Five Ecuadorians Set for the 2026-27 Europa League and Conference League League Phase

It was draw day in Nyon, and once again Ecuadorian soccer has a stake in Europe. UEFA laid out the League Phase matchups for the 2026-27 Europa League and Conference League on Friday, and several Ecuadorians can already start marking their calendars. Eight matchdays, opponents of every stripe, and for more than one of them, a head-to-head meeting between Ecuadorians that will draw plenty of extra attention.

Europa League: four familiar faces

Pervis Estupiñán, with Milan, drew a tough group: he'll host Benfica, Ferencváros, Sunderland and Ararat at San Siro, and travel to face Olympiacos, Salzburg, Bournemouth and Levski Sofia. That matchup against Sunderland carries extra intrigue, since Nilson Angulo is on the English club's roster. After his move to the northeast English side, Angulo will make his European group-stage debut with home games against AZ Alkmaar, Dinamo Zagreb, Jagiellonia and Levski Sofia, and road trips to Milan itself, Lech Poznań, Anderlecht and Torreense.

Kevin Rodríguez, the Union Saint-Gilloise forward, will face Real Sociedad, Celtic, Lech Poznań and Beer Sheva at home in Belgium, and will travel to Lyon, Viktoria Plzen, Celta de Vigo and Besiktas. Two dates against Spanish clubs that should add some extra spice to his season.

Meanwhile, John Mercado, of Sparta Prague, will host Bournemouth, Rennes, AZ Alkmaar and Lillestrom, and will visit Crystal Palace, Olympiacos, Ararat and Salzburg. That draw sets up another Ecuadorian showdown: Sparta Prague will travel to face Rennes, where Elías Legendre plays. Legendre's group will also include home games against Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb, Nicosia and OFI Crete, plus road trips against Juventus, Sparta Prague, Sturm Graz and Nijmegen.

Conference League: Midtjylland with an Ecuadorian touch

Denil Castillo will play the Conference League phase with Denmark's Midtjylland. His team will host Ajax, STVV and Hajduk Split, and will travel to face Panathinaikos, Lincoln Red Imps and Egnatia. It's a manageable slate on paper, though nothing can be taken for granted in Europe, especially with a heavyweight like Ajax in the mix.

The League Phase will kick off in the coming weeks and run through January, when the clubs advancing directly to the round of 16 and those headed to the playoff round will be determined. With five Ecuadorians spread across different clubs, fans back home will have plenty to follow, match by match.