Do away goals count in UEFA Champions League? Rule explained, why it changed in 2021/22 season

Chelsea and Manchester City are both bidding for a place in the final of this year’s competition.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The Champions League quarter-finals are underway and we have already seen Manchester City’s Erling Haaland smash yet another goal-scoring record as the Blues beat Bayern Munich 3-0. Haaland himself scoring the third goal which has now sent his total tally to 45 goals in 39 matches this 2022/23 football season.

While ensuring a home advantage is always beneficial, in previous UEFA competitions, it was away goals that would have been of huge importance and would signify a higher chance of making it through to the next round. This would have been good news for Inter Milan who beat their hosts Benfica 2-0 in yesterday’s fixture.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However in 2021, the away goal rule was scrapped and has not been used since. Here is all you need to know about the away goal rule in UEFA Champions League football.

What was the away goal rule?

The rule was implemented in order to determine the winner of a two-legged tie in cases where the two sides had scored the same number of goals on aggregate over the two matches.

If one team had scored more goals in away matches, then they would qualify for the next round.

Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland celebrate Manchester City’s win over BayernBernardo Silva and Erling Haaland celebrate Manchester City’s win over Bayern
Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland celebrate Manchester City’s win over Bayern

It was a rule first introduced in 1965 and has been a crucial part of UEFA competitions since, but current UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin released a statement in June 2021 stating that it would no longer be used.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It read: “The away goals rule has been an intrinsic part of UEFA competitions since it was introduced in 1965. However, the question of its abolition has been debated at various UEFA meetings over the last few years. Although there was no unanimity of views, many coaches, fans and other football stakeholders have questioned its fairness and have expressed a preference for the rule to be abolished.

“The impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, it now dissuades home teams - especially in first legs - from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage.

“There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored.

“It is fair to say that home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was. Taking into consideration the consistency across Europe in terms of styles of play, and many different factors which have led to decline in home advantage, the UEFA Executive Committee has taken the correct decision in adopting the view that it is now longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight than one scored at home.”

Who has benefited from the rule in recent years?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tottenham Hotspur were the last Premier League side to greatly benefit from this rule when they progressed to the 2019 men’s final after beating Manchester City on away goals in the quarter finals and then Ajax in the semis.

Spurs benefited from the away goal rule in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions LeagueSpurs benefited from the away goal rule in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League
Spurs benefited from the away goal rule in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League

Paris Saint-Germain and Porto both profited from away goals in the 2020/21 competition while PSG’s women also enjoyed success due to the rule in the same campaign.

When are the next set of Champions League matches?

Wednesday 12 April:

  • Real Madrid vs Chelsea - 8pm
  • Milan vs Napoli - 8pm

Tuesday 18 April:

  • Napoli vs Milan - 8pm
  • Chelsea vs Real Madrid - 8pm

Wednesday 19 April:

  • Bayern Munich vs Manchester City (0-3) - 8pm
  • Inter vs Benfica (0-2) - 8pm

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.