Sturm dropped into the Europa League after their Champions League qualifying campaign, while Salzburg had to come through qualifying for UEFA’s second-tier competition, most recently eliminating Mjällby 4-0 on aggregate. Leverkusen and Hoffenheim qualified directly for the league phase through their Bundesliga finishes. The eight matchdays will be played between 16/17 September 2026 and 28 January 2027.
Attractive French and English tests await Sturm
Olympique Marseille are arguably the biggest name heading to Graz. The 1993 Champions League winners have been coached by Bruno Genesio since this summer. Amine Gouiri is one of their main attacking threats and underlined his form by scoring twice on the opening weekend of the Ligue 1 season. Sturm will travel to AZ Alkmaar, where Leeroy Echteld has been in charge since January. The Dutch club, UEFA Cup runners-up in 1981, have traditionally placed a strong emphasis on developing young players.
Stade Rennes will also visit Graz. Franck Haise guided the Breton club into European competition last season, while Sebastian Szymański and Estéban Lepaul were both on target in a 2-2 draw with PSG on the opening weekend. Dinamo Zagreb await Sturm away from home. Coach Mario Kovačević can call upon former Rapid striker Dion Beljo, Mislav Oršić and Josip Mišić, among others. Croatia’s record champions won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1967 and dropped into the Europa League from Champions League qualifying.
NK Celje, who will travel to Graz, are coached by Vítor Campelos. Svit Sešlar and Mario Kvesić are among their most creative players, with Kvesić scoring four times in Champions League qualifying. Bournemouth, meanwhile, are embarking on the first European campaign in the club’s history under former Salzburg coach Marco Rose and have one of England’s most highly rated young midfielders in Alex Scott. OFI Crete came through Europa League qualifying under Christos Kontis, with former Austria-based forward Taxiarchis Fountas playing a central attacking role. Sturm know their eighth opponent particularly well: they will travel to TSG Hoffenheim, coached by former Sturm boss Christian Ilzer and led in attack by the likes of Andrej Kramarić and Fisnik Asllani.
Milan, Leverkusen and the Conference League holders await Salzburg
AC Milan provide Salzburg with one of the marquee fixtures of the entire league phase. The seven-time European champions have been coached by Rúben Amorim since the summer, while Rafael Leão remains one of the Rossoneri’s outstanding individual talents. An away trip to Bayer Leverkusen will be another major challenge. Carles Martínez Novell took charge of the Werkself in the summer, with captain Edmond Tapsoba, striker Patrik Schick and a host of highly rated attacking prospects among the key figures. Leverkusen won the UEFA Cup in 1988 and returned to the Europa League final in 2024.
Salzburg will also host reigning Conference League winners Crystal Palace. Pierre Sage succeeded Oliver Glasner during the summer, while Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaïla Sarr remain two of Palace’s most important attacking players. Sparta Prague are coached by Brian Priske, with Lukáš Haraslín and Adam Karabec central to their attacking play. Like NK Celje and Levski Sofia, the Czech side dropped into the competition from Champions League qualifying. Levski are coached by Julio Velázquez, while Reinaldo has already scored three times in Europe this season.
Anderlecht had to negotiate Europa League qualifying. Under Vítor Bruno, Danylo Sikan was their standout performer with five goals, while the Belgian giants’ European honours include two Cup Winners’ Cups and the 1983 UEFA Cup. Ararat-Armenia also came through qualifying under Portuguese coach Tulipa, with experienced striker Sandro Lima scoring three times earlier in Champions League qualifying. Celje complete Salzburg’s set of eight opponents.
Leverkusen face two French opponents
Leverkusen will host Marseille and travel to Olympique Lyon. Lyon are coached by Paulo Fonseca, with Malick Fofana among their leading attacking threats. The French side, Champions League semi-finalists in both 2010 and 2020, entered the Europa League after their Champions League qualifying campaign. Leverkusen will also host Salzburg and travel to Dinamo Zagreb and Lech Poznań. Lech are coached by Niels Frederiksen, with Patrik Wålemark and captain Mikael Ishak among the key players. The Polish club had to come through Europa League qualifying.
Celje will also visit Leverkusen. Two further opponents emerged from Europa League qualifying: Beşiktaş and OFI Crete. Beşiktaş are now coached by Vincenzo Italiano and boast an unusually star-studded squad for this competition, including Orkun Kökçü, Dušan Vlahović and Leandro Trossard. The Turkish giants reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 2003. OFI, who will host Leverkusen in Crete, have considerably less European pedigree.
Hoffenheim face Palace and several historic European names
Hoffenheim will also take on Lyon, although their meeting with the French club will be in Sinsheim. They travel to Olympiacos, who won the Conference League under José Luis Mendilibar in 2024. Ayoub El Kaabi remains the focal point of their attack, while long-serving playmaker Kostas Fortounis is another important figure. Ferencváros will visit Hoffenheim, with coach Balázs Borbély able to call upon Naby Keïta and Lenny Joseph, who impressed with his goals during qualifying. The Hungarian giants won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1965 and comfortably eliminated Trabzonspor in the play-offs.
Hoffenheim will also travel to RSC Anderlecht and Crystal Palace. Their meeting with Sturm will take place in Sinsheim and provides Christian Ilzer with a reunion against his former club. Beşiktaş are another historic name heading to Hoffenheim, while the Bundesliga side will travel to OFI Crete. Palace enter the competition as reigning Conference League champions, while Anderlecht and Beşiktaş bring decades of European experience. Hoffenheim may have avoided one of the absolute giants from Pot 1, but their league-phase schedule nevertheless promises plenty of variety.
