Arsenal will not face Inter Milan away in the 2026/27 Champions League league phase due to a new UEFA rule. The regulation prevents any fixture with the same home team from being repeated for three consecutive seasons, impacting the draw set for Thursday.
For the past two campaigns, the Gunners have travelled to the San Siro to play Inter. They lost 1-0 in the 2024/25 season but secured a 3-1 victory a year later, with goals from Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres. That recent history now triggers the new condition, which was determined by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee.
How the rule works
The rule states that if any teams played each other in the league phase with the same home team in both the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons, that specific matchup is barred for the 2026/27 edition. This only applies to the venue, not the opponent itself. Therefore, while Arsenal cannot be drawn to visit Inter, they could still host the Italian side at Emirates Stadium. The club's full fixtures for the new European campaign will be confirmed after the draw.
Liverpool are similarly affected, unable to be drawn at home against Real Madrid after hosting them at Anfield in the last two league phases. Arsenal and Liverpool are the only English clubs impacted by this specific clause. The automated draw for the expanded 36-team league phase is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Arsenal, who won all eight league-phase matches last season before losing the final on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain, will discover their eight different opponents this week. The top eight from the single league table progress directly to the last 16, with teams finishing 9th to 24th entering a play-off round.
