Liverpool will not host Real Madrid at Anfield in this season’s Champions League league phase.
A new UEFA rule has blocked a third consecutive meeting on Merseyside before Thursday’s draw has even taken place.
The decision, confirmed in Paragraph 16.03 of the Champions League regulations, stipulates 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 exclusively to the league phase. It does not prevent meetings in the knockout rounds.
Liverpool have hosted Real Madrid at Anfield in the league phase in each of the last two seasons. In 2024, second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo secured a 2-0 victory. Twelve months later, Mac Allister’s 61st-minute header off Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick was the only goal in a 1-0 win.
A third consecutive Anfield meeting is now impossible.
Only one other fixture meets the same criteria, and that is Inter Milan vs Arsenal at the San Siro. Inter hosted the Gunners in each of the past two seasons, winning 1-0 in 2024 before losing 3-1 last term. That fixture is also barred from repeating with the same home team.
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The league phase format, introduced in the 2024/25 season, sees each team play eight different opponents. UEFA wanted to avoid repetitive fixtures that could diminish the novelty and excitement of the competition.
The UEFA Club Competitions Committee determined the additional condition, stating: “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 does not prohibit clubs from being drawn against each other for three seasons in a row. It only prevents the same team from hosting that fixture for three consecutive campaigns.
Liverpool could still face Real Madrid in the league phase this season. But the match would have to take place at the Santiago Bernabéu. The same applies to Inter Milan and Arsenal. They could meet, but only at the Emirates Stadium.
Thursday’s draw in Monaco will reveal which teams face each other and which are home and away. UEFA will ensure that if either fixture happens, Liverpool and Inter will not host those matches.
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