The draw for the 2026-27 Europa League league phase was conducted on Friday in Monte Carlo — and Juventus’s eight opponents provide Luciano Spalletti with a competition that, if approached with the full seriousness the manager has consistently demanded, represents a genuine and accessible route back to the Champions League.
The Full Draw: Four at Home, Four Away
Juventus will face their eight group-phase opponents in the following format, with home fixtures at the Allianz Stadium against Real Sociedad, Rennes, Omonia Nicosia, and NEC Nijmegen; and away trips to AZ Alkmaar, Ferencváros, Celta Vigo, and Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
The Opponents — a Guide to Eight New European Opponents
Real Sociedad finished tenth in La Liga last season but claimed the Copa del Rey — beating Atletico Madrid on penalties in the final in what was the club’s fourth triumph in the competition. Their captain and talisman, Mikel Oyarzabal, is one of the most technically gifted and consistent attacking players in the Spanish game, and a key figure for the World Cup-winning Spain national team.
AZ Alkmaar finished seventh in the Eredivisie and won the KNVB Beker — beating NEC 5-1 in the final to claim the club’s fifth Dutch Cup. The Alkmaar squad contains one name guaranteed to generate attention at the Continassa: Peer Koopmeiners, younger brother of Teun, and one of the most important midfielders in AZ’s system.
Rennes were sixth in Ligue 1 last season, with striker Estéban Lepaul having been the division’s top scorer — a player Juventus will need to contain carefully in both fixtures, and one who will be watched with considerable scouting interest during the campaign.
Ferencváros were runners-up in the Hungarian top flight and Copa winners — and their squad contains former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keïta, who brings a recognisable name if not a guarantee of current top-level quality.
Omonia Nicosia are Cypriot champions for the 22nd time in the club’s history. Their inclusion makes the away fixture in Nicosia one of the more comfortable-looking evenings in the calendar.
Celta Vigo were sixth in La Liga — an opponent of genuine technical quality, built around the extraordinary Iago Aspas, one of Spanish football’s most enduring and creative attacking figures. The Spanish side also includes Marcos Alonso in defence, a player with extensive experience across the Premier League and Serie A.
NEC Nijmegen achieved their best-ever Eredivisie finish with third place last season and reached the KNVB Beker final — where they were comprehensively beaten 5-1 by AZ. Their attacking threat is centred on Japanese international Koki Ogawa.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva are Israeli champions for the fifth time — the straightforward addition to the draw that provides Spalletti’s squad with European competition at a less demanding intensity than the others.
A Competition Juventus Are Expected to Win
Del Piero said it in Perth. Locatelli said it in Hong Kong. Spalletti has been saying it since June. The Europa League is not a consolation prize — it is an objective. Winning it would deliver automatic Champions League qualification and validate the ambition of a summer that has cost significant money and required extraordinary patience. Reaching the final would do so too. The draw is manageable. The intent is clear. The new Juventus, from the very first European match of this campaign, will play to win.
