- A new UEFA regulation introduced ahead of the 2025/26 season means that Liverpool will not be allowed to face Real Madrid
- The two European powerhouses are expected to square off in the Champions League clash on Tuesday night at Anfield
- The two teams have met frequently in recent years, with Los Blancos holding an upper hand since 2009, having won seven of their last nine meetings
Liverpool will not be permitted to face Real Madrid at Anfield in next season’s Champions League group stage due to a newly introduced UEFA regulation.
The Reds are preparing to take on Real Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday night, hoping to improve their record against the Spanish giants.
Source: Getty Images
The two sides have become familiar foes in recent years, with Los Blancos holding the upper hand since 2009, winning seven of their last nine meetings.
Since the start of the 2017/18 season, Liverpool and Madrid have met seven times, including two Champions League finals, with the Merseyside club managing just one win.
That sole victory came in 2024 when Arne Slot’s side defeated Real 2-0 at Anfield during the league phase.
Notably, all four of Liverpool’s victories over Madrid in history have come with clean sheets.
Liverpool head into Tuesday’s tie on the back of a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday, ending a domestic rough patch.
Meanwhile, former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has transformed Real Madrid into a ruthless force since succeeding Carlo Ancelotti as manager.
In this season’s Champions League campaign, Liverpool have already claimed victories over Atletico Madrid and Frankfurt but suffered a setback with a defeat to Galatasaray on matchweek two.
Real Madrid, by contrast, boast a perfect record and currently sit top of the league phase table heading into the clash.
Liverpool banned from facing Real Madrid
However, it will be the last time the White Angels visit Anfield for at least two years in the group stage. A little-known UEFA regulation prevents teams from being drawn against one another three seasons in a row with the same home team.
The rule, introduced for the 2026/27 season, states that if two clubs face each other in consecutive group stages with the same home-and-away configuration, they cannot be paired again the following season in the same arrangement.
Since Liverpool hosted Real Madrid in last season’s group stage and are hosting them again this year, the regulation means that should both clubs be drawn together next season, the fixture would have to be played at the Santiago Bernabéu instead.
To maintain UEFA’s rule of four home and four away matches per club, one of Liverpool’s other away fixtures would then be switched to Anfield.
It is important to note that this regulation applies solely to the group stage and does not affect potential knockout-stage encounters between the two European heavyweights.
UEFA’s Rule in Full:
“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).”
Source: YEN.com.gh
Source: Yen.com.gh
