Liverpool will not have the opportunity to host Real Madrid in the league phase of this year’s Champions League due to newly introduced regulations.

In recent seasons, Real Madrid visited Anfield during the group stage, with Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo securing a 2-0 victory in the 2024-25 season, while Mac Allister netted the sole goal in their next encounter.

However, UEFA has enacted a ruling to prevent identical fixtures from repeating in the league phase for three consecutive years, following the revamp of the competition's format for the 2024/25 season. This means that while Liverpool cannot host Real Madrid, they may still play at the Bernabeu without violating the new rules.

Key points from the new regulations include:

• Paragraph 16.03 of last season’s Champions League regulations allows UEFA to alter draw conditions to prevent recurring matchups.
• The Uefa Club Competitions Committee has stipulated that any fixture between the same teams cannot be repeated with the same home team for three straight seasons.
• This affects any teams that have faced each other in the league phase during the 2024/25 season, preventing the same home team matchup in the 2026/27 season.

The draw for this season’s league phase will take place on Thursday in Monaco, determining the eight matches for each team in the 36-team first phase, with teams facing two opponents from four different pots. Half of the matches will be played at home and the other half away.