Bournemouth host Sturm Graz as Benfica welcome Celtic in Europa League
Bournemouth host Sturm Graz and Benfica host Celtic to headline Matchday 2 of the Europa League on 15 October 2026.
It is a packed night in Europe's second-tier club competition. Ten games kick off at 8pm UK time, with the action followed live by The Guardian.
This season uses a league phase. That means 36 teams sit in one big table, rather than small groups, and each result shapes who reaches the knockout rounds.
Bournemouth are at home at Vitality Stadium. Kick-off against Sturm Graz is listed as 20:00, which is 15:00 EDT, and French official Jerome Brisard is the referee.
Andoni Iraola's side named Petrovic, Smith, Silva, Diakite, Soler, Tavernier, Cook, Adams, Doak, Rodriguez and Evanilson to start, according to The Guardian. Bournemouth arrived on a run of two consecutive home matches without a win.
Sturm Graz named Khudyakov, Malic, Quarshie, Petrovic, Balbo, Heil, Stankovic, Matoshi, Hodl, Seidl and Beganovic. The Austrian champions had lost only one of their previous five matches before the trip to England.
In Lisbon, Benfica welcome Celtic to the Estadio da Luz. Montenegro's Nikola Dabanovic is the referee for the 8pm kick-off.
Benfica named Trubin, Bah, Araujo, Lenglet, Dahl, Aursnes, Joao Palhinha, Lukebakio, Sudakov, Prestianni and Duran. Celtic named Sinisalo, Donovan, Murray, Trusty, Tierney, McGregor, Baur, Duran, Sorensen, Tounekti and Hogh.
History leans tight here. It is the ninth meeting between the clubs, with four Celtic wins, three Benfica wins and one draw, according to UEFA. But Celtic's recent record in Portugal is poor. They had lost their past four away matches there in all European competitions, including a 2-1 defeat at Benfica on their previous visit, according to BBC Sport.
Elsewhere on the 8pm slate are Celta Vigo v Juventus, Dinamo Zagreb v Anderlecht, Ferencvaros v Plzen, Hoffenheim v Besiktas, Jagiellonia Bialystok v Ararat Armenia, Marseille v Olympiacos, NEC v Levski Sofia and Rennes v OFI.
What makes this stand out is the mix of stories in one evening. Bournemouth are still learning what a European night feels like. Celtic are chasing a result that has eluded them in Portugal for years.
For fans, this means plenty to track at once. BBC Sport provided live text commentary, scores and stats for Bournemouth v Sturm Graz, while BBC Solent Sport carried live commentary from 8pm for UK listeners.
