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AChampions League rule change next season is set to impact clubs in the tournament, particularly Arsenal andLiverpool if they secure qualification again. The Champions League's revamped format has divided fans since its introduction at the beginning of last season, with naysayers complaining about excessive fixtures while advocates raise the point of 'increased jeopardy'.

Yet, governing bodyUEFA have already decided to make changes to Europe's elite club competition. Starting with the 2026/27 campaign, the initial league phase draw will not permit any fixture between the same two teams to be repeated across three consecutive seasons.

However, this will solely apply when the same team is playing at home for the fixture. For instance, Liverpool vs Real Madrid at Anfield and Inter Milan vs Arsenal at San Siro will not be allowed for a third time by UEFA's software conducting the group phase draw.

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Liverpool beat Real Madrid 2-0 in 2024 and 1-0 in 2025 at Anfield, while the Gunners suffered defeat in the fixture at Inter 1-0 in 2024 and secured a 3-1 victory earlier this month. The shake-up, which means they can only meet each other in reversed fixtures, was revealed prior to the draw for the league phase at the beginning of this season.

This season, drawn from 27 teams that qualified via league positions, were the winners of last season’s Champions League and Europa League, and the seven teams that progressed out of qualifying. The teams were then split into four pots based on their individual UEFA coefficient ranking.

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Each side would play eight matches in total, including two teams from each pot - one at home and one away. No group stage match could be played against sides from the same nation or more than two fixtures against teams from another country.

Arsenal and Liverpool could both realistically secure Champions League qualification for next season. The Gunners, going into the final league phase matchday, which wraps up tonight with all 18 fixtures played simultaneously, currently top the table with seven victories from seven matches.

Liverpool sit fourth on 15 points while Thomas Frank's Tottenham trail by a single point in fifth. Demonstrating the English clubs' supremacy in this stage of the tournament, Newcastle United and Chelsea occupy seventh and eighth place respectively, though they also face the threat of slipping out of the automatic qualification spots.

The 2023 champions, Manchester City, are currently 11th in the 36-team league phase. They will need a victory againstGalatasaray on Wednesday night if they harbour any hopes of avoiding the two-legged play-offs next month.