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Sunderland and Bournemouth Learn European Fate with AC Milan Draw

Sunderland’s 53-year wait for European football ends in about as grand a setting as they could have imagined: the San Siro. AC Milan await in the Europa League, while Bournemouth will welcome the seven-time European champions to the south coast in their first-ever continental campaign.

The draws for the revamped league phase of both the Europa League and the Conference League were made on Friday, mapping out the road from September 2026 to January 2027. Europa League sides will play eight games, four home and four away. Conference League teams get six, split evenly home and away.

Sunderland and Bournemouth land AC Milan

Sunderland, back in Europe for the first time since the 1970s, face a demanding but enticing slate. The standout is that away night in Milan, but their schedule is loaded with historic names and tricky trips.

  • AZ Alkmaar (H)
  • AC Milan (A)
  • GNK Dinamo (H)
  • Anderlecht (A)
  • Jagiellonia (H)
  • Lech Poznan (A)
  • Levski Sofia (H)
  • Torreense (A)

Bournemouth, making their European debut, also draw AC Milan – but on home turf. Their group offers a mix of glamour and potential pitfalls, from LaLiga to central Europe.

  • AC Milan (H)
  • Real Sociedad (A)
  • Viktoria Plzen (H)
  • Sparta Prague (A)
  • Sturm Graz (H)
  • Celta (A)
  • Hapoel Be’er Sheva (H)
  • Lillestrom (A)

Two English clubs. One Italian giant. Two very different stages, but the same benchmark of what it means to be in Europe.

Celtic and Crystal Palace eye deep Europa runs

Celtic’s calendar carries the weight and variety you expect for a club used to European nights. A home tie with Marseille jumps off the page, as does a trip to Marco Silva’s Benfica.

  • Marseille (H)
  • Benfica (A)
  • Ferencvaros (H)
  • Union SG (A)
  • Celta Vigo (H)
  • Omonia (A)
  • Besiktas (H)
  • Torreense (A)

Crystal Palace, fresh from lifting last season’s Conference League, now step up a level. They begin their defence of European credibility with Real Sociedad at Selhurst Park and a visit to Lyon.

  • Real Sociedad (H)
  • Lyon (A)
  • Sparta Prague (H)
  • Salzburg (A)
  • Lech Poznan (H)
  • Jagiellonia (A)
  • Hoffenheim (H)
  • Besiktas (A)

Palace’s route is littered with awkward journeys and seasoned European outfits. Exactly the kind of test a new continental regular has to embrace.

Europa League calendar

Matchdays are spread across autumn and deep into winter:

  • Matchday 1: September 16/17
  • Matchday 2: October 15
  • Matchday 3: October 22
  • Matchday 4: November 5
  • Matchday 5: November 26
  • Matchday 6: December 10
  • Matchday 7: January 21, 2027
  • Matchday 8: January 28, 2027

Then comes the knockout push:

  • Knockout phase play-offs: February 18 & 25, 2027
  • Round of 16: March 11 & 18, 2027
  • Quarter-finals: April 8 & 15, 2027
  • Semi-finals: April 29 & May 6, 2027
  • Final: May 26, 2027 (Stadion Frankfurt, Germany)

By late May, one of these clubs could be walking out in Frankfurt.

Brighton and Hearts draw Monaco in Conference League

Down in the Conference League, Brighton return to Europe for only the second time in their history, having seen off Tromso in qualifying. This time, Fabian Hurzeler’s side know exactly what they’re walking into: a demanding, travel-heavy league phase.

Monaco at home is the glamour tie at the Amex. Panathinaikos in Greece and Getafe in Spain offer the kind of hostile away days that shape a campaign.

  • Monaco (H)
  • Panathinaikos (A)
  • Universitatea Craiova (H)
  • Getafe (A)
  • Kauno Zalgiris (H)
  • Jablonec (A)

Hearts, owned by Brighton chief Tony Bloom, share the Monaco spotlight. The Scottish Premiership side will also face a Trabzonspor team featuring Mohamed Salah and on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, adding serious star power to their schedule.

  • Monaco (H)
  • Pafos (A)
  • Borac (H)
  • Trabzonspor (A)
  • Nordsjaelland (H)
  • Thun (A)

Tynecastle under the lights against Monaco, then a trip into the noise of Trabzon. It’s exactly the kind of European journey Hearts supporters have craved.

Conference League calendar

The Conference League packs its league phase into a tighter window:

  • Matchday 1: October 15
  • Matchday 2: October 22
  • Matchday 3: November 5
  • Matchday 4: November 26
  • Matchday 5: December 10
  • Matchday 6: December 17

From there, it’s straight into the knockout rounds and the scramble for a place in the latter stages.

British clubs have their paths. The dates are set. Now the question is simple: who turns a promising draw into a defining European run?

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