UEFA contemplating to scrap extra time from knockout games with games going straight to penalties after 90 minutes.
UEFA contemplating to scrap extra time from Champions League knockout rounds. It is considered as a new step to reduce the number of minutes played by top clubs.
Although it is unlikely that anything would change in the middle of this television rights cycle, which ends in 2027, the idea of sending matches in Uefa’s club competitions straight to penalties is being seriously considered.
Stakeholders in European football have long argued over extra time, with some players’ unions vehemently claiming that doing away with it would relieve pressure on an overbooked schedule. While 12 European teams are competing in an extended Fifa Club World Cup in the US this summer, the Champions League’s expanded group stage, which requires each side to play at least eight games, hasn’t exactly helped things.
Cuts to domestic competitions, like the contentious suspension of FA Cup replays in England, have accounted for the majority of the concessions made thus far to elite teams’ growing schedules.
The issues brought on by late-season fixture congestion could be somewhat mitigated by removing the extra half hour from two-legged matches. It might also be well-liked by teams that go through the taxing qualifying rounds in July and August.
A more equitable playing field would be perceived by underdogs who sense the tempo of an extended time against teams with better-stocked rosters. Broadcasters who would be less concerned about an unforeseen interruption to their schedules and who could enjoy the chance to jump right into the shorter-form drama of spot-kicks might also find it appealing.
Only three Champions League matches from the round of 16 onwards went into extra time last season, and none of them needed it in 2022–2023. In the 2023–24 Europa League, four matches lasted the full distance, compared to six the previous season.
When contacted by the Guardian, Uefa stated that no firm plan had been put up and that the matter had been discussed informally up to this point. Uefa’s executive committee, which last made a significant alteration to the content of club competition matches in 2021 when the away goals system was abolished, would need to approve any changes.
When Uefa eliminated extra time from Super Cups starting in 2023, it set a precedent for its eventual elimination.