Arsenal’s controversial exit from the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain has led UEFA to evaluate possible rule adjustments for the upcoming season.
After falling 3-1 on aggregate—thanks to goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi at the Parc des Princes—Arsenal’s Champions League aspirations came to a halt, with PSG advancing to face Inter Milan in the final.
Under the tournament’s new format, had a proposed rule been active this season, Arsenal would have hosted the second leg, potentially giving them a stronger home-field advantage. Despite finishing third in the 36-team league stage and earning a seeded spot, the current system uses an open draw to set fixtures, which left the Gunners without the expected advantage. In contrast, Real Madrid and PSG, who placed 11th and 15th respectively, had the benefit of playing their decisive legs at home.
According to The i Paper, UEFA is considering guaranteeing seeded teams a home second-leg match in all rounds until they face another seeded team. In that case, the higher-ranked club from the league stage would earn home advantage.
UEFA is also debating changes to how teams progress from the league stage, including:
- Automatically matching the top-ranked team with the lowest-ranked play-off winner in the round of 16.
- Replacing penalty shootouts in play-offs with automatic qualification for the higher-ranked side in the event of a tie on aggregate.
While some of these ideas are seen as significant changes, they’re expected to face less resistance than a previous proposal by Arsène Wenger. He suggested adjusting the offside rule to favor attackers, allowing a goal if any part of the attacker is in line with the defender. Wenger argued that in situations of marginal calls, the benefit should go to the attacking player
