Anfield no-go for Real Madrid as UEFA unveils Champions League draw restriction

Real Madrid cannot be drawn to face Liverpool at Anfield this season after UEFA introduced a new Champions League rule designed to prevent the same fixture being repeated at the same stadium in three consecutive editions.

Attention turns to Thursday’s group-stage draw, when the clubs will discover their schedules for their first eight matches – four at home and four away. However, Real Madrid and Liverpool already know that one possible meeting has been removed from consideration: Real Madrid’s visit to Anfield.

The restriction is part of a new UEFA measure intended to avoid repetitive fixtures and maintain variety in the competition. Under the rule, a match that has been played twice in succession at the same ground is excluded from the draw for a third consecutive edition.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, the regulation applies directly to Liverpool’s potential meeting with Real Madrid. The Spanish club have played at Anfield in each of the past two editions, losing 2-0 in the season before last and suffering another defeat, this time 1-0, last season.

UEFA has therefore decided that the fixture cannot be staged at Liverpool’s home ground for a third successive campaign.

The rule does not completely prevent Liverpool and Real Madrid from meeting. Its restriction applies only to a fixture at Anfield, while a match at the Santiago Bernabeu remains possible.

Because the two most recent meetings were played in England, the draw can still send Liverpool into Real Madrid’s group – but any meeting between the sides would have to take place in Madrid rather than Liverpool.

That means Real Madrid are guaranteed to avoid another potentially difficult trip to Anfield, although the Spanish club remain permitted to host Liverpool at the Santiago Bernabeu.

UEFA has also clarified that the new measure applies only to the group stage. It will not be used in the knockout rounds, where clubs face no equivalent limitation based on recent meetings at a particular stadium.

For example, if Real Madrid were drawn against Manchester City despite the sides having met repeatedly over the past eight editions, they would still be required to play the tie without any restrictions relating to the venue.

Barcelona have no “prohibited” fixture under the rule this season. They have not faced the same opponent twice in succession at the same stadium during the previous two editions of the competition.

The rule could affect Barcelona in the future, however. If they host Paris Saint-Germain at Montjuic this season after meeting them there last term, another Barcelona home fixture against the French club would be ruled out in the 2027-28 season.

The new regulation is expected to become a notable factor in Thursday’s draw, limiting some potential repeat fixtures while still allowing the clubs involved to meet at the other team’s ground.

The subject can also be discussed in greater depth in the Kooora forums.