Juventus, AC Milan drawn in Europa League league phase

Eight opponents were assigned to each of Italy’s two representatives in the 2026/27 Europa League league phase: Juventus and AC Milan. The draw occurred at 1 p.m. on 28 August 2026 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo.

The full draw results

Juventus, drawn from Pot 1, will face Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, Rennes, Ferencváros, Omonia Nicosia, Celta Vigo, NEC, and Hapoel Beer Sheva. All fixtures against these sides will be played away from home in national capitals.

AC Milan, also in Pot 1, was paired with Benfica, Olympiacos, Ferencváros, Salzburg, Sunderland, Bournemouth, Ararat Armenia, and Levski Sofia. These matches, too, are scheduled for away venues in capital cities.

Fixture list context

The draw produced a full 36-team league-phase fixture list. Other teams’ away fixtures include: Bayer Leverkusen versus Marseille, Lyon, Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb, Celje, Lech Poznań, Beşiktaş, and OFI Crete; Benfica versus AZ Alkmaar, AC Milan, Celtic, Viktoria Plzeň, Lech Poznań, Omonia Nicosia, OFI Crete, and NEC; Lyon versus Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad, Union SG, Anderlecht, Crystal Palace, Jagiellonia, Lillestrøm, and Hoffenheim; AZ Alkmaar versus Juventus, Benfica, Dinamo Zagreb, Sparta Prague, Sturm Graz, Sunderland, Hapoel Beer Sheva, and Ararat Armenia; Olympiacos versus AC Milan, Marseille, Sparta Prague, Rennes, Jagiellonia, Celje, Hoffenheim, and Torreense; Real Sociedad versus Lyon, Juventus, Viktoria Plzeň, Union SG, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Torreense, and Lillestrøm; Marseille versus Olympiacos, Bayer Leverkusen, Anderlecht, Celtic, Celta Vigo, Sturm Graz, Levski Sofia, and Beşiktaş; Ferencváros versus Juventus, AC Milan, Viktoria Plzeň, Celtic, Celje, Lech Poznań, Torreense, and Hoffenheim; and Viktoria Plzeň versus Benfica, Real Sociedad, Union SG, Ferencváros, Jagiellonia, Bournemouth, Levski Sofia, and Lillestrøm.

Additional participating clubs named in the draw include Union Saint-Gilloise, Jagiellonia Białystok, and Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

Competition structure and timeline

The Europa League league phase comprises 36 teams and runs from September 2026 to January 2027. Each club plays eight matches — four at home and four away.

Matchday dates are as follows: Matchday 1 on 16–17 September 2026; Matchday 2 on 15 October 2026; Matchday 3 on 22 October 2026; Matchday 4 on 5 November 2026; Matchday 5 on 26 November 2026; Matchday 6 on 10 December 2026; Matchday 7 on 21 January 2027; and Matchday 8 on 28 January 2027.

Qualification outcomes are determined by final standings: the top eight teams advance directly to the round of 16; teams ranked ninth through 24th enter play-offs, with winners progressing to the round of 16; the bottom 12 clubs are eliminated and do not qualify for any other European competition in the 2026/27 sporting season.

Draw mechanics

The draw used a single 36-team group divided into four pots. Clubs were allocated to Pot 1 through Pot 4 based on their placement criteria. A random draw selected each club’s ball, after which a computer generated pairings in real time. Two constraints applied: no club could face another from the same domestic league, and no club could be scheduled against more than two sides from the same country.

UEFA confirmed it will publish the full fixture list by Sunday 30 August via its official channels.