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ORLReal Sociedad and Bournemouth Kick Off Europa League Play at Reale Arena
The Copa del Rey champions host the Premier League's sixth-place finisher, who are playing in a European competition for the first time.
Some debuts stand out, and this is one of them: Bournemouth has never played in a European competition before, and it will make its debut at none other than Reale Arena. The match is set for this Thursday, the 17th, when Real Sociedad hosts the English club in the opening round of the UEFA Europa League.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile) and 2:00 p.m. (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador), with live coverage available on Disney+ Premium.
How the Two Teams Arrive
Real Sociedad enters this Europa League campaign with fresh silverware to its name: the club was crowned champion of the 2025/26 Copa del Rey, knocking out Atletico Madrid along the way on penalties. That's no small boost heading into the continental tournament; they arrive with the confidence of a team that just won a major title.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, earned its spot in Europe through domestic performance: the club closed out last season's Premier League campaign in sixth place, a solid run that opened the door to European competition for the first time in its history. Now it's time to see how the club handles that jump in level, and doing so away at San Sebastian is hardly the easiest possible introduction.
The matchup also offers an early read on what this season's Europa League league phase will look like: teams with little history against each other, short track records, and plenty of uncertainty about how a newcomer like Bournemouth will adjust to the demands of European competition right out of the gate.
For Real Sociedad, the goal is clear: carry the momentum from the Copa del Rey run into a strong start at home against an opponent that, despite being a European debutant, is coming off a good season in England and shouldn't be taken lightly.
With all of that in play, Reale Arena hosts an intriguing matchup this Thursday to open the league phase: a recent Spanish champion against a European newcomer arriving on the back of a sixth-place Premier League finish.