Liverpool will be unable to host Real Madrid in the Champions League league phase for a third consecutive season under a new UEFA rule. The draw takes place on Thursday, with the Reds among the teams in the hat.
Arne Slot guided Liverpool to Champions League qualification last term, but inconsistent form across the campaign cost the Dutchman his job. Former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has replaced him in the Anfield dugout.
New UEFA rule blocks repeat fixture
In the last two campaigns, Liverpool hosted Real Madrid at Anfield in the opening section of the Champions League. Now, UEFA rules will bar the same fixture from occurring in the league phase for three successive years.
Only two potential fixtures meet that specific criteria: Liverpool vs Real Madrid and Inter Milan vs Arsenal.
Paragraph 16.03 of last season's Champions League regulations read: "UEFA administration may determine alternative conditions for the draw in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee and may adapt any of the conditions of the draw to avoid deadlock situations and/or take into account any relevant constraints in light of decisions taken by the UEFA Executive Committee."
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.
What it means for the draw
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.
The fixtures between Liverpool and Real Madrid and Inter and Arsenal could still theoretically take place, but they would involve away trips for the Reds and a home match for the Gunners.
Liverpool won both of their previous league-phase encounters with Real Madrid. The Reds' potential opponents from pot 1 are Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Liverpool cannot face a team from their own country, meaning Arsenal, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Manchester City are not potential opponents.
