Europa League draw: Bournemouth, Sunderland get glamour ties with AC Milan

What the report says

Bournemouth and Sunderland have been drawn against AC Milan in the league phase of this season’s UEFA Europa League, according to Al Jazeera’s report on Friday’s draw. Bournemouth, who qualified after finishing sixth in the Premier League, will host the seven-time European champions on England’s south coast and will also face sides including Viktoria Plzen, Sturm Graz, Hapoel Beersheba, Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, Sparta Prague and Lillestrom.

Sunderland, back in Europe for the first time since 1973 after finishing seventh in the Premier League, will travel to San Siro to face Milan. Their other fixtures include Anderlecht, AZ Alkmaar, Dinamo Zagreb, Levski Sofia, Jagiellonia Bialystok, Lech Poznan and Torreense. Al Jazeera also noted that Crystal Palace, last season’s Conference League winners, were drawn against teams including Real Sociedad, Sparta Prague, Lech Poznan, Hoffenheim, Lyon, Salzburg, Jagiellonia and Besiktas.

The article said the first Europa League matches will be played on 16 and 17 September, with fixture dates to be confirmed by UEFA over the weekend. The final is scheduled for Frankfurt on 26 May 2027. It also reported that Celtic dropped into the Europa League after losing in Champions League qualifying.

In the Conference League, Brighton were drawn against Monaco and other clubs including Universitatea Craiova, Kauno Zalgiris, Panathinaikos, Getafe and Jablonec, while Hearts will face Monaco, Trabzonspor and Thun. More broadly, the draw shapes the opening phase of UEFA’s second- and third-tier competitions and sets up several high-profile fixtures involving English and Scottish clubs.