Europa League Draw 2026: Marseille & Lyon Face Leverkusen, Sunderland Land AC Milan Trip
Both Marseille and Lyon have been drawn against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League group phase, creating a rare situation in which two clubs from the same city will face the same German side this season. Friday's draw in Monaco also handed Rennes a difficult tie against Juventus, while Bournemouth and Sunderland — both playing in European competition for the first time in years — were matched with AC Milan, the seven-time European champions. For Lyon, this draw comes days after disappointment. Their former manager Pierre Sage's team lost to Fenerbahçe in the Champions League play-off round on Wednesday, relegating Lyon to the Europa League. The story has an extra twist: Lyon will now have to play against Pierre Sage, who has since become Crystal Palace manager, in the group stage. Apart from that match and the home game against Leverkusen, Lyon also visit Real Sociedad, Anderlecht, Hoffenheim and Jagiellonia, and host Union Saint-Gilloise and Lillestrøm. Bayer Leverkusen's journey takes them away from home, with visits to Celtic, Sturm Graz and Besiktas. At home, Leverkusen will host Olympiacos, Anderlecht, Celta Vigo and Levski Sofia. Rennes, placed in Pot 2 after returning to Europe following a two-year absence, may have drawn the toughest opponent from the French group: a trip to Turin to face Juventus. The group also consists of Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb, Sparta Prague, Omonia Nicosia, Sturm Graz, OFI Crete and NEC Nijmegen. This challenging mix will test the squad's depth from the start.  For Bournemouth, who finished sixth in the Premier League, this means continental football for the first time in the club's history. The team, managed by Marco Rose, will host Milan on the south coast, as well as Viktoria Plzeň, Sturm Graz and Israeli champions Hapoel Be'er Sheva, while also travelling to Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, Sparta Prague and Lillestrøm. Sunderland's seventh-place finish has earned them a return to Europe for the first time since 1973, and no trip could be more significant than the one to San Siro as they begin this phase. The team will also go to Anderlecht and Torreense — the Portuguese second-division side that surprised everyone by winning last season's domestic cup — and will host AZ Alkmaar, Dinamo Zagreb and Levski Sofia, as well as play two Polish teams, Jagiellonia Bialystok and Lech Poznan. Crystal Palace, who won the Conference League last season and are now in Pot 3 under Sage, will play at home against Real Sociedad, Sparta Prague, Lech Poznan and Hoffenheim, and will travel to Lyon, Salzburg, Jagiellonia and Besiktas. The league phase starts on 16th-17th September, leading up to a final in Frankfurt on 26th May 2027. Aston Villa won last year's trophy by beating Freiburg, a result the article says ended a 44-year wait for European honour in Birmingham.
