Why UEFA Scrapped the Away Goals Rule in European Football
Level on aggregate after two legs, one team used to advance in European football on away goals — goals scored at the opponent's ground carried extra weight. UEFA abolished that rule in June 2021. Since then, if the aggregate score is level, the match goes to extra time and, if needed, a tiebreaker decides the winner.
The decision was taken on the recommendation of UEFA's club competitions committee and women's football committee. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin believed the rule discouraged home teams from playing attacking football, especially in the first leg of a two-legged tie.
Ceferin said the away goals rule had been an intrinsic part of UEFA competitions since it was introduced in 1965. But its abolition had been discussed at various UEFA meetings over recent years; while opinions were not unanimous, many coaches, supporters and people involved in football favoured removing it.
Explaining the change, Ceferin said the rule's impact over time had run counter to its original purpose. Fearing that conceding a goal at home would hand the opponent a big advantage, home teams, particularly in the first leg, were reluctant to attack.
There were also questions about the rule in extra time. A visiting team could lead on away goals even with the aggregate level, so if the visitors scored once in extra time, the home side would need two goals to win. UEFA considered this another aspect of the rule's unfairness.
According to UEFA statistics, home teams won 61 percent of matches in European competition in the mid-1970s, a figure that fell to 47 percent by the 2020-21 season. Over the same period, home teams' average goals per match dropped from 2.01 to 1.58.
Away goals have not disappeared from football entirely, however. In league-phase matches, away goals remain among the criteria used to rank two or more teams level on points. But in two-legged ties level on aggregate, the winner is no longer decided on away goals; extra time and, if necessary, a tiebreaker have the final say.
