Liverpool 'banned' from facing Real Madrid at home in Champions League due to UEFA rule

A UEFA rule change would essentially stop Real Madrid from playing Liverpool at Anfield in the 2026/27 Champions League league phase.

On Thursday, all six English teams – Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Spurs and Newcastle - that will feature in the 2025/26 Champions League learned who they will face in the eight-game 36-team league phase.

And there were several huge ties for each club – which you can view below.

Arsenal: Bayern Munich (h), Inter (a), Atlético (h), Club Brugge (a), Olympiakos (h), Slavia Prague (a), Kairat Almaty (h), Athletic Club (a)

Chelsea: Barcelona (h), Bayern Munich (a), Benfica (h), Atalanta (a), Ajax (h), Napoli (a), Pafos (h), Qarabag (a)

Liverpool: Real Madrid (h), Inter (a), Atlético (h), Frankfurt (a), PSV (h), Marseille (a), Qarabag (h), Galatasaray (a)

The Champions League league phase will get underway on September 16 (Credit:Getty)

Man City: Dortmund (h), Real Madrid (a), Leverkusen (h), Villarreal (a), Napoli (h), Bodø/Glimt (a), Galatasaray (h), Monaco (a)

Newcastle: Barcelona (h), PSG (a), Benfica (h), Leverkusen (a), PSV (h), Marseille (a), Athletic Club (h), Union S-G (a)

Tottenham: Dortmund (h), PSG (a), Villarreal (h), Frankfurt (a), Slavia Prague (h), Bodø/Glimt (a), Copenhagen (h), Monaco (a)

So, former Spurs skipper Harry Kane will return to north London to face Arsenal. Kevin De Bruyne will play for Napoli against City at the Etihad.

Meanwhile, David Luiz will return to Stamford Bridge with Cypriot side Pafos.

And Trent Alexander-Arnold will travel to Anfield for Real Madrid’s clash against Liverpool. However, next season the Reds will be blocked from facing Los Blancos at Anfield due to a UEFA rule change.

According to UEFA’s website, "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.

Liverpool could be banned from playing Real Madrid at Anfield (Credit:Getty)

"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 (although, for the sake of clarity, those teams could still be drawn against each other at the venue of the other team)".

So, due to Liverpool playing Madrid last season and this term at Anfield, if they were drawn next season, the match would take place at the Santiago Bernabeu.