Liverpool and Real Madrid Set for Another Anfield Clash — But a New UEFA Rule Could Bar Future Meetings
Liverpool and Real Madrid will face off at Anfield once again in the league phase of the Champions League — marking the second consecutive season the two giants have met at this stage. However, a new UEFA regulation could prevent this fixture from happening again in the near future.
Under the updated competition rules, Liverpool and Real Madrid will be prohibited from facing each other in next season’s league phase of the Champions League if both clubs qualify. This stems from a UEFA restriction designed to stop the same fixture — with the same home team — from being repeated three seasons in a row under the new format.
Arne Slot’s side recorded a 2-0 victory over Real Madrid at Anfield last November, and will once again host the Spanish champions this week. The matchup continues one of European football’s most familiar rivalries — the pair have now met 13 times in the competition, with all but one of those encounters coming in the last 16 years.
Only two of those previous meetings took place under the old group-stage system, with the rest occurring in the knockout rounds, including three finals — in 1981, 2021, and 2022.
The UEFA Ruling Explained
According to paragraph 16.03 of the UEFA Champions League regulations, an additional condition has been introduced to the draw process starting from the 2026/27 campaign.
The rule states:
“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.”
In practice, this means that if Liverpool and Real Madrid — who faced each other in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 league phases, both with Liverpool as hosts — were drawn together again in 2026/27 with Liverpool once more at home, the fixture would be prohibited.
However, UEFA clarifies that the clubs could still be drawn together if the venue were reversed — meaning a clash at the Santiago Bernabéu would still be possible.
A Rivalry Renewed — For Now
This week’s showdown will mark another chapter in one of modern European football’s defining rivalries. But with UEFA’s new regulation in place, it could also be the last time for a while that Liverpool and Real Madrid meet under the same conditions.
