PARIS, FRANCE - Wednesday, April 8, 2026: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister (R) is shown a yellow card by referee José Sánchez during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 1st Leg match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Liverpool FC at the Parc des Princes. PSG won 2-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
PARIS, FRANCE - Wednesday, April 8, 2026: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister (R) is shown a yellow card by referee José Sánchez during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 1st Leg match between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Liverpool FC at the Parc des Princes. PSG won 2-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Liverpool players will have more leeway when it comes to picking up yellow cards in the Champions League this season after UEFA changed their suspension threshold.
Despite increasing the competition’s maximum number of games from 13 to 17, UEFA never changed the suspension threshold after introducing their new competition format.
Instead, a player still received a one-match suspension after receiving three yellow cards in the league phase, with a subsequent ban upon receiving their fifth, seventh, or ninth booking and so on.
A player’s yellow card tally was then not wiped until after the quarter-final stage, creating a strict disciplinary tightrope not in keeping with the number of matches.
Thankfully, as relayed by the BBC‘s Dale Johnson, UEFA has raised the threshold for the upcoming season. A player will now need four yellow cards rather than three to earn a one-game ban.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, November 27, 2024: Referee François Letexier shows a yellow card during the UEFA Champions League game between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, November 27, 2024: Referee François Letexier shows a yellow card during the UEFA Champions League game between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
With Liverpool’s squad depth as it stands, it is a welcome change to the rules after players were forced to consider their suspension risk after picking up just two cautions.
Alexis Mac Allister served a one-match ban in 2024/25 after reaching the threshold in five games, while others have had to be in the referee’s good books for several games in a row.
Last season Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk criticised UEFA after seven of his players were at risk of suspension during their Liverpool tie.
“UEFA absolutely needs to change this after the number of matches increases. Seven of our players are on the verge of suspension,” he told reporters.
Thankfully, they have listened, and players do not have to consider the looming threat after picking up only two cautions.
UEFA’s other rule change for the upcoming season includes removing its stadium ban on clocks moving beyond 45 and 90 minutes.
Who could Liverpool face in the Champions League in 2026/27?
LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 10, 2024: The UEFA Champions League trophy. General. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 10, 2024: The UEFA Champions League trophy. General. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Twenty-nine clubs have already booked their place in the competition ahead of the playoff rounds. Only seven spots remain up for grabs via qualifying this summer.
The Reds will be joined by Arsenal, Man City, Man United, and Aston Villa in the league phase, as they all finished above Liverpool in the Premier League table.
League Winners
Champions League and Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain, Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, La Liga winners Barcelona, and Serie A champions Inter all booked their place with silverware.
Shakhtar Donetsk, PSV, Club Brugge, Slavia Prague, Porto and Galatasaray did likewise in their respective leagues.
Paris Saint-Germain's Marquinhos lifts the trophy with team-mates following victory over Arsenal after the UEFA Champions League Final at the Puskas Arena, Budapest. Picture date: Saturday May 30, 2026.
Paris Saint-Germain's Marquinhos lifts the trophy with team-mates following victory over Arsenal after the UEFA Champions League Final at the Puskas Arena, Budapest. Picture date: Saturday May 30, 2026.
Top Five Leagues
Those who also qualified from Europe’s top five leagues include La Liga’s Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Real Betis and Villarreal, and Serie A’s Roma, Como, and Napoli.
The Bundesliga will also be represented by Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, and Stuttgart, with Ligue 1 also seeing Lille and Lens qualify.
The Rest
Sporting CP have also qualified from the Primeira Liga, along with Eredivisie runners-up Feyenoord, now managed by ex-Liverpool assistant Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Abe, Koumas, McConnell, Nyoni collage
Abe, Koumas, McConnell, Nyoni collage
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