Bournemouth and Sunderland draw AC Milan in Europa League league phase

English clubs draw continental heavyweights

The Europa League draw in Monaco matched Premier League sides Bournemouth and Sunderland against seven-time European champions AC Milan. Bournemouth secured European qualification for the first time in club history following a sixth-place Premier League finish last season, capping a steady climb from League Two in 2010. Former manager Andoni Iraola departed for Liverpool after breaking the club's top-flight points record across three consecutive campaigns, leaving Marco Rose to oversee home matches against Milan, Viktoria Plzen, Sturm Graz, and Hapoel Be'er Sheva at the 11,300-capacity Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth will also travel to Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, Sparta Prague, and Lillestrøm. Sunderland returned to continental competition for the first time since the 1973–1974 season following a seventh-place domestic finish. Sunderland will travel to San Siro to face Milan, visit Anderlecht and Lech Poznan, and take on Portuguese second-division side Torreense at the Estadio do Algarve near Faro, alongside home fixtures against AZ Alkmaar, Dinamo Zagreb, Jagiellonia Bialystok, and Levski Sofia.

Crystal Palace and French contenders

Conference League titleholders Crystal Palace, who defeated Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in Leipzig in May, were drawn against French side Lyon. The match brings Palace manager Pierre Sage up against the club he managed between 2023 and January 2025, following earlier multi-club ownership complications involving former joint-stakeholder John Textor. Palace will visit Lyon, RB Salzburg, Jagiellonia, and Besiktas, while hosting Real Sociedad, Sparta Prague, Lech Poznan, and Hoffenheim at Selhurst Park. Lyon entered the competition following a Champions League play-off loss to Fenerbahçe, and will host Bayer Leverkusen, Union Saint-Gilloise, and Lillestrøm in addition to away trips against Real Sociedad, Anderlecht, Hoffenheim, and Jagiellonia. Marseille will host Olympiacos, Anderlecht, Celta Vigo, and Levski Sofia, while travelling to Leverkusen, Celtic, Sturm Graz, and Besiktas. Rennes, returning to European football after a two-year absence, was drawn against Juventus alongside fixtures against Dinamo Zagreb, Sparta Prague, and Olympiacos.

Celtic fixtures and tournament milestones

Celtic dropped into the Europa League following a play-off defeat to Austrian club LASK Linz, in which the Scottish champions surrendered a four-goal lead. Celtic will host Marseille, Ferencvaros, Celta Vigo, and Besiktas at Celtic Park, alongside away fixtures against Benfica, Omonia Nicosia, Union Saint-Gilloise, and Torreense. Aston Villa enter the season as defending champions after defeating Freiburg in the previous final. UEFA will confirm the full order, dates, and kick-off times for all league-phase fixtures by 31 August 2026. The opening round of fixtures will take place on 16 and 17 September 2026, with the competition culminating in the final in Frankfurt on 26 May 2027.

Conference League matchups

In the UEFA Conference League, Brighton reached the competition proper by defeating Norwegian club Tromsø in the play-offs. Brighton will host Monaco, Romania's Universitatea Craiova, and Lithuanian side Kauno Zalgiris, while travelling for away ties against Panathinaikos, Getafe, and Czech club Jablonec. Scottish club Hearts will compete in their third Conference League campaign, hosting Monaco and travelling to face Turkish side Trabzonspor, who feature Mohamed Salah, alongside additional away fixtures against Pafos and FC Thun.