Europa League kicks off early with split Wednesday-Thursday start
The Europa League is back on Wednesday evening, a day earlier than usual.
The opening round of the 2026-27 league phase starts on 16 September, with nine of the 18 Matchweek 1 games taking place on Wednesday, according to BBC Sport. The other nine will be played on Thursday.
That will feel strange for regular viewers. Europa League and Conference League fixtures are typically played on Thursday nights.
Wednesday brings an early kick-off and a packed evening. Ararat-Armenia against Sparta Prague starts at 17:45 BST. Then comes the 20:00 BST slate, which includes Olympiakos against Jagiellonia Bialystok, Anderlecht against Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen against Celje, Sunderland against AZ Alkmaar, AC Milan against Benfica, Sturm Graz against Rennes and Hapoel Beer-Sheva against Dinamo Zagreb.
Omonia against Celta completes the Wednesday list, with that tie also scheduled for 16 September, according to UEFA. Celta, Sunderland, AC Milan, Benfica and Lyon are among the headline names in action.
So why the split? This is the Europa League's dedicated game week of the season. The Champions League also has an exclusive week in the opening round, while the Conference League gets its own designated week in December for the final round of league-phase matches.
Fixture clashes can also force a move. BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team reports that Europa League games can be rescheduled when they clash with other European matches in a similar geographical area.
The format itself is still relatively new. The Europa League switched to a league-phase system in the 2024-25 season, alongside the Champions League and Conference League. In simple terms, teams play a set of different opponents in one big table rather than the old home-and-away group stage.
UEFA says the 2026/27 league phase runs from Wednesday 16 September 2026 to Thursday 28 January 2027, with Matchday 1 split across 16 and 17 September and Matchday 2 set for 15 October.
For fans, this means two nights to start the season. Check your team, check the day. Thursday is still home for this competition, just not this week.
