Europa League draw: Sunderland in pot three as opponents and dates set to be confirmed | OneFootball

Sunderland will learn their Europa League league phase opponents at today’s draw in Monaco after being placed in pot three. The event starts at midday, with dates and kick-off times due by Sunday, widely expected on Saturday.

Sunderland Echo reports that fixtures are computer generated, though a physical draw will still take place. Each team is pulled out, then eight ties appear on screen. Two Pot 1 and two Pot 2 opponents will be confirmed early.

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are also in Pot 3, and clubs from the same nation cannot meet at this stage except in exceptional cases. Sunderland’s Pot 3 pair will therefore almost certainly come from the other five teams.

The draw is free to watch on TNT Sports, UEFA’s website and YouTube.

European qualification brings significant prize and TV money. Last season the league phase paid £3.7 million, with wins worth £389,000 and draws £130,000. UEFA caps first-team spending at 70% of revenue for clubs in Europe, compared with 85% domestically, and Sunderland are confident of compliance.

Clubs may register 25 players on List A, including eight homegrown split between club trained and association trained, with places forfeited if short. Eligible under-21s go on List B. An expected Romaine Mundle extension helps, though further additions could leave some seniors unregistered.

League phase dates are 16-17 September, 15 and 22 October, 5 and 26 November, 10 December, then 21 and 28 January. The final is set for Frankfurt’s Waldstadion on 26 May 2027.

Source: Sunderland Echo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”