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Bournemouth and Sunderland drawn against AC Milan in Europa League
The draw in Monaco handed the English clubs matches against the seven-time European champions as they return to continental competition.
The short version
- English clubs Bournemouth and Sunderland have both been drawn against AC Milan in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.
- The campaign represents Bournemouth's first-ever appearance in a continental competition and Sunderland's first European campaign since 1973.
- UEFA is scheduled to release the final fixture dates over the weekend, with the first round of matches set for September 16-17.
Key facts
- The Europa League league-phase draw in Monaco paired newcomers Bournemouth and Sunderland against Italian club AC Milan.[France 24 · Al Jazeera]
- Bournemouth, who finished sixth in the Premier League last season, will host AC Milan, while Sunderland, who finished seventh, will travel to San Siro.[Al Jazeera · BBC News]
- Sunderland is competing in European football for the first time since 1973.[Al Jazeera · BBC News]
- Crystal Palace, last season's Conference League winners, will face Lyon, Real Sociedad, and Besiktas, among others, after being demoted from the tournament last July for violating multi-club ownership rules.[BBC News]
- French clubs Marseille and Lyon were drawn against Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, while Rennes was drawn against Juventus.[France 24]
- The first matches of the Europa League league phase are scheduled for September 16-17, 2026, with the final to be held in Frankfurt on May 26, 2027.[France 24 · Al Jazeera]