Champions League format under fire from European sides

March 23, 2026 Oliver Obel

Several European clubs are calling on Uefa to review a key element of the Champions League’s new format, amid growing concern that the current system may be giving an unintended advantage to teams from England.

According to reporting by BBC Sport, the issue centres on the “country protection” rule, which prevents teams from the same domestic league from facing each other during the competition’s eight-game league phase.

While the rule was retained when the revamped format was introduced for the 2024-25 season, some clubs now believe its impact has been distorted by the strength and number of Premier League sides involved.

The concern is particularly tied to the seeding system. With three English teams placed in Pot 1, restrictions had to be applied to the draw to ensure they did not face each other. As a result, some non-English clubs say their pool of potential opponents became more limited—and, in many cases, more difficult.

One example highlighted in the discussions involves Paris St-Germain and Barcelona. Both clubs were ultimately drawn against Newcastle United from Pot 4. Without the country protection rule, they could have faced lower-ranked opponents such as Kairat Almaty or Pafos. Club officials argue that this kind of outcome illustrates how the system can unintentionally skew competitive balance.

More broadly, several top sides—including Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Madrid—ended up playing multiple matches against Premier League opponents during the league phase. Given the financial strength and squad depth of English clubs, some teams believe this increases the difficulty of progression compared to a more open draw.

However, there is no clear consensus on how to fix the issue.

Some clubs support removing country protection entirely in the league phase, which would allow matches between teams from the same country—potentially leading to high-profile fixtures such as Real Madrid v Barcelona earlier in the competition.

Others favour the opposite approach. They argue that country protection should instead be extended into the early knockout rounds. That view gained traction after PSG faced fellow French sides Monaco and Brest in consecutive knockout ties, a scenario that would not have been possible under stricter protections.

For now, Uefa has not indicated any imminent rule changes. But with the Premier League expected to have at least five representatives in next season’s competition—and likely multiple teams again among the top seeds—the debate is unlikely to fade.

More fundamentally, the discussion reflects a broader question facing European football: how to balance competitive fairness with the growing dominance of its richest leagues.

Sources: BBC Sport, Uefa