Sunderland and Bournemouth Draw AC Milan as Celtic Face Marseille

Six British and Irish clubs now know their group-phase path through the Europa League and Conference League.

By Naomi Osei · 28 Aug 2026 · 1 min read · United Kingdom edition

The UEFA Europa Conference League trophy, on display at West Ham. Photo: Hammersfan, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

The 2026/27 Europa League league-phase draw has paired both Sunderland and Bournemouth with Italian giants AC Milan. Crystal Palace open at home to Real Sociedad, and Celtic face Marseille.

In the Conference League, Brighton and Scottish side Hearts learned their opponents. Brighton's six league-phase games are set: home to Monaco and Kaunas Žalgiris, away to Panathinaikos and Getafe, plus further fixtures against Universitatea Craiova and Jablonec.

Both competitions use the same structural template as the Champions League now: 36 teams, eight league-phase games each (four home, four away), and no side can face more than two opponents from its own country.

The Conference League's first matchday lands on 15 October — a later start than the other two competitions, giving England's and Scotland's smaller-budget European entrants a few extra weeks to prepare.