Overview

• UEFA confirmed that from September 2025, seeded teams in the Champions League will play first legs away and second legs at home in all knockout rounds.
• The same home-leg rights will extend to the Europa League and Conference League to standardize advantages across UEFA club competitions.
• Any lower-ranked team that eliminates a higher seed will inherit that seed’s home advantage for subsequent knockout ties.
• The change follows last season’s Swiss-style league phase, where top finishers like Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao lost home-field control due to random draws.
• UEFA said the reform will close a loophole that left decisive ties to chance and guarantee that knockout-stage advantages reflect league-phase rankings.