UEFA could be set to scrap two-legged semi-finals in the Champions League in favour of a proposed “week of football”.
Momentum is growing behind a switch from the traditional format, which has been in place since 1955. Like the last-16 and quarter-finals, teams currently face off against each other home and away with the winner on aggregate claiming their place in the final.
An updated format is set to be brought in from the 2024/25 season, meaning Manchester United and Manchester City could be set to face 10 group matches rather than six, with extra teams qualifying for the competition. Furthermore, there could be a major shake-up from the semi-final stage.
ALSO READ: Erik ten Hag already has a candidate to replace Harry Maguire as Manchester United captain
The Times report that straight knockout matches could be introduced in the last-four, with both semi-finals and the final taking place in one host city as part of a ‘football festival’. The report states that while the European Club Association (ECA) are yet to reach a decision, there is growing support for the plan.
The format would follow that of the Nations League, with UEFA said to believe that single-leg ties add extra peril and excitement. The Champions League followed a similar format during the Covid-affected competition in 2020, when the quarter-finals onwards were played as a knockout tournament in Lisbon, Portugal.
Some figures at UEFA are said to be reluctant to make such sweeping changes to the competition. The governing body’s president Aleksander Ceferin though has previously hinted at the idea of a week of football.
“If you look at the Super Bowl it’s a great event and they do it in a great way, they have concerts and people go there and have fun,” Ceferin told the Times last year. “Even if you lose those two matches you can get more revenue to compensate.
“It could be a fantastic event for broadcasters, for sponsors. In the same week you could have the final of the women’s Champions League or youth competitions, you could really have a fantastic week of football. These knockout matches are different and more exciting.”
The proposal already has some support at club level. Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is also ECA chairman, is a vocal proponent of the format.
"The Super Bowl, and the U.S. generally, have this mindset, creativity and entertainment,” he told the Athletic. “That's what I have suggested, to have an opening ceremony to the Champions League, to have one match on the opening night where the winners take on a big team -- maybe it is not a good idea, but at least let's challenge the status quo. Each match needs to be an event and entertainment."
Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
