According to reports, the Champions League has recently undergone significant changes, and UEFA appears to be planning further reforms. German newspaper Bild claims that UEFA is reviewing a major change: the removal of extra time from the Champions League.

The report suggests that UEFA intends to eliminate the two 30-minute extra-time periods from all European tournaments, including the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. As a result, if knockout matches end in a draw, the winner will be determined directly by penalty shootouts.

UEFA believes this change will reduce pressure on players. At a time when footballers and their advocacy groups strongly oppose UEFA and FIFA, citing increased fixture congestion as a health risk, this change could gain players’ approval.

Bild reports that UEFA’s planned changes to the Champions League go beyond this. UEFA also wants to reward the eight teams that qualify directly from the group stage. If approved, the eight directly advancing teams will play their first-leg away matches in the next round and host the second-leg at home. Currently, home and away fixtures are decided by draw.

Bild adds that this change, if approved, stems from a recent complaint by Arsenal. Arsenal, who had to play their second-leg quarterfinal this year at the Bernabéu, protested to UEFA, arguing that since they qualified directly from the group stage while Real Madrid entered the knockout phase via playoffs, they should have hosted the decisive second-leg at home instead of traveling to the Bernabéu.