UEFA will reportedly make a change to the Champions League format next season that could impact how the competition is played out.
General view UEFA Champions League trophy during the UEFA Champions League Final 2025 between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Inter.
General view UEFA Champions League trophy during the UEFA Champions League Final 2025 between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Inter.
(Image: Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
UEFA is reportedly considering a rule change for next season's Champions League, just one season after the new format of the competition was introduced. This would see teams rewarded more significantly for finishing higher in the group stage.
As per German publication Bild, clubs that secure a top eight finish in the league, thereby qualifying automatically for the knockout stage, will not only benefit in the round of 16 but also in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Under the current format, teams who qualify directly for the round of 16 are drawn against lower-ranked teams at home in the second leg. However, there was no reward in the quarter-final stage of the competition.
READ MORE: Andrew Robertson shows true colours as Liverpool departure confirmedREAD MORE: How to watch PSG vs Inter Milan - Champions League final live stream details, TV channel
Liverpool finished top of the league after the group games. They however faced now finalists Paris Saint Germain in the final 16 stage. PSG finished in 15th place in the league stage and overcame Brest in the play-off.
Despite the second leg being at Anfield, the Reds fell out of the competition on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate score.
The change has come about after apparent criticism from Arsenal
Despite winning their last 8 match against Real Madrid, the Gunners weren't happy that they travelled to the Bernabeu for the second leg, despite finishing eight places ahead of Real Madrid in the league stage.
Bild reports that the UEFA club competitions committee decided on the change ahead of the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter on Saturday evening. The final approval of the change is 'considered a formality.'
Other proposed changes, such as proceeding directly to penalty shootouts after the 90 minutes instead of extra time, and preventing two clubs from the same country from meeting until later stages of the competition, were also discussed. However, no decision was made on implementing any of these from next season.