Chelsea’s return to the UEFA Champions League has added a fresh layer of intrigue to their 2025/26 campaign.
After finishing inside the Premier League’s top four last season, the Blues are back among Europe’s elite for the first time since 2022/23, and their draw has handed them some mouth-watering fixtures, including Barcelona at Stamford Bridge and Bayern Munich away.
Adding to the drama is the fact that Nicolas Jackson, who is leaving Stamford Bridge this summer on loan, has joined Bayern Munich.
The 23-year-old forward could potentially face his parent club when the two sides meet in the new league-phase format.
But the question many Chelsea fans are asking is simple: can Nicolas Jackson play against Chelsea in the Champions League?
At first glance, it’s a situation that appears complicated. In English football, loan players are routinely barred from lining up against their parent clubs, with the rule deeply ingrained in domestic competitions.
However, UEFA competitions operate differently, and the governing body has had to make its stance clear in the past following high-profile disputes.
So, what do the rules say? That’s the question we explore here.
Can Nicolas Jackson Play Against Chelsea in the Champions League?
In English domestic competitions, strict rules govern whether loan players can face their parent clubs.
In the Premier League, the handbook is clear: “During the period of the temporary transfer… a player shall not play against the transferor club.”
The FA Cup follows the same principle, with the Football Association stating that a loan player “cannot play in a competition match against their parent club.”
The League Cup (EFL Cup) is slightly more flexible but still comes with restrictions. Under English Football League rules, a loan player may feature against their parent club only if the parent club provides written consent.
By contrast, UEFA’s regulations are very different. European football’s governing body insists that no club may exercise “any influence whatsoever over the players that another club may (or may not) field in a match.”
This means that in the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, and Super Cup, players on loan deals are eligible to face their parent clubs without restriction, provided they are correctly registered.
This principle came into prominence during the Thibaut Courtois saga in 2014.
Atlético Madrid had loaned the Belgian goalkeeper from Chelsea, and reports suggested a clause existed to prevent him from featuring in their Champions League semi-final clash.
UEFA intervened immediately, declaring that any such provision was “null, void and unenforceable.”
They emphasised that competition integrity is paramount and warned that attempts to restrict which players could be fielded would violate UEFA rules and invite sanctions.
In short, while the Premier League, FA Cup, and EFL Cup prevent loan players from facing their parent clubs, UEFA competitions do not.
That means Nicolas Jackson will be eligible to play for Bayern Munich against Chelsea in this season’s Champions League, a twist that could make their clash even more compelling.
