Europa League and Conference League group stage draws: British clubs including Bournemouth, Sunderland, Crystal Palace to discover opponents

The Europa League and Conference League league phase draws will see British clubs - including Celtic, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace - discover their opponents.

When is the draw?

The Europa League league phase draw - involving Celtic, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace - takes place at 12pm UK time on Friday.

The Conference League draw - involving Brighton and Scottish Premiership side Hearts - gets under way straight after.

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Who is in Europa League?

Twelve teams qualify directly for the league phase of the Europa League, with one slot also reserved for UEFA Conference League title holders, Crystal Palace.

A further 12 sides secure their places by qualifying through the play-off round. The 36-team line-up is completed by 11 losing teams transferring from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round and play-offs.

Qualified teams: AC Milan, AZ Alkmaar, Bayer Leverkusen, Bournemouth, Celta Vigo, Crystal Palace, Hoffenheim, Juventus, Marseille, Olympiacos, Real Sociedad, Rennes, Sparta Prague, Sturm Graz, Sunderland, Torreense, Union Saint-Gilloise.

Teams who won their Europa League play-off round: Anderlecht, Ararat-Armenia, Benfica, Besiktas, Ferencvaros, Jagiellonia, Lech Poznan, Lillestrom, OFI Crete, Omonia, Salzburg, Viktoria Plzen.

Teams who have qualified after losing in the Champions League play-off round: Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, NEC Nijmegen, Levski Sofia, Celje, Lyon.

Pot 1

• Bayer Leverkusen
• Benfica
• Juventus
• AC Milan
• Lyon
• AZ Alkmaar
• Olympiacos
• Real Sociedad
• Marseille

Pot 2

• Ferencvaros
• Viktoria Plzen
• Union Saint-Gilloise
• Dinamo Zagreb
• Salzburg
• Celtic
• Sparta Prague
• Rennes
• Anderlecht

Pot 3

• Sturm Graz
• Lech Poznan
• Crystal Palace
• Bournemouth
• Sunderland
• Celje
• Jagiellonia
• Omonia
• Celta Vigo

Pot 4

• Hoffenheim
• Besiktas
• Torreense
• Hapoel Beer-Sheva
• NEC Nijmegen
• OFI Crete
• Lillestrom
• Levski Sofia
• Ararat-Armenia

Who is in the Conference League?

All 36 teams enter the league phase via qualifying, with none directly through.

Teams who won their Conference League play-off round: Ajax, Atalanta, Borac, Braga, Brann, Brighton, FC Copenhagen, Freiburg, Gent, Getafe, Hajduk Split, Hearts, Inter Escaldes, Jablonec, Kups Kuopio, Lincoln Red Imps, Lugano, Midtjylland, AS Monaco, Nordsjaelland, Pafos, Panathinaikos, Riga, Twente.

Teams who have qualified after losing in the Europa League play-off round: Aarhus (AGF), Crvena Zvezda, CSKA Sofia, Egnatia, Iberia Tblisi, Kairat Almaty, Kauno Zalgiris, Mjallby, Sint-Truidense, Thun, Trabzonspor, Union Craiova.

Pot 1

• Atalanta
• Braga
• Ajax
• Freiburg
• AS Monaco
• FC Copenhagen

Pot 2

• Midtjylland
• Crvena Zvezda
• Gent
• Panathinaikos
• Pafos
• Brighton

Pot 3

• Lugano
• Getafe
• Kups
• Twente
• Borac
• Sint-Truidense

Pot 4

• Lincoln Red Imps
• Brann
• Hearts
• Kairat
• Trabzonspor
• Union Craiova

Pot 5

• Riga
• Hajduk Split
• Jablonec
• Aarhus (AGF)
• Nordsjaelland
• Inter Escaldes

Pot 6

• Thun
• CSKA Sofia
• Kauno Zalgiris
• Mjallby
• Iberia Tblisi
• Egnatia

How does the league phase work in the Europa League and Conference League?

In the Europa League, every club is guaranteed a minimum of eight league-stage games against eight different opponents, with four games home and four away.

In the Conference League, though, each side will face six different teams, with three games at home and three away.

In both tournaments, the top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition.

Teams ranked 25-36 are eliminated from all competitions.

How many teams can you face from any one nation?

In the league phase, teams cannot face opponents from their own country and can face a maximum of two sides from the same country.

When are the league phase games?

Europa League

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

Conference League

Matchday 1: October 15

Matchday 2: October 22

Matchday 3: November 5

Matchday 4: November 26

Matchday 5: December 10

Matchday 6: December 17

The key dates

The 2026/27 Europa League final will take place on May 26, 2027 at the Stadion Frankfurt in Germany, while the Conference League final is scheduled for June 2, 2025 at Besiktas Park in Istanbul.

Europa League

Knockout round 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)

Conference League

Knockout round 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: June 2, 2027 (Besiktas Park, Istanbul, Turkey)

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