this exact predicament. The Gunners put on a stellar performance

during the league phase, securing third place and outperforming Real Madrid in 11th and PSG in 15th. However, they were still dealt away draws for both the quarter-final and semi-final

second legs. Despite trouncing Real with a 5-1 aggregate score, Mikel Arteta's team reportedly expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation, feeling that their consistent league

phase performance wasn't adequately rewarded in the knockout stages. Their grievances haven't gone unnoticed. German newspaper Bild reports that UEFA is almost certain to alter the

way knockout ties are drawn. The UEFA Club Competitions Committee convened on Friday and reportedly agreed on the proposed change ahead of the Champions League final – final approval is now

'considered a formality'. Article continues below Other potential changes were also discussed, such as moving directly to penalty shoot-outs instead of extra time and preventing

two clubs from the same nation from clashing until the later stages of the competition. However, no agreement was reached on these proposals. Arsenal weren't the only club disadvantaged

by the 'open' draw system: Barcelona hosted the first leg of their quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund, despite finishing second in the league phase.