Overview
- The draw, held Friday, Aug. 28, assigned each of the 36 Europa League clubs eight opponents with four home games and four away games.
- Under the league‑phase format each team plays eight different opponents and the overall table sends the top eight straight to the round of 16 while teams placed 9th–24th enter two‑legged play‑offs and places 25th–36th are eliminated.
- The draw produced high‑profile ties including AC Milan facing Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium and Sunderland at San Siro, and Celtic drawn to play Marseille at home and visit Benfica.
- UEFA has set the league‑phase to run from mid‑September through January with the Europa final on May 26, 2027, and it will confirm exact kick‑off times and fixture dates no later than Aug. 30.
- Seedings were determined mainly by UEFA coefficients after late qualifying finished, a change that affects travel, fixture congestion and clubs’ routes to the knockout rounds while the Europa winner still earns a Champions League place.