THE EUROPA LEAGUE AWAITING AC MILAN
Europa League
After a year away, AC Milan are ready to return to European football. In the coming hours, the Rossoneri will learn their path in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League, where they are determined to make their mark. There is extra motivation for the Rossoneri, as the Europa League is the only European trophy missing from the Club's honours list, out of the competitions the Rossoneri have participated in at least once. Compared to their last appearance in the competition in 2023/24, there are several changes, so let's take a closer look.
THE LEAGUE PHASE
The new format for UEFA competitions is going into its third season, and the Europa League will once again feature 36 teams, divided according to their UEFA Ranking into four pots of nine. The Rossoneri are already guaranteed a place in Pot 1 alongside the most prestigious clubs already certain of qualification. One important point is that the number of teams competing for a place in the Final in Frankfurt on 26 May will remain unchanged, as teams will no longer drop down from the Champions League. The draw, which will take place in Monte Carlo on Friday 28 August at 13:00 CEST, will play a key role in determining the fixture schedule. Each team will face two teams from each pot, one at home and one away, for a total of eight matches. While the paths will differ, all participating teams will share the same objective, with every match and every goal in the league phase contributing to the standings that determine qualification for the knockout phase. Every position in the standings will therefore be crucial, with the higher-ranked team guaranteed home advantage in the second leg of every knockout tie up to and including the semi-finals.
KNOCKOUT PHASE
Just like the Champions League, the top eight teams in the Europa League league phase will automatically advance to the Round of 16, while teams finishing between ninth and 24th will have to play in a two-legged play-off in February. The bottom twelve teams will see their European campaigns come to an end after the league phase, as the abolition of the system of teams dropping down has also removed the possibility of entering the Conference League knockout phase. The higher-ranked teams (those finishing between ninth and 16th) will play the second leg of the play-off at home, with the draw taking the league-phase standings into account. For example, the teams finishing ninth or tenth will face the teams finishing 23rd or 24th respectively, and so on in pairs. After the play-offs, the competition will move into the traditional knockout rounds, the Round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, before the Final on 26 May. However, the bracket for these rounds will already be determined by the draw held in February 2027.
WHEN THE MATCHES WILL BE PLAYED
As in the Champions League, the Europa League's league phase will consist of eight matches, with two matchdays, the final two of the league phase, taking place in the second half of January. The final matchday, in particular, will be played in its entirety on 28 January 2027, with all 18 matches kicking off simultaneously. The competition will get underway soon, on 16 and 17 September. Some matches will exceptionally be played on Wednesday, after which Thursday will become the competition’s regular matchday, with the sole exception of the Final in Frankfurt.
Here is the full schedule:
THE DRAW
The draw ceremony in Monte Carlo on 28 August will determine our European opponents. All 36 teams taking part in the league phase will be drawn to find out, with the help of a computer, which eight opponents they will face between September and January. There are two draw criteria: teams from the same country cannot face each other (meaning AC Milan cannot meet Luciano Spalletti's Juventus, the other Italian side taking part in the Europa League, during the league phase), while each team can face a maximum of two representatives from the same country among their eight opponents.
THE PARTICIPANTS
Alongside AC Milan, twelve teams qualified directly for the league phase: three from England (Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace, the reigning Conference League winners); two from Spain (Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo); two from Germany (Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen); two from France (Marseille and Rennes). Juventus, AZ Alkmaar and newcomers Torreense have also qualified directly for the league phase, with the latter having won the latest Portuguese Cup despite playing in the country's second tier. They were joined in recent weeks by four teams eliminated in the third qualifying round of the Champions League (league phase): Union Saint-Gilloise, Sparta Prague, Olympiacos and Sturm Graz. A further seven places are reserved for teams eliminated in the final round of Champions League qualifying: Levski Sofia, Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb, Celje, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Lyon and NEC. The final twelve spots will be decided on the evening of Thursday 27 August, when the second legs of the Europa League play-off round are played. Among the teams still in contention are Benfica, Italiano's Beşiktaş, Salah's Trabzonspor, as well as familiar names from our recent European campaigns such as Salzburg and Red Star Belgrade.
Match Kits, clothing, accessories, gift ideas and much more: visit AC Milan online Store!
