Bournemouth and Sunderland Draw AC Milan in Europa League
Al Jazeera English
Bournemouth and Sunderland will face AC Milan in the Europa League group stage after Friday's draw. Crystal Palace and Celtic also learned their opponents, while Brighton headline the Premier League's interest in the Conference League.
Bournemouth and Sunderland will face AC Milan in this season's Europa League group stage following Friday's draw. Bournemouth, making their European debut after finishing sixth in the Premier League last season, will host the seven-time European champions at home.
Marco Rose's side will also welcome Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic), Sturm Graz (Austria), and Israeli champions Hapoel Beersheba. Away from home, they travel twice to Spain to take on Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo, plus trips to Sparta Prague and last year's Norwegian Cup winners Lillestrom.
Sunderland finished seventh in the 2025-26 Premier League, securing their first European qualification since 1973. Their fans will relish a trip to San Siro. The Black Cats also visit former UEFA Cup winners Anderlecht, host AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), Dinamo Zagreb, Levski Sofia, and Polish duo Jagiellonia Bialystok and Lech Poznan. They will also travel to Torreense, the Portuguese second-tier side that shocked the nation by winning the cup last season. Torreense, from Torres Vedras, 50km north of Lisbon, will play their European homes at the Estadio do Algarve near Faro.
Conference League holders Crystal Palace, like the other two English representatives, were in the third pot of seeds. Led by French coach Pierre Sage, the south London club will host Real Sociedad, Sparta Prague, Lech Poznan, and Hoffenheim at Selhurst Park. Their away fixtures include Lyon, Salzburg, Jagiellonia, and Besiktas.
Celtic drop into the Europa League after losing to Austria's LASK in the Champions League play-offs. The Scottish champions will host Marseille and visit Benfica, also meeting Celta Vigo, Besiktas, and Torreense.
The Europa League also features Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus, the three-time UEFA Cup winners. UEFA will publish the full group-stage schedule this weekend, with the opening matches on September 16 and 17. The final takes place in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 26, 2027. Aston Villa are the defending champions after beating Freiburg in last season's final in Istanbul.
In the Conference League, Brighton represent the Premier League, having won the competition three times in the past four years. Their standout group match is a home clash with Monaco, plus home games against Universitatea Craiova (Romania) and Lithuanian champions Kauno Zalgiris. Away trips include Panathinaikos, Getafe, and Jablonec, the Czech side that eliminated Rangers in the play-offs. Atalanta, Ajax, and Freiburg also feature, alongside Hearts and Trabzonspor, Mohamed Salah's new club. Hearts host Monaco and visit Trabzonspor, with a trip to Swiss champions Thun. The Conference League final takes place on June 2, 2027, in Istanbul.
