For the first time, 36 clubs participated in an extended league phase that determined qualification and seedings for the knockout stage.
As the highly anticipated second-leg games of the UEFA Champions League knockout stages approach on March 11 and 12, fans are gearing up for the high-stake encounters that will determine which teams advance in Europe’s premier club competition. Arsenal delivered the standout performance of the knockout stage, thrashing PSV 7-1 to virtually secure their place in the next round of the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s narrow 2-1 advantage over Atletico Madrid leaves their quarterfinal hopes hanging in the balance. European heavyweights Inter, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Liverpool also took control of their ties as they all secured crucial wins
Amidst the excitement, let’s take a look at the current regulations which govern these matches, particularly concerning the away goals rule. The Champions League underwent several changes this season. For the first time, 36 clubs participated in an extended league phase that determined qualification and seedings for the knockout stage.
The away goals rule is a tiebreaker method which has been used in two-legged knockout ties in European competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and other tournaments. Introduced in 1965, it stipulated that if two teams were level on aggregate score after both legs, the team that had scored more goals in the opponent’s stadium would progress to the next round. This rule was designed to encourage away teams to attack rather than play defensively and to prevent ties from going into extra time or penalties too often.
UEFA officially abolished the away goals rule starting from the 2021–22 season. The decision was driven by several factors, the main factor being a desire for more open and exciting games. The rule often led to unintended consequences, such as home teams playing overly defensive football to avoid conceding a crucial away goal. UEFA concluded that removing the rule would lead to fairer and more competitive matches, where qualification is decided purely on performance over 180 minutes rather than a mathematical advantage.
Back in 2021, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin gave the following explanation for scrapping the away goals rule, “The impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, it now dissuades home teams – especially in first legs – from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage. There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored.”
“It is fair to say that home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was,“ Čeferin continued. “Taking into consideration the consistency across Europe in terms of styles of play, and many different factors which have led to a decline in home advantage, the UEFA Executive Committee has taken the correct decision in adopting the view that it is no longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight than one scored at home.”
Most recently, the removal of the away goals rule had a role in Manchester City’s elimination from the 2023/24 Champions League quarterfinals against Real Madrid. Had the rule been in place, City would have advanced in the quarterfinals thanks to the three away goals they scored at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first leg. However, without the tiebreaker, the second leg went to a penalty shootout which City lost.
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No, UEFA has completely eliminated the away goals rule from all of its club competitions. This means that the rule is no longer in effect in the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League, or any other UEFA-organized club tournament. The change ensures consistency across all European competitions, providing a uniform format for resolving all tied knockout-stage matches.
If both teams are level on aggregate after the second leg, the match will go into 30 minutes of extra time, split into two 15-minute halves. If the tie remains unresolved after extra time, the winner will be decided by a penalty shootout. This approach ensures that both teams have an equal chance to progress without any advantage given to away goals.
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