New UEFA regulations mean Liverpool cannot face Real Madrid at Anfield in the 2026-27 Champions League league phase, preventing a third consecutive home meeting between the two clubs.
The draw for the 2026-27 league stage will take place this evening at 5pm UK time. Liverpool, managed by Arne Slot, beat Real Madrid 2-0 at Anfield in November 2024 and followed that with a 1-0 victory in the same stadium 12 months later. Real Madrid have since added former Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate to their squad, but neither he nor Trent Alexander-Arnold will return to Anfield this season under the new rule.
UEFA rule blocks third consecutive home fixture
According to paragraph 16.03 of the UEFA Champions League regulations, the two clubs cannot be drawn against each other in this year's league phase. The regulation states: "In accordance with paragraph 16.03 of the UEFA Champions League regulations, the UEFA Club Competitions Committee has determined an additional condition that may be applicable to the UEFA Champions League draw for the 2026/27 season, deciding that any individual fixture between the same two teams may not be repeated in the same competition with the same home team for three consecutive seasons."
The rule applies to teams that played each other in the league phase in both the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons with the same home team. Those teams cannot be drawn together with the same home team in the 2026/27 season, though they could still face each other at the venue of the other team. This means Konate and Alexander-Arnold could still be drawn against Liverpool, but only if their former club travels to the Spanish capital for a match at the Bernabeu.
Liverpool's potential opponents in the league phase
Andoni Iraola will manage in European football for the first time in his career, and his team are in Pot 1 for this evening's draw alongside Real Madrid, holders PSG, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester City.
The draw format means six-time European champions Liverpool will face one Pot 1 team at home and another away. However, they cannot face an English club, so they are guaranteed to take on one of PSG, Bayern, Inter, Barca or Atletico at Anfield.
With Manchester United and Aston Villa in Pot 2, Liverpool will face two of Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis and PSV Eindhoven. There are no English clubs in Pot 3, meaning Iraola could go head-to-head with any of Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray and the winner of Fenerbahce's two-legged qualifier against Lyon.
Stuttgart, Como, Lens and Celtic are among the potential opponents out of Pot 4, with Liverpool certain to face some very testing fixtures home and away between September and late January.
