Sunderland Faces AC Milan in Europa League Draw

The draw balls had barely stopped spinning when it became clear: British clubs are in for a European campaign heavy on glamour and loaded with jeopardy.

Sunderland, back on the continent for the first time in 53 years, are heading straight for one of football’s great cathedrals. AC Milan at San Siro. Under the lights. In the Europa League. For a club that has spent much of the last decade fighting its way out of the lower leagues, it is the kind of tie that redefines a generation.

Bournemouth, making their first-ever appearance in European competition, will not have to wait long for their own taste of elite company. The Serie A giants will come to the south coast, a night that will test not just the team but the compact, feverish Vitality Stadium itself.

The new-look league phase of the Europa League will see clubs play eight fixtures between September 2026 and January 2027, four at home and four away. The Conference League follows a similar rhythm, with six games split evenly home and away. For British sides, the calendar is now mapped out – and it is unforgiving.

Europa League: glamour, graft and gruelling travel

Celtic, Sunderland, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace all emerged from Friday’s draw with schedules that mix prestige with potential pitfalls.

Celtic’s path offers both romance and risk. The Scottish champions will host Marseille at Celtic Park, a fixture dripping with history and intensity, and travel to Portugal to face Marco Silva’s Benfica. Their full slate reads:

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

Every home night in Glasgow will feel like an occasion. Every away trip carries a trap.

Sunderland’s return to Europe is not a gentle reintroduction. Their eight fixtures are:

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

San Siro is the headline, but this is a proper European tour: Dutch nous, Balkan hostility, Belgian pedigree, and long journeys east. For a fanbase starved of these adventures, it is exactly what they wanted – and exactly the kind of schedule that tests the depth of a squad.

Bournemouth’s maiden voyage into Europe has a similar edge. Their draw:

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

AC Milan at home is the showpiece, but trips to San Sebastian and Prague will demand maturity and control. Nights against Viktoria Plzen, Sturm Graz, Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Lillestrom will decide whether this is a brief cameo or the start of something more permanent on the European stage.

Crystal Palace, fresh from lifting last season’s Conference League, step up a level and have been handed a draw that underlines their new status. They will host LaLiga side Real Sociedad and travel to Lyon, two fixtures that would once have felt like fantasy at Selhurst Park. Their full list:

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

It is a demanding run. It is also the kind of schedule that confirms Palace are no longer European tourists. They are contenders expected to handle hostile crowds in Istanbul, Poland and France.

The Europa League dates lock the journey into place:

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

From there, the margins tighten:

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)

For any British side dreaming of Germany in late May, the route is long, crowded and unforgiving.

Conference League: Brighton and Hearts step back into the spotlight

If the Europa League offers the bright lights, the Conference League delivers something more subtle: opportunity.

Brighton are here for only the second time in their history, having come through a tricky qualifier against Tromso. Fabian Hurzeler’s side now know what awaits in the league phase:

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

Monaco at home is the standout, a test of Brighton’s ability to go toe-to-toe with a seasoned Ligue 1 side. Trips to Panathinaikos and Getafe bring intense atmospheres and awkward, tactical battles. The remaining fixtures offer points, but not guarantees. Nothing in Europe comes without a price.

Hearts, owned by Brighton chief Tony Bloom, will share the spotlight. They too will host Monaco at Tynecastle, a night that promises a crackling atmosphere in Edinburgh. Their full draw:

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

Trabzonspor away stands out immediately. A journey into one of Europe’s most intimidating environments, against a side boasting Mohamed Salah and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana on loan. Nordsjaelland at home and trips to Pafos and Thun may not carry the same glamour, but they will shape Hearts’ campaign just as much.

The Conference League schedule is compressed but relentless:

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 October to mid-December, there will be little room to breathe.

Sunderland back in Europe after half a century. Bournemouth taking their first steps beyond domestic borders. Celtic and Palace chasing deeper runs. Brighton and Hearts testing their nerve in the Conference League.

The fixtures are set. The dates are fixed. Now comes the hard part: turning the promise of these nights into something that will be remembered long after the draw slips into history.