The latest draws for the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League have been completed, and British clubs now know who they will face in the upcoming group stages. Sunderland have been paired with Italy's storied AC Milan for an away fixture, while Bournemouth will host the Serie A giants at their home ground.
In the Conference League, Brighton and Hearts have also learned the teams that will challenge them. The group-stage pairings for both tournaments were announced on Friday. Each Europa League side will contest eight matches – four at home and four away – between September 2026 and January 2027.
The Conference League clubs will play six games each, also split evenly between home and away venues, over the same period. Sunderland's qualification marks a historic moment: it is the club's first appearance in European competition in 53 years.
Their inaugural European trip will take them to the iconic San Siro stadium, where they will meet AC Milan. Bournemouth, on the other hand, are embarking on their maiden European campaign and will welcome AC Milan to their own pitch, providing a unique double‑header for the Italian side.
Celtic have been drawn to host French side Marseille and travel to Benfica, the team managed by Marco Silva, as part of their eight‑match Europa League itinerary. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace – the reigning Conference League champions – will host Spanish outfit Real Sociedad and later visit French club Lyon. The full Europa League fixtures for Celtic are as follows: Marseille (home), Benfica (away), Ferencváros (home), Union Saint‑Gilloise (away), Celta Vigo (home), Omonia (away), Beşiktaş (home) and Torreense (away).
Sunderland's schedule includes AZ Alkmaar (home), AC Milan (away), GNK Dinamo Zagreb (home), Anderlecht (away), Jagiellonia Białystok (home), Lech Poznań (away), Levski Sofia (home) and Torreense (away). Bournemouth will host AC Milan, then travel to Real Sociedad, host Viktoria Plzeň, travel to Sparta Prague, host Sturm Graz, travel to Celta Vigo, host Hapoel Be’er Sheva and finish the group stage away at Lillestrøm. For fans of Crystal Palace, the group‑stage calendar reads: Real Sociedad (home), Lyon (away), Sparta Prague (home), Salzburg (away), Lech Poznań (home), Jagiellonia Białystok (away), Hoffenheim (home) and Beşiktaş (away).
The matchdays are set as follows: Matchday 1 on 16–17 September, Matchday 2 on 15 October, Matchday 3 on 22 October, Matchday 4 on 5 November, Matchday 5 on 26 November, Matchday 6 on 10 December, followed by the final two rounds in January 2027 (21 January and 28 January). The knockout phase will commence with play‑offs on 18 and 25 February 2027, then progress to the round of 16 in March, quarter‑finals in April, semi‑finals at the end of April and early May, and the final on 26 May 2027 at the Frankfurt Stadium in Germany. Brighton & Hove Albion are making their second ever foray into European football after defeating Tromsø in the qualifying rounds to secure a spot in the Conference League group stage.
Managed by Fabian Hürzeler, the Seagulls will face a challenging home game against Monaco from Ligue 1, and will also have to travel to Greece to play Panathinaikos and to Spain for a clash with Getafe. Hearts, the Scottish Premiership side owned by Brighton chairman Tony Bloom, share a similar schedule. They will also host Monaco at Tynecastle and travel to face Trabzonspor, a Turkish side that boasts former Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana on loan. Both clubs have been drawn into groups that feature a mixture of established European teams and emerging sides from the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
Brighton's full Conference League itinerary includes: Monaco (home), Panathinaikos (away), Universitatea Craiova (home), Getafe (away), Kauno Žalgiris (home), and Jablonec (away). Hearts will play: Monaco (home), Pafos (away), Borac Banja Luka (home), Trabzonspor (away), Nordsjælland (home) and Thun (away). Their matchdays are scheduled for 15 October, 22 October, 5 November, 26 November, 10 December and 17 December.
The knockout phase for the Conference League mirrors the Europa League timeline, with play‑offs on 18 and 25 February 2027, round of 16 in March, quarter‑finals in April, semi‑finals at the end of April and early May, and a final set for 2 June 2027 at Beşiktaş Park in Istanbul, Turkey. For viewers who subscribe to Sky Sports, all matches will be available via the Sky Sports app. Those without a Sky subscription can still gain instant, contract‑free access to the games through the platform's streaming service.
These draws set the stage for an exciting autumn of European football, with British clubs poised to test themselves against some of the continent's most respected teams. Whether it is Sunderland's historic return, Bournemouth's debut, Celtic's traditional rivalry with French and Portuguese sides, or Brighton and Hearts navigating the diverse challenges of the Conference League, the upcoming fixtures promise drama, travel, and the chance for English and Scottish clubs to make a lasting impression on the European stage.