Benfica draw AC Milan, Celtic and AZ Alkmaar in Europa League league phase

Draw results and Pot 1 pairings

SL Benfica learned their eight opponents for the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase on Friday morning during the draw ceremony conducted in Nyon, Switzerland. Entering the competition as top seeds in Pot 1, the Lisbon club was drawn against two opponents from each of the four seeding pots, dividing their fixtures evenly between home and away matches. The most prominent fixture sends Benfica to Italy for an away clash against AC Milan, setting up a meeting with former Benfica manager Ruben Amorim and former striker Gonçalo Ramos. In their other Pot 1 fixture, the Portuguese club will host Dutch team AZ Alkmaar at the Estádio da Luz. European football's governing body UEFA will announce the finalized fixture schedule and kickoff times on Saturday after completing competition logistics.

Complete home and away matchups

Benfica will host four European teams in Lisbon while travelling to four separate countries across the eight-match league phase. At the Estádio da Luz, the Portuguese side will welcome AZ Alkmaar from the Netherlands, Scottish club Celtic from Pot 2, Polish side Lech Poznan from Pot 3, and Greek team OFI Crete from Pot 4. Away from home, Benfica will travel to Italy to face AC Milan, the Czech Republic to play Viktoria Plzen from Pot 2, Cyprus to face Omonia from Pot 3, and the Netherlands to challenge NEC from Pot 4. The draw distributes Benfica's eight fixtures across opponents from seven distinct countries, including two separate ties against Dutch clubs.

Matchday schedule and competition structure

The 2026/27 Europa League league phase takes place across eight matchdays between September 2026 and January 2027. The opening round of fixtures is scheduled for 16 and 17 September, followed by the second and third matchdays on 15 October and 22 October. Action continues in November with fixtures on 5 November and 26 November, before the 2026 calendar year concludes with matchday six on 10 December. The final two matchdays will be held in the new year on 21 January and 28 January 2027. Under the 36-team single-table league format, the top eight teams qualify automatically for the round of 16. Clubs finishing in ninth to 24th place enter a two-legged playoff round to reach the last 16, while teams placing between 25th and 36th are eliminated.

Qualifying campaign and European history

Benfica secured their berth in the 36-team tournament after progressing through three preliminary knockout ties, defeating St. Gallen, Hearts, and Aarhus. The team enters the league phase having already recorded 28 goals across all competitive fixtures in the current season. This campaign represents Benfica's return to the Europa League for the first time since the 2023/24 season, when third-placed teams in Champions League groups transferred into the competition. Before this season, the Lisbon club spent five consecutive years playing in the UEFA Champions League. Benfica previously reached two consecutive Europa League finals in 2013 and 2014, finishing as runners-up on both occasions.