Friday's Europa League draw takes place at 12pm UK time, with the Conference League draw following straight after. Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace are already in the Europa League league phase draw, so it is a busy European day for British clubs before a ball has even been kicked.
British clubs in the Europa League draw
The three clubs arrive with very different recent domestic context. Bournemouth finished 6th in the 2025 Premier League, Sunderland finished 7th, and Crystal Palace finished 15th. On the current table, Bournemouth sit 3rd, Sunderland are 19th and Crystal Palace are 8th, which gives Friday's draw a different feel for each of them.
The key point is that none of them are waiting around for a qualifying round. They are already in the league phase draw, and the timing means supporters will get their European opponents before the Conference League section follows.
The new league phase format
Sky Sports' explainer says every club in the Europa League is guaranteed a minimum of eight league-stage games against eight different opponents, with four at home and four away. The league phase has 36 teams, so the draw is doing a lot more work than the old group-stage set-up ever did.
The Conference League version is even tighter, with clubs facing six different teams in the league phase. Teams finishing 25th to 36th are eliminated from all competitions, which makes placement in the league phase more important than just getting through the draw itself.
The one detail still worth watching is the Conference League schedule, because the source material is inconsistent on the final year listed for that competition. The draw order is not in doubt, though, and Friday starts with the Europa League before moving straight on to the Conference League.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
