Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus learned their opposition for the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase following the official draw conducted at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Friday, August 28.
Both Serie A powerhouses headline Pot 1 for this season’s competition, which features the 36-team Swiss-style league format where every side plays eight matches (four home, four away) against eight different opponents.
High-Profile San Siro Trips for Premier League Entrants
The draw produced a set of fixtures for English clubs venturing into European competition.
Sunderland, making a return to European football, received a landmark draw that will see them travel to Italy to face seven-time European champions AC Milan at the iconic San Siro. Premier League side Bournemouth was also handed a tie against the Rossoneri, hosting AC Milan on home turf for their first-ever European campaign.
Crystal Palace, who qualified after winning last season’s UEFA Conference League, were handed a challenging path that includes trips to face Real Sociedad, Lyon, RB Salzburg, and Besiktas.
Key Rules and League Structure
Under UEFA regulations for the league phase:
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No Same-Nation Clashes: Teams from the same domestic association cannot meet in the league phase, meaning AC Milan and Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus will avoid each other until the knockout rounds at the earliest.
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Association Limit: Each club can face a maximum of two teams from any single national association.
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Elimination & Qualification: The top eight teams from the 36-team table advance automatically to the Round of 16. Teams finishing 9th to 24th will compete in a two-legged playoff in February 2027, while the bottom 12 teams will be eliminated without dropping down to the Conference League.
2026/27 Europa League Calendar
The 2026/27 Europa League league phase kicks off on September 16–17, 2026, with the final matchday featuring all 18 matches played simultaneously on January 28, 2027. The campaign culminates with the final set to take place in Frankfurt on May 26, 2027.
