Milan learned their eight opponents for the league phase of the 2026-27 Europa League on Friday, with Benfica, Bournemouth and Sunderland the standout names on the fixture list.
The competition keeps the same format the Champions League introduced. All 36 clubs sit in a single table after eight matches, four at home and four away, with UEFA co-efficient points used to sort the teams into four pots before the draw. Milan were seeded in Pot 1.
The draw was held in Monaco on Friday 28 August. As one of the top seeds, the Rossoneri avoided the strongest sides in their own pot and instead face a spread across all four groups, home and away.
At the San Siro, Milan will host Benfica, Ferencvaros, Sunderland and Ararat-Armenia. On the road, they travel to Olympiacos, Salzburg, Bournemouth and Levski Sofia.
Benfica are the pick of the home ties on paper, with the two English sides adding a different kind of test given the physical, high-tempo football both bring. The away trips range from a familiar European name in Olympiacos to less-travelled destinations in Sofia and Salzburg.
The stakes tied to the table are straightforward. Finishing in the top eight after the eight matches sends a club straight through to the last 16. Teams that place from 9th to 24th drop into a seeded knockout play-off, split into top and bottom halves, to decide the remaining last-16 places. Anything below that ends the European campaign.
For a Milan side back in the Europa League rather than the Champions League, the draw offers a route that rewards consistency over a favourable run, eight games with the top eight the clear target from the start.