Europa League 2026-27 Draw: Jhon Durán's Benfica to Face Milan, Celtic and AZ Alkmaar

Monaco was once again the stage where the draw decides half a European season. The UEFA Europa League 2026-27 league phase draw produced matchups that already sound like an early final, and along the way it mapped out the road ahead for clubs with Latin American ties, starting with Jhon Durán and Richard Ríos's Benfica.

Before reaching this point, the Portuguese club had already had to sweat through the playoff round: it eliminated Aarhus with a commanding 6-2 aggregate to secure its spot among the 36 participants. Now, with its ticket punched, Benfica knows the eight opponents awaiting in the league phase, four at home and four on the road.

Benfica's schedule is far from easy. The club will host AZ Alkmaar, Celtic, Lech Poznan and OFI Crete, and will travel to face Milan, Viktoria Plzen, Omonia and N.E.C. Nijmegen. The toughest test on paper is that trip to San Siro to take on Milan, though the home clash against Celtic carries its own special flavor: Colombian forward Camilo Duran, the Scottish club's breakout talent who already has official goals to his name, will face fellow countrymen Jhon Duran and Richard Rios on Portuguese soil.

Milan takes center stage in the flashiest matchups

If there's one club that keeps popping up in this draw's most eye-catching fixtures, it's Milan. Beyond the trip to Lisbon to face Benfica, the Italians will host Bournemouth (with Julian Araujo in the English club's ranks) and will travel to Greece to face Olympiacos, which drew the home fixture against the Rossoneri according to the draw itself.

Olympiacos, which just signed Mexican forward Armando Gonzalez, will have a group of opponents with a strong French flavor: the Greek side will face both Olympique de Marseille and Rennes, in addition to hosting Milan in a match already generating buzz among the local fan base.

Other attractive league-phase matchups include Bayer Leverkusen against Olympique de Marseille and Juventus versus Real Sociedad, a recent European fixture that returns once again.

The English clubs' return and the Mexican trail

The competition also marks the return to Europe of three English clubs that had been absent: Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland. Julian Araujo plays for Bournemouth, and he'll face, among others, Milan, Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo.

Meanwhile, AZ Alkmaar, home to Mexican defender Mateo Chavez, will have two particularly attractive matchups: the Dutch club will host Juventus and travel to face Benfica. Chavez and his side will also travel to England to take on Sunderland.

The 36 clubs were sorted into four pots based on UEFA coefficient totals at the start of the season, and the regulations barred matchups between clubs from the same association while also capping the maximum number of opponents from any single country at two for each participant. Every club will play eight matches, two per pot, one at home and one away, within a single overall standings table.

The top eight in that table will advance directly to the round of 16, while clubs finishing between ninth and twenty-fourth will need to win a knockout playoff to stay alive.

Key tournament dates

The league phase kicks off on September 16 and 17, 2026, and runs through January 28, 2027, across eight matchdays in total. The final is set for Wednesday, May 26, 2027, at Stadion Frankfurt in Germany.

This edition's champion will secure a spot in the 2027-28 Champions League league phase (should the club fail to qualify domestically) and will also play in the 2027 UEFA Super Cup against the Champions League winner.