Source: REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
[Saba Sports News] According to the latest media reports, UEFA intends to change the Champions League rules, starting from the 2025-26 season, the home-and-away order of the knockout stage will be decided by the group stage rankings. Teams with higher rankings will have the advantage of playing at home in the second leg. This means that it becomes even more important for teams in the group stage to achieve as high a ranking as possible, not just to qualify for the top eight. However, outsiders generally believe that although the group stage will become more exciting, due to the knockout round’s home-and-away order being largely determined by the group stage rankings, this may reduce the suspense of the knockout rounds to some extent. For example, some weaker teams with obvious home advantages may adopt a more conservative strategy in the second leg at home to protect their lead in the first leg, which could result in less open and exciting matches. The editor believes that teams will work harder to secure a favorable home order in the knockout stage by striving for a higher ranking in the group stage. They might even deliberately chase goal difference against weaker opponents. This will increase the importance of each game in the group stage, making the competition more intense. For fans, it means they will see more exciting group stage matches.