90min

Champions League & Europa League Knockout Stages Could Retain Single-Leg Format

By James Cormack

Aleksander Ceferin will hold talks in upcoming months over the possibility of retaining one-legged ties
Aleksander Ceferin will hold talks in upcoming months over the possibility of retaining one-legged ties / FRANCK FIFE/Getty Images
facebooktwitterreddit

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has revealed that he'll hold talks regarding the retainment of the single-leg format in both the Champions and Europa League going forward.

The epilogues of both European competitions this term were forced to be decided over one leg, in more of an international tournament-style format, because of schedule restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the thrills the single-leg format has brought in recent weeks, however, it was expected it'd only be a one-off due to the suspected financial impact the reduced number of games would have on UEFA.

PSG's last-gasp comeback against Atalanta in the quarter-finals was the single-leg format in all its glory
PSG's last-gasp comeback against Atalanta in the quarter-finals was the single-leg format in all its glory / David Ramos/Getty Images

But Ceferin has admitted in an interview that "the value can be higher" using this season's format in the future despite the removal of games, provided it's "promoted properly".

“I have to say that this system of one match seems more interesting to me than the other system with two-legged matches,” Ceferin told the Associated Press ahead of Sunday night's Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

“Now, it’s quite complicated to place a final eight in the calendar. But we saw that people want exciting matches, that in one match, every team can beat every team in the Champions League or the Europa League.

"So it’s something to consider for the future... I think in September or October, we have to start to seriously speak,” Ceferin added.

When asked about the possibility of 'final four 'format instead of a final eight, and the 'Super Bowl-style buzz' which could be generated by holding a pair of semi-finals and the final in a single city over a week, the 52-year-old was coy on the idea despite his excitement.

“You are in the centre of attention for a week of the whole world and this might be a fantastic thing, but we have to see.

“The calendar is very complicated, players play almost 365 days per year. So we have to see how we do it, if we do it.

A 'final four' format is a possibility for Ceferin and UEFA
A 'final four' format is a possibility for Ceferin and UEFA / Lars Baron/Getty Images

“But again, I think it’s an interesting format, which we didn’t think about before and now it’s somewhere here in our mind. So we will start discussing it when we meet up."