Real Madrid have been ruled out of making another Champions League trip to Anfield during the 2026/27 league phase, thanks to a new rule from UEFA.
The unusual restriction comes from a UEFA rule designed to prevent the same fixture from being repeated with the same home team for three consecutive seasons.
The first of the two consecutive games was back in the heady days of November 2024, when Liverpool beat Madrid 2-0 thanks to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo. Twelve months later, the Reds claimed another victory, with Mac Allister once again finding the net in a 1-0 win.
However, it’s slightly more complicated that than. Liverpool and Madrid not are completely separated in the league phase. If the draw pairs the two European heavyweights together again on Thursday, the match will instead have to be played at the Santiago Bernabéu.
And so, the fixture remains possible, but only with Madrid as the home side.
For the sake of fullness, here’s what UEFA say about the whole thing:
“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.”
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