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 Bournemouth, Sunderland, Crystal Palace - discover their opponents.

When is the draw?

The Europa League league phase draw - involving Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace - takes place at 12pm UK time on Friday. The Conference League draw - which could involve Brighton, Hearts, Hibs, Motherwell, Rangers and Northern Irish team Larne - gets under way straight after.

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 could play Europa League if they lose in the Champions League play-off round: AEK Athens, Bodo/Glimt, Celje, Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb, Fenerbahce, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, LASK, Levski Sofia, Lyon, NEC Breda, Sabah, Slovan Bratislava, Viking Stavanger.

Teams who could play Europa League if they win in the Europa Lague play-off round: Aarhus, Anderlecht, Ararat-Armenia, Benfica, Besiktas, Crvena Zvezda, CSKA Sofia, Egnatia, Ferencvaros, Iberia Tblisi, Jagiellonia, Kairat Almaty, Kauno Zalgiris, Lech Poznan, Lillestrom, Mjallby, OFI Crete, Omonia, Salzburg, Sint-Truidense, Thun, Trabzonspor, Union Craiova, Viktoria Plzen.

Who is in Conference League?

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

Teams who could play Conference League if they win in the Conference League play-off round: Ajax, Atalanta, Austria Vienna, Borac, Braga, Brann, Brighton, FC Copenhagen, Dinamo City, Drita, Freiburg, Gent, Getafe, Gornik Zabrze, Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Hajduk Split, Hearts, Hibernian, Hradec Kralove, Inter Escaldes, Inter Turku, Jablonec, Klaksvik, Kups Kuopio, Lincoln Red Imps, Larne, Lugano, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Midtjylland, Monaco, Motherwell, Nordsjaelland, Pafos, Panathinaikos, PAOK, Partizan, Qarabag, Rakow, Rangers, Riga, Rijeka, Shamrock Rovers, Sion, SK Rapid, St Gallen, Tromso, Twente, Vikingur Rekjavik.

Teams who could play Conference League if they lose in the Europa League play-off round: Aarhus, Anderlecht, Ararat-Armenia, Benfica, Besiktas, Crvena Zvezda, CSKA Sofia, Egnatia, Ferencvaros, Iberia Tblisi, Jagiellonia, Kairat Almaty, Kauno Zalgiris, Lech Poznan, Lillestrom, Mjallby, OFI Crete, Omonia, Salzburg, Sint-Truidense, Thun, Trabzonspor, Union Craiova, Viktoria Plzen.

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)