Europa League Matchday 2: All 18 Fixtures on One Thursday, and the Shirt to Wear
The 2026/27 Europa League league phase returns on Thursday 15 October 2026 with all 18 clubs on one night — Salzburg v Milan at the Red Bull Arena, Lyon v Crystal Palace, Benfica v Celtic at the Estádio da Luz, and Marseille v Olympiacos at the Vélodrome. Here is every fixture, the matchups that move the shirt market, and what to wear for them.
What Matchday 1 changed
This page was written before a ball was kicked. Matchday 1 has since been played across 16 and 17 September 2026, and it was not kind to the favourites. These are the 18 results, and what they mean for the rounds ahead.
| Result |
|---|
| Milan 0–2 Benfica |
| Sheva 0–0 Dinamo Zagreb |
| Sturm Graz 0–0 Rennes |
| Ararat-Armenia 1–4 Sparta Praha |
| Omonia 1–0 Celta Vigo |
| Bayer Leverkusen 2–0 Celje |
| Anderlecht 1–2 Lyon |
| Olympiacos 2–1 Jagiellonia |
| Sunderland 1–0 AZ Alkmaar |
| OFI Crete 2–0 Hoffenheim |
| Levski Sofia 0–1 Salzburg |
| Beşiktaş 4–1 Marseille |
| Celtic 1–3 Ferencváros |
| Viktoria Plzeň 0–3 Union Saint-Gilloise |
| Crystal Palace 4–0 Lech Poznań |
| Juventus 5–0 N.E.C. |
| Lillestrøm 1–2 Torreense |
| Real Sociedad 1–2 Bournemouth |
Swipe the table sideways →
The three results that reset the competition. Milan 0–2 Benfica at San Siro is the headline: a Pot 1 club beaten at home by another Pot 1 club, which immediately hands Benfica control of the race for a top-eight place. Celtic 1–3 Ferencváros and Beşiktaş 4–1 Marseille did the same damage in the other direction, both away sides winning by two. And Juventus 5–0 N.E.C. plus Crystal Palace 4–0 Lech Poznań put two of the biggest goal differences in the table before October.
Why that matters more here than in a group stage: with eight matches and no return legs, goal difference is the tiebreaker that decides who reaches the top eight and who drops into the play-off round. A 5–0 is worth a place.
Matchday 1 — all 18 results and the shirts they moved →
Matchday 2: Quick Answers
- When: Thursday 15 October 2026 — all 18 matches on one night (unlike Matchday 1, which split across two).
- Headliners: Salzburg v Milan, Lyon v Crystal Palace, Benfica v Celtic, Marseille v Olympiacos.
- Kick-off times: 21:00 CET / 15:00 ET; early window 18:45 CET / 12:45 ET.
- Format: 36 clubs, one league table, eight games each — top 8 reach the round of 16.
- League phase runs until: 28 January 2027.
- Final: 26 May 2027 at Stadion Frankfurt.
How the 2026/27 Europa League league phase works
This is the third season of the 36-team single-league format. Every club plays eight matches against eight different opponents — four at home, four away — and all 36 sides sit in one table rather than groups. The top eight go straight to the round of 16; clubs finishing 9th to 24th enter a two-legged knockout play-off, and the bottom 12 are out of Europe entirely.
The league phase runs from 16 September 2026 through to 28 January 2027, and it finishes at Stadion Frankfurt on 26 May 2027. One practical point for shirt buyers: Matchday 1 opened the competition across Wednesday and Thursday, but from Matchday 2 onward the Europa League settles into its signature single-Thursday rhythm — which means every headline tie gets its own night.
All 18 Matchday 2 fixtures
| Date | Kick-off (CET / ET) | Fixture | Demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 15 Oct | 18:45 / 12:45 | Sparta Praha v Lillestrøm | ★☆☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 18:45 / 12:45 | AZ Alkmaar v H. Beer-Sheva | ★☆☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 18:45 / 12:45 | Salzburg v Milan | ★★★ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 18:45 / 12:45 | Lech Poznań v Bayer Leverkusen | ★★☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 18:45 / 12:45 | Celje v Omonia | ★☆☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 18:45 / 12:45 | Lyon v Crystal Palace | ★★★ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 18:45 / 12:45 | Union SG v Real Sociedad | ★★☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 18:45 / 12:45 | Torreense v Sunderland | ★★☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 21:00 / 15:00 | Bournemouth v Sturm Graz | ★★☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 21:00 / 15:00 | Ferencváros v Viktoria Plzeň | ★☆☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 21:00 / 15:00 | GNK Dinamo v Anderlecht | ★★☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 21:00 / 15:00 | Jagiellonia v Ararat-Armenia | ★☆☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 21:00 / 15:00 | N.E.C. v Levski Sofia | ★☆☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 21:00 / 15:00 | Marseille v Olympiacos | ★★★ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 21:00 / 15:00 | Celta v Juventus | ★★★ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 21:00 / 15:00 | Benfica v Celtic | ★★★ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 21:00 / 15:00 | Rennes v OFI Crete | ★☆☆ |
| Thu 15 Oct | 21:00 / 15:00 | Hoffenheim v Beşiktaş | ★★☆ |
All 18 fixtures as published by UEFA, times in CET with US Eastern conversion. The headline games kick off across both windows, but the marquee ties — Salzburg v Milan, Lyon v Crystal Palace, Benfica v Celtic, Marseille v Olympiacos and Celta v Juventus — all land in the 21:00 CET / 15:00 ET slot. Demand stars reflect how quickly the participating clubs’ shirts typically move once the league phase is underway, based on our own order flow — not a prediction of results.
Matchday 2 shirt demand index: where the second rush lands
By Matchday 2 the league phase has a rhythm. The opening-night novelty of Matchday 1 gives way to rivalries and return fixtures that our order flow treats very differently. We tiered all 18 fixtures by how quickly the participating shirts historically move once the campaign is a few weeks old. This is a demand guide based on our own order flow, not a prediction of results.
Five bona-fide shirt nights. Milan’s first away fixture of the league phase is a red-and-black event wherever it lands; Benfica v Celtic is two of the loudest travelling supports in the competition; Lyon v Crystal Palace is the continuation of Palace’s first European adventure; Marseille v Olympiacos is a Mediterranean heavyweight; and Celta v Juventus pairs a permanent Italian seller with one of Spain’s most distinctive shirts.
Consistent movers and first-nighters. Leverkusen and Real Sociedad carry a steady Bundesliga-plus-La Liga baseline; Sunderland and Bournemouth’s away followings buy on the night; Dinamo v Anderlecht is a proper old-European tie; and Beşiktaş’s white away is one of the most recognisable shirts in Europe.
Sparta Praha v Lillestrøm, AZ Alkmaar v H. Beer-Sheva, Celje v Omonia, Ferencváros v Viktoria Plzeň, Jagiellonia v Ararat-Armenia, N.E.C. v Levski Sofia and Rennes v OFI Crete. These are for the collector who plans early and wants the shirt nobody else in the pub will have —低调但 distinctive, and often the ones that quietly sell out first.
The matchups that will shape the shirt market
Salzburg v Milan (Thursday, Red Bull Arena). Milan’s first away night of the league phase is always a red-and-black event, and Salzburg’s white away is a quiet cult shirt among collectors. Our AC Milan collection moves hardest in the 48 hours before a night like this.
Benfica v Celtic (Thursday, Estádio da Luz). Two of the loudest travelling supports in the competition meet in Lisbon. Benfica’s home shirt and Celtic’s away version are both permanent fixtures in our European order flow, and a tie like this reliably pulls both.
Lyon v Crystal Palace (Thursday, Groupama Stadium). Crystal Palace’s first sustained European campaign is the biggest new-demand story of the round, and Lyon’s home shirt is one of the most distinctive in France. This is a fixture with no recent history — exactly the kind collectors move on early.
Marseille v Olympiacos (Thursday, Orange Vélodrome). A Mediterranean heavyweight. Marseille’s home shirt sells all season, and Olympiacos’ away version travels as well as any in the competition. The Vélodrome under the lights is its own category of atmosphere.
Celta v Juventus (Thursday, Abanca-Balaídos). Juventus’ second European night of the campaign, in one of Spain’s most characterful grounds. The Bianconeri shirt is a permanent seller, and Celta’s sky-blue carries a Galician baseline that a European night reliably lifts.
Union SG v Real Sociedad (Thursday, King Power at Den Dreef). Real Sociedad’s second away fixture of the league phase, in front of one of the most intense crowds in Belgium. The blue-and-white shirt is a collector’s pick — a fixture with limited back catalogue and a strong away following.
Eight shirts for Matchday 2
Milan Home Jersey 2026/27
Benfica Home Jersey 2026/27
Juventus Home Jersey 2026/27
Real Sociedad Home Jersey 2026/27
Lyon Home Jersey 2026/27
Crystal Palace Away Jersey 2025/26
Marseille Home Jersey 2026/27
Celta Vigo Home Jersey 2026/27
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