Real Madrid will not be going back to Anfield in this season’s Champions League league phase, at least not by default.
Under a UEFA rule being applied for the first time in the reformatted competition, Liverpool are blocked from hosting Los Blancos for a third consecutive campaign. If the two clubs come out of the pot together in Thursday’s draw at the Grimaldi Forum, the tie has to be played at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The regulation, set out on Liverpool’s own website, reads: “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.”
Two Anfield wins in a row
The clause bites because the two clubs have already met twice on Merseyside since the league phase replaced the old group stage. Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo scored in a 2-0 win in 2024-25, and Mac Allister headed the only goal a year later in a 1-0 result.
A third staging at Anfield would breach the three-season ceiling. Liverpool can still be paired with Real Madrid on Thursday. The venue simply has to switch to the Bernabéu.
Two new benches, both from Pot 1
Both clubs sit in Pot 1 alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Inter, Arsenal, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, as Sky Sports has confirmed. Under the format each team draws two opponents from every pot, one at home and one away, for a total of eight fixtures.
Real Madrid enter the draw with José Mourinho on the bench. The Portuguese was named head coach on 11 June on a three-year deal, replacing Álvaro Arbeloa.
Andoni Iraola, appointed by Liverpool on 4 June from AFC Bournemouth after Arne Slot’s dismissal, takes his side into the competition from the same pot.
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Draw begins at 6pm in Monaco
The 2026-27 league phase draw begins at 6pm local time at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The league phase runs from September through January, with the final scheduled for 5 June 2027 at the Metropolitano in Madrid.
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