Sunderland have found out who their eight opponents are as they prepare for European football for the first time in 52 years, with a tasty trip to the San Siro and a home tie against AZ Alkmaar.
_The Black Cats_ secured Europa League qualification with a 2-1 win over Chelsea on the final day of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
Dates and the playing order for all eight fixtures will be confirmed by Sunday at the latest.
**European nights under the lights**
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Sunderland will welcome AZ Alkmaar, GNK Dinamo, Jagiellonia Bialystok and Levski Sofia to the Stadium of Light this season.
[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2290577403)
The Stadium of Light is set for Europa League football for the first time ever this season. _The Black Cats_ beat fellow Europa League competitors Rennes in the final pre-season friendly on Wearside.
Alkmaar automatically qualified due to winning the KNVB Cup, thrashing NEC Nijmegen 5-1 in the final.
GNK Dinamo and Levski Sofia both fell out of the Champions League qualifying rounds, meaning Europa League football. Dinamo were knocked out by Norwegian side Viking, whilst Levski Sofia suffered a 4-0 second leg defeat to AEK Athens.
Jagiellonia Białystok came through the Europa League qualifiers, beating Rangers and Saburtalo.
**Passports at the ready**
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The Mackem faithful best have their passports ready because they’ll be putting some miles in this season.
_The Black Cats_ will have trips to Italian giants AC Milan, Anderlecht, Lech Poznan and Portuguese cup winners Torreense.
The toughest clash of the draw is undoubtedly Milan, with the 19-time Serie A winners, will welcome **Régis Le Bris’** side to the San Siro.
Milan and Torreense like Sunderland automatically qualified for the competition. Milan finished fifth in Serie A, whilst Torreense won the Taça de Portugal.
Anderlecht qualified via the qualification phase, beating Hammarby, PAOK and Kairat, scoring 14 goals across the six games.
Lech Poznan were knocked out of the Champions League qualification but won their two Europa League knockout stages beating Faroese side Kí and Thun, who they beat 9-2 on aggregate, winning the first leg 7-0 at the Poznań Stadium.
**How does the league phase work?**
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The 36-team league phase will see each team play eight games, four at home and four away.
At the end of the league fixtures the top eight will automatically qualify for the last 16.
Clubs finishing between ninth and 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off format to join them.
The teams that finish from ninth to 16th will be at home for the second leg due to finishing higher in the table.
The other 12 teams that did not finish in the top 24 will be out of the competition.
**How do the squad requirements work?**
Each club must submit a List A and a List B for their squad. List A can contain a maximum of 25 players, a minimum of eight of those players must be considered home grown.
Four of those players must have trained with the club aged between 15 and 21 and four association trained players. Clubs will be forced to forfeit a spot if they cannot meet all homegrown requirements. All clubs must have at least two goalkeepers on their list.
List B can be submitted the day before a match and allows clubs to select players who are born on or after January 1, 2005, who since their 15th birthday have been able to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years, or a total of three years with the maximum of one loan period.
**What do the squad requirements mean for Sunderland?**
The Black Cats may have to forfeit some of the homegrown spots, meaning they could potentially submit a 22-man squad as things stand.
**Simon Moore**, **Dan Ballard**, **Luke O’Nien**, **Romaine Mundle** and **Aji Alese** are the five players who currently fit that category.
[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2251897531)
However, it remains unclear whether Alese will still be at the club come Tuesday evening.
**Chris Rigg** can be selected in List B, with the midfielder born in 2007 and having been a regular first-team player since the 2023-24 campaign.
With links to **Jack Grealish** emerging in recent days, perhaps suggesting Sunderland could bring in at least another player who can fill a homegrown spot.