Three-season rule reshapes Arsenal and Liverpool’s Champions League draw

UEFA will stage the 2026-27 Champions League league-phase draw on Aug 27 in Monaco as 36 teams are split into four pots for a group stage starting Sep 8, with the final set for June at Madrid’s Metropolitano. A new rule prohibits the same fixture with the same home team from repeating for three consecutive seasons, impacting Arsenal and Liverpool by limiting which Pot 1 opponents they can face and where those matches can be played (e.g., Arsenal cannot have Inter away again, Liverpool cannot host Real Madrid again), while the competition’s format and schedule continue to unfold.