Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be allowed to face Liverpool at Anfield during the Champions League league phase this season. The right-back, who joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2025, returned to his former club's ground in November last year for the fourth matchweek of the competition.
Alexander-Arnold came off the bench late in that game amid boos from Liverpool supporters who once revered him. He was unable to change the outcome, as Real Madrid suffered a 1-0 defeat to the Reds courtesy of an Alexis Mac Allister goal.
UEFA rule prevents third consecutive home fixture
Another reunion on Merseyside is not possible at the same stage this season, as Alexander-Arnold cannot play against Arne Slot's men until the play-off or knockout rounds. This is due to a UEFA ruling that clubs cannot be drawn against each other in the initial league phase with the same home team across three consecutive campaigns.
In the first season after the format change (2024/25), Liverpool defeated Real Madrid 2-0 at Anfield, with Alexander-Arnold an unused substitute for the hosts.
Regulation details and draw implications
Paragraph 16.03 of the UEFA Champions League regulations 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.
"This means that if any teams that already played against each other in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League in the 2024/25 season are again drawn against each other, with the same home team, in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League in this 2025/26 season, those teams will not be able to be drawn against each other with the same home team in the 2026/27 season (although, for the sake of clarity, those teams could still be drawn against each other at the venue of the other team)."
The Champions League draw for the 2026/27 campaign takes place this Thursday at 5pm BST. The first round of league phase action will be played between September 8 and September 10, 2026.
Draw format and both clubs' seeding
Europe's elite club competition will once again follow a Swiss System, commencing with a 36-team league phase in which each side plays eight times, evenly split between home and away matches. The continent's top 36 teams are seeded into four pots containing nine similarly-matched teams, as determined by their five-year UEFA club coefficient.
Both Liverpool and Real Madrid will be drawn from Pot 1. They still could face each other at the Santiago Bernabeu. Beginning with the top pot, a ball will be physically drawn before the automated software randomly draws two opponents from each pot, in an attempt to ensure every club faces an equally balanced set of rivals.
The Spanish giants were knocked out by Bayern Munich 6-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals last season. Meanwhile, Liverpool were knocked out at the same stage, losing 4-0 on aggregate to eventual champions PSG.
