Report: Champions League format to change subtly again in 2027/28 as Liverpool learn new fixture rule

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Liverpool supporters may have mixed views over the Champions League format as it enters its second season.The Reds breezed through the new-look league stage last season, topping the table, only to meet eventual winners PSG in the last-16.Although that felt incredibly harsh on Liverpool, by and large the change to the format has felt like a positive one.Perhaps fuelled by that success, UEFA and their representatives clubs have now decided to make one more alteration to proceedings.From the 2027/28 season onwards, Liverpool and their Champions League rivals are going to have to get used to another minor change.Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesChampions League holders will begin each new campaignREAD MORE: Marc Guehi or Dayot Upamecano: Who should be Liverpool’s free transfer centre-back signing and whyFrom the 2024/25 season, the number of Champions League fixtures changed from six to eight: four at home and four away.Now, according to The Athletic, the reigning holders of the Champions League will be guaranteed to play the first of those eight fixtures at home on opening night.U3 – the organisational name of a collaboration between UEFA and European football clubs – have reportedly announced that the champions will play a standalone fixture on the first Tuesday of every season of the competition.The game will always be a home match for the kings of Europe, with the rest of the matchday one fixtures to follow across the Wednesday and Thursday.The move is claimed to be with the slightly dubious aim of ‘increasing visibility’ for all of the competing clubs.No change is expected for next season’s 2026/27 season, with the change kicking in the following year.