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LONDON, England — The 2026/27 UEFA Europa Conference League league phase got under way on Thursday with a full slate of 18 fixtures, delivering a mix of dominant performances, narrow victories and hard-fought draws across Europe.
English side Brighton & Hove Albion made the strongest statement of the opening night, thrashing Lithuanian outfit Kauno Žalgiris 4-0 at the Amex Stadium to sit top of the 36-team table on goal difference. Danish champions Copenhagen were equally clinical, dismantling Braga 3-0, while Trabzonspor, Atalanta and Mjällby also recorded convincing wins to join the early leaders on three points.
There were notable upsets too. Croatian side Hajduk Split stunned Ajax 2-1 in Split, Lugano edged Red Star Belgrade 3-2, and Monaco came from behind to beat CSKA Sofia 1-2 in Bulgaria. Elsewhere, Atalanta, Freiburg, Brann, Panathinaikos, Gent, Twente and Sint-Truiden all secured maximum points on the opening matchday.
Several ties ended level, including Egnatia 1-1 Midtjylland, Universitatea Craiova 1-1 Getafe, Riga 1-1 Kairat Almaty and Hearts 1-1 Nordsjælland.
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| Egnatia | 1-1 Midtjylland |
| Gent | 1-0 Aarhus |
| Hajduk Split | 2-1 Ajax |
| Lugano | 3-2 Red Star Belgrade |
| Mjällby | 2-0 Inter Club d'Escaldes |
| Universitatea Craiova | 1-1 Getafe |
| KuPS | 2-4 Trabzonspor |
| Riga | 1-1 Kairat Almaty |
| CSKA Sofia | 1-2 Monaco |
| Panathinaikos | 2-1 Borac Banja Luka |
| Brighton | 4-0 Kauno Žalgiris |
| Hearts | 1-1 Nordsjælland |
| Twente | 1-0 Thun |
| Atalanta | 3-1 Pafos |
| Brann | 2-1 Lincoln Red Imps |
| Copenhagen | 3-0 Braga |
| Freiburg | 3-2 Jablonec |
| Sint-Truiden | 2-0 Iberia 1999 |
(After Matchday 1)
| POS | Team | MP | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1 | +4 | 3 |
| 2 | Copenhagen | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| 3 | Trabzonspor | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 4 | Atalanta | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 5 | Mjällby AIF | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 6 | Sint-Truiden | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 7 | Freiburg | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 8 | Lugano | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 9 | Monaco | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 10 | Brann | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 11 | Hajduk Split | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 12 | Panathinaikos | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 13 | Gent | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 14 | Twente | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 15 | Getafe | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Midtjylland | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Nordsjælland | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Kairat Almaty | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | Hearts | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Egnatia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | Universitatea Craiova | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Riga | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | Jablonec | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| 24 | Red Star Belgrade | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| 25 | Ajax | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| 26 | Borac Banja Luka | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| 27 | Lincoln Red Imps | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| 28 | CSKA Sofia | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| 29 | Aarhus | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| 30 | Thun | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| 31 | KuPS | 1 | −2 | 0 |
| 32 | Pafos | 1 | −2 | 0 |
| 33 | Iberia 1999 | 1 | −2 | 0 |
| 34 | Inter Club d'Escaldes | 1 | −2 | 0 |
| 35 | Braga | 1 | −3 | 0 |
| 36 | Kauno Žalgiris | 1 | −4 | 0 |
The top eight sides will advance directly to the round of 16, while teams finishing between ninth and 24th will enter the knockout play-offs. Clubs ranked 25th to 36th will exit European competition for the season.
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