Relebohile Mofokeng handed high-profile Europa League draw with Real Sociedad and Lyon

Relebohile Mofokeng and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise will face Real Sociedad and Olympique Lyon in the UEFA Europa League league phase after Friday’s draw.

The Belgian club were eliminated by Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, sending them into the second-tier European competition.

Placed in Pot 2 for the Europa League draw, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise were handed a challenging list of opponents, including two clubs from Pot 1. Their fixtures will include meetings with LaLiga side Real Sociedad and Ligue 1 team Olympique Lyon.

The draw also paired the Belgian side with Scottish giants Celtic and Turkish club Besiktas. Their remaining opponents are LaLiga outfit Celta Vigo, Czech team Viktoria Plzen, Polish club Lech Poznan and Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

That means Mofokeng’s new team will face clubs from eight different opponents across the league phase, with the draw providing a varied test against teams from several of Europe’s major domestic competitions.

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise’s route into the Europa League was confirmed after their Champions League qualifying campaign ended against Bodø/Glimt. Their move into the competition has now been followed by a demanding league-phase schedule, with the club set to encounter established names from Spain, France, Scotland and Turkey, alongside teams from the Czech Republic, Poland and Israel.

Another South African player, Mihlali Mayambela, also discovered his European opponents after Omonia were drawn against a similarly prominent group of clubs.

Omonia’s fixtures will be against Benfica and Juventus, as well as Celtic, Rennes and Celta Vigo. The Cypriot side will also meet Celje, Besiktas and NEC during the league phase.

The UEFA Europa League league phase is scheduled to begin on 16 or 17 September and will continue until 28 January 2027.

Mofokeng and Mayambela will therefore have the opportunity to feature in a competition containing a number of historically significant European clubs, although their respective teams’ opponents have now been confirmed well before the opening round of matches.

The draw puts Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Omonia among the teams preparing for a long European campaign, with the league phase set to run across the remainder of 2026 and into January 2027.