What was the away goals rule and why was it scrapped?

The away goals rule was a tiebreaker in two-legged knockout ties. If the aggregate score was level after both legs, the team that had scored more goals away from home advanced.

Why it was introduced. UEFA adopted it in 1965, at a time when away trips in European competition were genuinely difficult — long journeys, unfamiliar and often hostile grounds, poor pitches, and a substantial statistical home advantage. The rule rewarded attacking away from home and, importantly, reduced the need for replays, which were expensive and hard to schedule.

How it worked in practice. A 1-1 draw away followed by a 0-0 at home would send the away-scoring side through. It also applied during extra time in the second leg, which produced the rule's most criticised feature: the home team effectively had to score twice in extra time to what the visitors needed once.

Why UEFA abolished it from the 2021–22 season:

The premise had eroded. Travel, pitch quality, refereeing standards and stadium conditions had converged enormously across Europe. UEFA's own data showed home advantage had declined substantially over the decades — home win rates falling and away goals rising.

It discouraged attacking at home, the opposite of its intent. Home teams in first legs became cautious, prioritising a clean sheet over goals, because conceding one at home was disproportionately costly.

The extra-time asymmetry was widely seen as unfair, giving the second-leg away side an extra 30 minutes in which their goals counted double.

What happens now: level on aggregate goes to extra time, and if still level, a penalty shootout.

Not every competition follows UEFA. Some domestic cups and confederations retained the rule or apply it in specific rounds, so it is worth checking the competition's own regulations.