The UEFA Champions League draw takes place on Thursday as each of the 36 teams learn who they will be playing in the League Phase.
Of the 144 matches that will take place in the stage of the competition, the two fixturex we won't be seeing are Liverpool vs. Real Madrid and Inter Milan vs Arsenal. Here's why.
How UEFA will prevent the Anfield and San Siro showdown
Liverpool have faced Madrid at Anfield in each of the last two Champions League editions. Similarly, Inter have hosted Arsenal in successive years.
Per a UEFA ruling, the same fixture cannot take place for three consecutive years. However, it's worth noting that these teams could still face each other at the Bernabéu and Emirates in the League Phase this year as per this rule.
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What happened in their previous meetings?
Madrid have struggled at Anfield and have lost each of their last two games there. Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo helped Liverpool to a 2-0 win in 2024. The Argentine got on the scorsheet the following year too, with his goal guiding the Reds to a 1-0 win.
Inter beat Arsenal 1-0 in their first meeting in 2024, before the Gunners exacted revenge with a 3-1 win in January this year.
The UEFA rule, in full:
"UEFA administration may determine alternative conditions for the draw in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee and may adapt any of the conditions of the draw to avoid deadlock situations and/or take into account any relevant constraints in light of decisions taken by the UEFA Executive Committee.
"The UEFA Club Competitions Committee has determined an additional condition that may be applicable to the UEFA Champions League draw for the 2026/27 season, deciding that 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.
"This means that 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."