Sunderland in the Europa League: Draw details, potential opponents, squad and financial rules explained

Sunderland secured qualification for European competition for the first time since 1973 on Sunday afternoon with a memorable win over Chelsea.

With other results going their way, the Black Cats booked a place in the Europa League with Brighton taking the Premier League’s Conference League place.

So what does it mean for the club and how does the Europa League actually work? Here’s everything you need to know…

Do Sunderland have to qualify for the competition proper?

No - this is an added bonus of finishing seventh rather than eighth. Whereas Brighton need to qualify for their place in the Conference League league phase, both Sunderland and Bournemouth go straight into the Europa League proper. That means they’re guaranteed eight fixtures in the competition - four home and four away.

So when will the draw for the league phase be made and when will Sunderland play their first game?

There’s four qualifying rounds to be played before then, so not anytime soon. The second legs of fourth and final qualifying round games will be played on August 27th, with the draw for the league phase taking place the next day. The league phase then begins on September 16th-17th.

How does the league phase work?

In short, it’s complicated. Teams will be placed into one of four pots based on their coefficient. Each team will then be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, playing one of those at home and one away. At the end of the eight gameweeks, the top eight teams in the league table receive a bye to the last 16 of the competition. The bottom eight teams in the table are eliminated entirely, and those placed 16th to 24th go into a two-legged knockout round.

So who could Sunderland face?

At the moment we don’t know what pot Sunderland will be placed in, though they are unlikely to be placed in a top pot given their lack of European football. The final line up of the league phase will also be determined to a large extent by the qualifying rounds mentioned above, with some teams dropping in from the Champions League qualifiers in the latter stages. There are still some huge names already booked in for the league phase alongside Sunderland and Bournemouth, however.

How about a reunion for Granit Xhaka and Bayer Leverkusen, or Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Marseille? Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus are possibilities, as are La Liga sides Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo. Hoffenheim, AZ Alkmaar and Rennes are some of the other teams already confirmed for the league phase. Some huge clubs will go into the qualifying rounds, including Benfica and Besiktas.

How much revenue will Sunderland earn from the competition?

Qualifying directly for the Europa League league phase means a minimum of four money-spinning home ties that each will bring a seven-figure revenue boost of their own. Last season, playing in the league phase earned a £3.7 million payout from UEFA, with each win in the league phase worth £389,000 and each draw £130,000. English clubs also earn the biggest TV payout from UEFA as they sit top of the coefficient - and it’s estimated this could earn Sunderland an extra few million next season.

Should they make a run to the latter stages of the competition, there is potentially another £20 million in prize money on the table. It’s estimated that Spurs earned over £40 million last season from their win in the competition, and it will be the same for Aston Villa this year.

So that means a big boost to the transfer budget?

It helps, but the reality is a bit more complicated and it’s important to note that European qualification doesn’t just bring reward. There are huge travelling costs to consider, and UEFA’s financial rules are strict. Clubs in European competition can only spend 70% of their revenues on first team costs, whereas those in the Premier League who have not qualified for Europe will be able to spend 85%.

As Sunderland bid to avoid second-season syndrome in the top tier this is an undoubted headache for Florent Ghisolfi and his team: they need to make the squad bigger and better while staying within these rules. Equally, you can be sure the club’s ownership are thrilled with the additional revenue streams.

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What are the Europa League squad registration rules?

Clubs can name 25 players in their ‘List A’ squad for European qualification, but eight of those must be considered ‘homegrown’ players. Four of those must have trained with Sunderland for three years between the ages of 15 and 21, and four for a club within the same national association during the same timeframe. Clubs have to forfeit a spot for each homegrown place they cannot meet.

There is additional wriggle room for clubs as players under the age of 21 can be registered on a separate ‘List B’, providing they have been eligible to represent the club for an interrupted period of two years since the age of 15. Moving into next season these rules would have to be an active consideration for Sunderland, as they do not have an abundance of homegrown players and another summer of transfer business could impact that further if players such as Romaine Mundle and Dennis Cirkin were to depart. Sunderland have room to manoeuvre, but it’s something they would have to consider as they manage the squad through another transfer window.

The Europa League league phase matchdays

Matchday 1: September 16-17

Matchday 2: October 15

Matchday 3: October 22

Matchday 4: November 5

Matchday 5: November 26

Matchday 6: December 10

Matchday 7: January 21

Matchday 8 – January 28

The final will take place in the Waldstadion in Frankfurt on May 26, 2027

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