Do 2025 Champions League Knockout Games Have Away Goals? | OneFootball

After a lengthy league phase, the 2024–25 Champions League knockout stage is finally here with eight matches kicking off in the knockout phase playoffs.

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 teams that finished in the top eight automatically advanced to the round of 16 while the teams that finished in ninth to 24th place must play in the knockout phase playoffs. With the new format and somewhat confusing bracket, fans are also wondering if any changes were made to the old away goals tiebreaker.

Do 2025 Champions League Knockout Games Have Away Goals?

No, Champions League knockout games do not have an away goal tiebreaker in the 2024–25 campaign. The away goal rule was abolished in 2021 and has not returned to the competition.

Now, whichever team has the higher aggregate score at the end of two legs will advance to the next round. If both sides are level come the end of the second leg, then extra time and possibly even a penalty shootout will decide the winner. Teams can no longer advance thanks to an away goal tiebreaker.

Most recently, Manchester City suffered from the change. The Citizens would have advanced past Real Madrid in the quarterfinals last season thanks to the three away goals they scored at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first leg. Without the tiebreaker, though, the second leg went to a penalty shootout that City lost.

Why Did the Champions League Abolish the Away Goal Rule?

One of the main arguments for abolishing the away goal rule was rooted in a desire for more open, exciting games. Home teams were beginning to sit back and primarily defend for 90 minutes to avoid conceding an away goal as opposed to really going for a win.

Back in 2021, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin gave the following explanation for the controversial decision: “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.”

Since the rule was abolished, there have been no moves to bring it back to the Champions League.