UEFA have confirmed the new seeding regulations for the Champions League knockout rounds, with the rules having changed after Liverpool's controversial exit last season
14:33, 10 Jul 2025
Arne Slot and Liverpool will still be reflecting on what might have been in the Champions League last season
Arne Slot and Liverpool will still be reflecting on what might have been in the Champions League last season(Image: Getty Images)
After Liverpool topped the table in the Champions League revamped league phase last season, it quickly became apparent that bagging the top spot didn't offer much of an advantage.
However, UEFA has now shaken things up with a contentious tweak to the tournament. The governing body has unveiled the new seeding rules for the Champions League knockout stages, having previously announced that home advantage in second legs would be determined by merit rather than luck of the draw - a departure from last season's approach.
UEFA has now ratified these new seeding regulations, according to ESPN, but they've stopped short of giving full advantage to the teams that finish highest in the league phase. Teams finishing first, second, third and fourth are guaranteed to play at home for both the round of 16 and quarter-finals, assuming they advance. If they're knocked out, the team that boots them out in the round of 16 will inherit their second-leg home advantage.
However, only the teams who finish in the top two spots are assured home advantage in the second leg of the semi-finals, if they make it that far, reports the Liverpool Echo, with ramifications for Arne Slot's Premier League champions.
Last year, Liverpool hosted Paris Saint-Germain in their second leg due to their league phase position, but were ultimately ousted on penalties.
Liverpool
Liverpool saw their Champions League hopes ended by PSG(Image: Getty Images)
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Had the Champions League draw gone ahead, they would have been slated to play away in the quarter-final second leg against Aston Villa, but would have had a home match for the semi-final second leg against Arsenal.
Under the fresh rules, they would have hosted all second legs in the knock-out stages due to their top-two finish, with PSG then taking over after booting the Reds out.
This implies that if the new rules were in effect last season, PSG would have stayed at home for the semi-final second leg, having knocked out Liverpool, despite ending up 15th in the league phase. Meanwhile, third place Arsenal wouldn't have gained any advantage in the final four through their league position.
ESPN reports that the new rules also create an imbalance, putting teams who finish third and fourth at a disadvantage as it will be impossible for them to host a semi-final second leg.
Similarly, the squads finishing fifth and sixth, while skipping the knockout phase play-offs and securing a second-leg home advantage in the round of 16, would then have to play away in the second legs of both the quarter and semi-finals.
Only the teams who finish in these positions can secure a home second leg in the semi-final, courtesy of how the knockout phase draw is conducted: first, second, seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, 24th.
As a result, there's now a bigger incentive to finish in the top two, as Liverpool managed last season.
However, if you don't land in the top two, it gets a bit trickier when it comes to whether your league position actually gives you much of an edge in the knock out stages.
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Liverpool are already aware that they'll be in pot one for the Champions League group stage draw on August 28.