UEFA rule prevents Liverpool from hosting Real Madrid in Champions League

Ahead of Thursday's Champions League draw, Liverpool has released a statement clarifying a specific restriction regarding a potential matchup against Real Madrid. The club informed supporters that should they be drawn against the Spanish side, the fixture would necessarily take place at the Santiago Bernabeu.

This outcome is dictated by a UEFA regulation that prevents the same fixture from being played at the same home venue for three consecutive seasons. Having hosted the Madrid side in 2024 and 2025, Liverpool is restricted by paragraph 16.03 of the competition regulations, which remains in force.

The rule specifically states that no individual match between two teams can be repeated with the same host team for three years in a row. While this does not prevent the teams from facing each other again, it mandates that Liverpool cannot be the home team for the fixture in the upcoming campaign.