Liverpool vs Real Madrid is banned in new Champions League draw rules
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New Champions League rules mean Liverpool vs Real Madrid is impossible in tonight's draw. Liverpool have played Real Madrid at Anfield in both of the last two seasons (Image: Getty Images)Liverpool are barred from facing Real Madrid at Anfield in the league phase of this season's Champions League.
The draw for the 2026-27 league stage will be confirmed this evening (5pm UK time).Arne Slot's Reds beat Real Madrid 2-0 at Anfield in November 2024, then won 1-0 in the same stadium 12 months later. According to paragraph 16.03 of the UEFA Champions League regulations, the two clubs cannot face one another in this year's league phase of the competition.
Read our Privacy Policy Trending The regulation states: "In accordance with paragraph 16.03 of the UEFA Champions League regulations, 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 (although, for the sake of clarity, those teams could still be drawn against each other at the venue of the other team)."That means Konate and Alexander-Arnold could still be drawn against Liverpool but it would require their former club to travel to the Spanish capital for a face-off at the Bernabeu.Andoni Iraola will manage in European football for the first time in his career and his team are in Pot 1 for this evening's draw, alongside Real Madrid, holders PSG, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester City.Liverpool beat Real Madrid 2-0 and then 1-0 in back-to-back seasons (Image: Getty Images)The format of the draw means six-time European champions Liverpool will face one Pot 1 team at home, and another away. But they cannot face an English club, meaning they are guaranteed to take on one of PSG, Bayern, Inter, Barca or Atletico at Anfield.With Manchester United and Aston Villa in Pot 2, that means Liverpool will face two of Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis and PSV Eindhoven.There are no English clubs in Pot 3, which means Iraola could go head-to-head with any of Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray and the winner of Fenerbahce's two-legged qualifier against Lyon.And Stuttgart, Como, Lens and Celtic are among the potential opponents out of Pot 4 with Liverpool certain to face some very testing fixtures home and away between September and late January.