UEFA is thinking about removing extra time in the Champions League knockout rounds. Instead of playing an additional 30 minutes, teams may go straight to a penalty shootout.

This change aims to reduce the number of minutes top players have to play, helping with their fitness and performance.

However, since the current TV rights deal lasts until 2027, any immediate change is unlikely.

Extra time has been a long-debated issue in European football. Many believe that removing it will help protect players from exhaustion, especially with the increasing number of games.

This season, UEFA introduced a new Champions League format, where each team plays at least eight group-stage matches.

Additionally, 12 European clubs will compete in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S. this summer.

Despite concerns about extra time, it hasn’t been needed very often. Last season, only three Champions League games from the Round of 16 onward went into extra time, and none did in the 2022-23 season.

In the Europa League, four games reached extra time in 2023-24, compared to six the previous season.

If UEFA moves forward with this idea, it could change how knockout matches are decided, making penalty shootouts even more crucial.