The new edition of the Champions League officially kicks off today, as at 6:00 PM there will be the draw for the fixtures (here is the info on where to watch it) for all 36 participants in the “League Phase.” In the first pot will be Inter, who will be among the teams looking for continuity after last season’s excellent run.
Last year, one of the most breathtaking matches of the entire tournament was that of the Nerazzurri against Barcelona. The Catalan powerhouse was defeated after extra time in the second leg, with a total of 13 goals scored over the two matches and plenty of spectacle. Despite this, the Spanish club complained.
As the Spanish daily AS points out today, Barcelona had filed a complaint with UEFA about the unfairness of having to play both the quarterfinals against Dortmund and the semifinals against Inter with both second legs away from home, even though they had finished higher in the standings than both opponents.
And so UEFA has accepted this complaint and has decided to change the rule for the 2025/26 edition of the Champions League. Starting this year, whoever finishes higher in the overall standings of the 36 teams entered in the tournament will play the second leg at home in the knockout stage. The draw to determine home and away in that phase will therefore disappear.
