Ararat-Armenia’s Possible Europa League Opponents: From Milan and Juventus to Celtic
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
All 36 participants in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase are now known. For the first time in the history of Armenian football, Ararat-Armenia are among them after overcoming Romanian side Universitatea Craiova in the play-off round.
The Europa League league-phase draw will take place today, August 28, at 15:00 Yerevan time. Manuel Tulipa’s team will discover all eight of their opponents at once. UEFA has also confirmed the full list of the tournament’s 36 participants.
How the Europa League draw will work
All 36 teams have been divided into four pots of nine according to their UEFA club coefficients.
Each club will be drawn against two opponents from each pot, including its own. Against one team from each pot, the club will play at home; against the other, it will play away.
Ararat-Armenia will therefore play eight matches against eight different opponents: four in Yerevan and four away from home. Under the competition regulations, a club also cannot face more than two opponents from the same national association.
All Europa League 2026/27 pots
Pot 1:
Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica, Juventus, Milan, Lyon, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiacos, Real Sociedad, Marseille.
Pot 2:
Ferencvaros, Viktoria Plzen, Union Saint-Gilloise, Dinamo Zagreb, Salzburg, Celtic, Sparta Prague, Rennes, Anderlecht.
Pot 3:
Sturm Graz, Lech Poznan, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Celje, Jagiellonia, Omonia, Celta Vigo.
Pot 4:
Hoffenheim, Besiktas, Torreense, Hapoel Be’er Sheva, NEC Nijmegen, OFI, Lillestrom, Levski, Ararat-Armenia.
At first glance, looking at the list of potential opponents, it may seem that there is practically no such thing as a “favourable draw” for the Armenian champions. This is the Europa League, and the level of competition is considerably higher than what Ararat-Armenia faced in the earlier rounds of European qualification.
But the situation is not quite that straightforward.
Why a big name does not necessarily mean the worst possible draw
For Ararat-Armenia, it will not only be the quality of the opponent that matters, but also when exactly the match is played and how seriously that particular club treats the Europa League.
Teams from Europe’s top five leagues do not always field their strongest possible line-ups in this competition. For some of them, securing a Champions League place through their domestic league may be a higher priority, especially during the busiest parts of the calendar.
Paradoxically, this means that in certain circumstances a famous club from England, Italy, France, Spain or Germany could even be a more interesting opponent for Ararat-Armenia than one of the leading teams from a lower-ranked domestic league.
Milan and Lyon — opponents against whom circumstances could offer a chance
Almost every potential opponent in Pot 1 looks intimidating: Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica, Juventus, Milan, Lyon, Olympiacos, Real Sociedad, Marseille and AZ Alkmaar.
But if we look for teams against whom circumstances could theoretically give Ararat-Armenia an additional opportunity, Milan and Lyon are among those that stand out. Facing either of them would, firstly, be prestigious; secondly, generate enormous interest among supporters; and thirdly, provide Ararat-Armenia’s players with invaluable experience.
In Milan’s case, a great deal could depend on the club’s priorities and squad rotation. The Italian giants have several young players who could receive playing time in the Europa League, including Francesco Camarda and Christian Comotto. Both are part of Milan’s first-team squad this season.
Of course, even a rotated Milan side would represent an enormous challenge for the Armenian club. But in a one-off match, especially in Yerevan, rotation by the favourites could noticeably increase the possibility of an upset.
The situation with Lyon is somewhat different. The French club has undergone a major financial and squad restructuring in recent seasons, while transfer changes have continued this summer. As a result, the team could approach certain Europa League fixtures in a less-than-stable condition.
It is also worth noting that after the victory over Universitatea Craiova, Manuel Tulipa admitted that the two Portuguese clubs he would most like to face in the Europa League are Benfica and Torreense.
English clubs: a lot could depend on the date of the match
There are three English teams in Pot 3: Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland.
On paper, all three look like extremely difficult opponents. The quality and intensity of the English Premier League make any match against an English club a major challenge.
However, the fixture schedule could be particularly important here.
If Ararat-Armenia are drawn against an English opponent in a December or January round, the situation could become more interesting. In England, that part of the season traditionally comes with an exceptionally congested calendar, forcing clubs to spread their resources across the league, domestic cup competitions and European tournaments.
In this season’s Europa League, the final three rounds of the league phase will be played on December 10, January 21 and January 28.
A meeting with Bournemouth or Crystal Palace during that period could therefore potentially be slightly more favourable than the same fixture in September — especially if Ararat-Armenia are playing at home.
That does not make the English clubs easy opponents. It is simply about the small details that can become hugely important for a team entering the match as a clear underdog.
Why Celtic, Sturm or Dinamo could be even more uncomfortable opponents
At first glance, drawing Milan, Lyon or an English club may seem significantly worse than facing Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb or Sturm Graz. From a competitive point of view, however, the opposite could be true.
For the leading clubs from Scotland, Croatia or Austria, the Europa League is one of the most important competitions of the season. The likelihood of such teams resting large numbers of key players in order to prioritise their domestic league is considerably lower.
They also have substantial European experience, well-established squads and a clear understanding of how to play against teams that are individually inferior on paper.
Under the right circumstances, therefore, a high-profile club from one of Europe’s major leagues could actually be a more interesting draw for Ararat-Armenia than Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb or Sturm Graz, all of whom are highly likely to approach every Europa League match with maximum seriousness.
Which teams can Ararat-Armenia realistically fight for points against?
Naturally, Manuel Tulipa’s side will have very few Europa League matches in which they can be described as clear favourites beforehand. But there are already several possible opponents that look particularly intriguing.
One of them is Celje. The Slovenian club are in Pot 3, and Ararat-Armenia have already shown this summer that they are capable of competing on equal terms with teams of that level, having beaten Celje at home in the Champions League.
An even more intriguing possibility is Portuguese side Torreense from Pot 4.
For Manuel Tulipa, a match against a Portuguese team would carry an additional layer of significance. The Ararat-Armenia head coach knows the football environment in his home country extremely well, meaning preparation for such an opponent would at least take place within a context highly familiar to his coaching staff.
Torreense also compete in Portugal’s second division, making a possible meeting even more unusual. The club are playing in the second tier of Portuguese football this season. Last season, they sensationally won the Portuguese Cup and qualified automatically for the Europa League.
Other options from Pot 4 include OFI, Lillestrom, Levski and NEC Nijmegen. On paper, it is primarily against teams of this level that Ararat-Armenia can hope to collect points.
There will be no easy draw, but there are chances for surprises
The key before the draw is not to divide potential opponents simply into “giants” and “beatable teams”.
In the new format, the schedule, the venue of a particular match, the opponent’s condition at that exact point of the season and its attitude towards the competition can all have enormous significance.
For Ararat-Armenia, it is particularly important to get several matches in which the team can genuinely compete for points, while ideally hosting Europe’s biggest clubs in Yerevan and bringing elite-level football to Armenia.
Manuel Tulipa’s side have already demonstrated during this European campaign that they are capable of producing results at home.
And if the draw brings Milan, Juventus, Benfica or one of the English clubs, it will also represent a unique opportunity to bring an opponent of an entirely different stature to Yerevan.
So even given the strength of this Europa League line-up, there is no reason to approach the draw with nothing but concern.
There are practically no easy opponents here. But there should not be any matches considered lost before they are played either.
The draw will take place on August 28 at 15:00 Yerevan time. Afterwards, Ararat-Armenia will learn which eight teams they will face in the first Europa League league phase in the club’s history. UEFA plans to publish the exact dates and kick-off times no later than August 30.