The UEFA Champions League 2025/26 is underway, with a key change in the competition system from the round of 16 onwards. On July 8, the first qualifying round of a tournament that will have new adjustments to its format this season began.
Unlike the previous season, the home team in the two-legged knockout matches will be determined by the position in the group stage round-robin, not by draw.
This rule will only apply from the round of 16 onwards, although the position in the table also affects the play-off matches. For example, in the match between the ninth and twenty-fourth ranked teams, the team in ninth place will be the home team in the second leg, and so on for the remaining seven matches.
Barça was harmed by the previous format in the Champions League
In 2024/25, FC Barcelona and Arsenal reached the semi-finals after finishing the group stage in second and third place, respectively. However, both had to play their quarter-final and semi-final matches as visitors against teams that had finished the group stage in lower positions.
The case of the 'Gunners' was the most striking, as they were away in the second leg against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, although both clubs reached the round of 16 via the play-offs.
Barça also played the quarter-final away against Borussia Dortmund, who had eliminated Sporting CP in the play-offs and Lille in the round of 16. In the semi-final, the Culés also did not have home advantage against Inter Milan, fourth in the overall group stage table.
Against Dortmund, Hansi Flick's team had enough of an advantage in the first leg at Montjuïc (4-0) to advance with a 5-3 aggregate score. In the semi-final, the draw (3-3) in the first leg and the 4-3 defeat in Milan condemned Barça in a definition full of controversial refereeing decisions.
UEFA will allow 'inheriting' home advantage in the Champions League
However, this will not be the only change in the format of the 2025/26 Champions League. In the case of teams that advance to the round of 16 via the play-offs and eliminate one of the top 8 teams in this phase, they will be able to 'inherit' the home advantage.
That is, if the 24th ranked team in the overall table wins their play-off match and then manages to eliminate the 1st or 2nd team in the group stage, they will be able to have the home advantage in the remaining matches.
The criterion is not entirely fair, but it partially corrects the initial error of assigning, by draw, the definition of all the two-legged knockout matches in the knockout phase. With the new format, each team in the top 8 will have more chances to play at home in each knockout phase match, a privilege guaranteed for the teams that finish the group stage in first and second place.
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