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European competition awaits Brighton & Hove Albion this season as they embark on their first attempt at the UEFA Conference League title. Head coach Fabian Hürzeler has said his side will “go for it” in the competition, and while there have been some big-name departures this summer, the club's breaking of their transfer record shows the hierarchy shares such ambition. Very few members of the playing or coaching teams remain from when the Seagulls last ventured into Europe in 2023-24, however. With so much for a young squad to prove, it will be a season of learning on the job as they seek the club’s biggest-ever prize. - 2025-26 Season Recap Written by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere Brighton have banked on a model of unearthing unknown gems to stabilise in the Premier League. But the 2025-26 season showed the side still struggling to break the ceiling of the big boys. Despite beating Manchester City 2-1, the side struggled for results at the start of the season. They dropped four points from winning positions, picking up only five in total from a possible 15. The script switched for the Seagulls thanks to a 3-1 triumph over 10-man Chelsea, and they climbed into the top five by the end of November. But December would once more haunt Hürzeler, who is yet to win a Premier League match in the final month of the calendar year. Another six-game winless streak in the new year saw spring roll around with the club languishing in mid-table, before six victories from eight outings catapulted them back into the top six. The prospect of European football was a positive surprise, but inconsistencies did not disappear, with losses to Leeds United and Manchester United ending the campaign. By the skin of their teeth - with a superior goal difference - they pipped Brentford to the Conference League play-off spot. - Transfer Activity Written by Will Hugall A window which began with so much promise looks to be ending with considerable holes for the Albion. While nine first-team players were at the World Cup, the Seagulls added to their ranks by flirting with Luka Vušković, the highly-rated Croatian just starting his career at the elite level. Given that Jan Paul van Hecke wanted a step up at the age of 26, and with a year left on the Dutchman’s contract, what effectively became a swap deal with Tottenham for Vušković seems to offer considerable benefits for Brighton. It is a risk, with Tony Bloom shelling out an initial club-record £45 million for a player with just 91 senior appearances in club football, but the right-footed centre-back is tipped to go to the very top. The additions of Costinha, Pascal Struijk and Michael Svoboda for a combined £33.3 million further shored up Hürzeler’s defence. However, with only 19-year-old Zadok Yohanna - with 18 senior appearances to his name - being added to the attack, fears about creating and scoring goals have not been addressed. The sale of Danny Welbeck to Chelsea will not help matters. The context of a player in the form of his life moving to the club’s new arch-nemeses - who cannot offer European football this season - cannot be ignored. Along with serious experience leaving the club at the expiry of their contracts - local boys Solly March and Adam Webster, and genuine club leaders James Milner and Joël Veltman - the club has invited upon itself many questions. Several players who previously went under the radar must now develop at speed. - One to Watch - Georginio Rutter Written by Theo Tarling The divisive sale of Welbeck is a big loss for Brighton, as the Englishman’s 13 goals in 37 Premier League appearances last season made him the Seagulls' top goalscorer by a hefty margin. It will be difficult to try and replicate that, but someone who could fill that void is Georginio Rutter. During his first season at the club in 2024-25, Rutter had decent goal contributions, with eight goals and four assists. However, last season that dropped off to three goals and three assists in 35 games. The Frenchman often played as a 10 while Welbeck was the centre forward; however, during pre-season ahead of the 2026/27 season, it’s been Rutter in that number nine role ahead of Charalampos Kostoulas. The Greek did score twice early in pre-season as Brighton beat Wycombe Wanderers 4-1, but his minutes have been much more limited than Rutter's, who himself scored and assisted in a 3-0 win over AS Roma. Things could change heading into the early weeks of the new season, but for now, it seems that Rutter is going to be the one to try and fill the void in that number nine spot. - Strongest XI Written by Will Hugall Verbruggen; Wieffer, Vušković, Boscagli, Kadıoğlu; Baleba, Groß; Minteh, Hinshelwood, Mitoma; Rutter Prominent departures will force Hürzeler’s hand as he gears up for a busy campaign. While rotation will be expected in Europe and domestic cup competitions, the Seagulls will be expected to have a more settled team in league action. Bart Verbruggen will start in goal, with the club having fended off reported interest from Chelsea, Tottenham, Bayern Munich and PSG this summer for the Dutch number one. Olivier Boscagli will most likely be joined by Vušković at centre-back, firmly ending the age of Lewis Dunk and van Hecke’s reliable partnership. Ferdi Kadıoğlu will continue at left-back, with Mats Wieffer likely to start ahead of Costinha at right-back. In midfield, Carlos Baleba and Pascal Groß will be the first choices when fit, with Yasin Ayari starting during Baleba’s initial injury lay-off. Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh are dead certs when fit, but the options behind them are less clear. Maxim De Cuyper and Diego Gómez seem likely to deputise for now. Jack Hinshelwood was the standout performer of pre-season and will start as the 10. Hürzeler’s persistence with Rutter as a striker is set to continue this campaign, certainly in the context of Kostoulas being the only other fit number nine at the club. Stefanos Tzimas is capable of making the position his own, but much will depend on his condition upon returning from a long-term anterior cruciate ligament lay-off. - Tactics Written by Olufunmilayo Olusanya In his second season, Hürzeler guided Brighton to Conference League qualification with a clear, intense identity. He primarily used a flexible 4-2-3-1 featuring dynamic rotations. In possession, Brighton baited high presses through low, short build-up involving the goalkeeper and split centre-backs. Midfielders dropped deep while centre-backs stepped into midfield to create overloads and progressive passes, then attacked vertically with combinations, 1v1 wingers, and accurate open-play crosses. Without the ball, they pressed aggressively and man-oriented high up the pitch - often with five or six players - leading the league in final-third recoveries, supported by strong counter-pressing. They shifted into compact mid-blocks when needed. More pragmatic than Roberto De Zerbi’s possession focus, Hürzeler’s system emphasises intensity, collective defending, and controlled risk, delivering competitive results and a defined playing style. - Expectations Written by Will Hugall In the hope that further transfer business will be completed at the American Express Stadium, Brighton could still have a positive season. Without a reliable goalscorer, however, it is hard to see the Seagulls genuinely competing for the Premier League’s European positions again, or making a deep run in the Conference League. The club are asking for more from everyone this season. Hürzeler must show more in-game acumen, a smaller group of senior players must shoulder more of the leadership, and players still in transition must show the consistency to become first-team regulars. As Brighton’s last foray into Europe showed, maintaining fitness and availability will be essential throughout. Having failed to show an ability to avoid any of these issues in the past two years, it is doubtful that the Seagulls will manage to pluck up the knack of competing for major honours this time around. Premier League Prediction: 10th to 15th Conference League Prediction: Quarter-Finals FA Cup Prediction: Fourth Round EFL Cup Prediction: Quarter-Finals