Sparta, Plzeň and Jablonec learn their European group-stage schedules

UEFA has published the group-stage schedule for the three Czech clubs — Sparta, Plzeň and Jablonec. Sparta Prague and Viktoria Plzeň will play in the Europa League, while Jablonec will feature in the Conference League.

Sparta open with a trip to Armenia

Sparta face the longest away trip of the group stage — as early as 16 September the team will travel to Yerevan to face Ararat-Armenia, whom the Prague side already met last season in Conference League qualifying. At home on Letná, Sparta will first host Norway's Lillestrøm, before closing out the group stage in round eight, on 28 January, against France's Rennes. Their other group opponents include Olympiacos, AZ Alkmaar, Salzburg, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace.

Plzeň face Ferencváros for the third time in eighteen months

Unlike Sparta, Viktoria Plzeň will start at home — on 17 September the club hosts Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise. They will then travel to Budapest to face Ferencváros, which will mark the third meeting between the two clubs in the past year and a half: last time out, despite playing with a man advantage for a long spell, Plzeň could only draw 1:1 away to the Hungarians. The group stage's headline fixture comes on 26 November, when Plzeň host Benfica in Pilsen. The final round, on 28 January, will also be played at home, against Poland's Jagiellonia Białystok. The West Bohemians will also face Levski Sofia, Lillestrøm, Bournemouth and Real Sociedad.

Jablonec cleared to play at home at Střelnice

Jablonec have received special permission from UEFA to host their European home matches at their own Střelnice stadium, the club announced on X. Coach Luboš Kozel's side begin the group stage on 15 October away to Germany's Freiburg, before welcoming one of the tournament's biggest names, England's Brighton, in their first home fixture on 22 October. The Northern Bohemian side will wrap up their group stage just before Christmas, on 17 December, with a home game against Iberia Tbilisi. Their group also includes Riga, Lugano and Turkey's Trabzonspor.

All three Czech clubs are competing in the third season of the revamped European competition format, in which all 36 group-stage participants are ranked in a single combined table, from which the top 24 teams advance to the playoffs — with the top eight going straight through to the round of 16. In the Champions League and Europa League the group stage consists of eight rounds, while in the Conference League it runs for six.

Source: sport.cz