The Champions League rule change that could decide the final

Arsenal and Bayern know they will not meet until a hypothetical final. The same applies to Barcelona, whose fifth-place finish means they cannot face Chelsea, and to Real Madrid and Atlético, who despite dropping into the playoff round already know that Inter and Juventus, respectively, would only meet them in the final.

League-phase positions now carry far more weight than in the previous edition. UEFA has changed the home-field advantage rules so that the team finishing higher in the league phase will always host the second leg. That prevents situations like last season, when Arsenal had to play the first leg of its quarterfinal against Real Madrid at home despite finishing third in the table, while the Spanish side ended up 11th. The change places greater importance on where teams finish in the league standings.

The biggest novelty is that the teams finishing first (Arsenal) and second (Bayern) in the league phase will play every knockout round with the second leg at home. The same privilege applies to the teams placed third and fourth in the round of 16 and quarterfinals. In doing so, UEFA removes the arbitrary draw-based criterion that had been used until now.

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There is, however, an important caveat: this home-field advantage can be “stolen.” If a lower-ranked team eliminates a higher-ranked opponent, it inherits that seeded position for subsequent rounds. For example, if the team that finished 16th knocks out the team that finished second in the round of 16, the 16th-place finisher assumes the No. 2 seed for the rest of the tournament and gains the right to play second legs at home. In short, progress can override league hierarchy.

In Friday’s draw, January 30, teams will first be assigned to one side of the bracket. The process begins with the 24th-ranked team and ends with the 17th – the unseeded sides. As each is drawn, it will be placed on either the silver or blue path. The seeded teams for this playoff round, from ninth to 16th, will then be drawn. The structure defines each team’s route before opponents are confirmed.

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Teams from the same country can face each other in this draw. That means potential matchups such as Bayer Leverkusen against Borussia Dortmund or Paris Saint-Germain against Monaco are possible. Teams that already met in the league phase can also be paired again in the playoffs. There are no nationality or repeat-opponent restrictions at this stage.

The first legs of the playoff round will be played on February 17 and 18, with the return legs on February 24 and 25. The next draw is scheduled for February 27. The round of 16 will take place on March 10–11, with the second legs on March 17–18. The quarterfinals will be played in April – the first legs on April 7–8 and the return legs on April 14–15. The semifinals are set for April 28–29 and May 5–6. The final will be played on May 30 at the Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary.

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