Liverpool knows they can’t host Real Madrid at Anfield if they qualify for the League phase of the Champions League next season. The pair are in conflict with each other in the first two league phases following a format change.
The Reds welcomed Madrid again in the coming weeks with a 2-0 victory at Merseyside in late November. This match marked the 13th opportunity that these Giants collided in this tournament, and within the last 16 years all bar 1 encounters have occurred.
In particular, only two previous fixtures, which are braces of the 2014 game, occurred in the group stage. The rest of the encounters form part of the knockout phase, covering three finals (1981, 2021, 2022).
However, they should not clash again at Anfield through the league phase next season, in line with paragraph 16.03 of the UEFA Champions League regulations.
The ruling declares that the UEFA administration can, in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competition Committee, be able to determine alternative conditions for a draw, and to avoid a deadlock situation or take into account the relevant constraints in light of decisions made by the UEFA Executive Committee.
As part of the lottery procedure adopted, the UEFA Club Competition Committee has determined additional conditions that can be applied to draws in the UEFA Champions League for the 2026/27 season, and that individual fixtures between the same two teams will not be repeated in the same competition with the same home team in three consecutive seasons.
“This means that teams that have already faced off in the UEFA Champions League league phase of the 2024/25 season will be playing against each other again on the same home team in the UEFA Champions League league phase of the 2025/26 season, with each other at other team venues).
