English Premier League sides Bournemouth and Sunderland have secured high-profile fixtures against seven-time European champions AC Milan following the UEFA Europa League league phase draw on Friday. Bournemouth, competing in a continental tournament for the first time after a sixth-place league finish, will host the Italian giants on the south coast. Meanwhile, Sunderland—making their first European appearance since 1973—will travel to the San Siro as part of their campaign.
Marco Rose’s Bournemouth side will also host Viktoria Plzen, Sturm Graz, and Hapoel Beersheba. Their away schedule includes trips to face Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, Sparta Prague, and Norwegian Cup winners Lillestrom. Sunderland’s path includes home matches against AZ Alkmaar, Dinamo Zagreb, and Levski Sofia, alongside visits to Anderlecht, Jagiellonia Bialystok, Lech Poznan, and the Portuguese second-division side Torreense. Although based near Lisbon, Torreense will host their European home matches at the Estadio do Algarve, located near Faro.
Crystal Palace, winners of last season’s UEFA Conference League and now managed by Pierre Sage, face a challenging schedule. The South London club will host Real Sociedad, Sparta Prague, Lech Poznan, and Hoffenheim, while traveling to face Lyon, Salzburg, Jagiellonia, and Besiktas in Istanbul.
Scottish champions Celtic, following a playoff defeat to LASK, have been placed in the Europa League. Their schedule features a home tie against Marseille and away trips to Benfica, Celta Vigo, Besiktas, and Torreense. Other notable participants in this year’s Europa League include Bayer Leverkusen and three-time UEFA Cup winners Juventus.
In the Conference League, Brighton and Hove Albion will represent the Premier League. Their marquee home fixture is against Monaco, with additional home matches against Universitatea Craiova and Kauno Zalgiris. Their away travels take them to Panathinaikos, Getafe, and Jablonec. Other notable Conference League clubs include Atalanta, Ajax, Freiburg, Mohamed Salah’s new team Trabzonspor, and Scottish side Hearts. Hearts are set to host Monaco and travel to face Trabzonspor and Swiss champions Thun.
UEFA will confirm the specific fixture dates over the coming weekend, with the opening matches scheduled for September 16 and 17. The Europa League final is set for May 26, 2027, in Frankfurt, Germany. The Conference League final will follow on June 2, 2027, at Besiktas’ home stadium in Istanbul. Aston Villa enters the season as the defending Europa League champion after defeating Freiburg in last year’s final. The report also notes that torreense are from the town of Torres Vedras, 50km (31 miles) north of Lisbon, but are set to host European matches at the Estadio do Algarve, just outside Faro. The report also notes that celtic were forced to settle for a berth in the Europa League after a spectacular collapse in losing to LASK of Austria in the Champions League playoffs. The report also notes that in addition, they will go to Panathinaikos and Getafe, as well as Jablonec, the Czech side who defeated Rangers on penalties in the playoffs.
