Lewis Dunk: "We Overachieve. That's Our Thing." Brighton Captain Reacts to Conference League Qualification
Lewis Dunk led the celebrations at the Amex on Sunday after Brighton qualified for the UEFA Conference League for 2026/27. Photo: jamesboyes / Flickr (CC BY 2.0) — https://www.flickr.com/photos/37972999@N07/52252698609/
Lewis Dunk stood on the Amex touchline on Sunday afternoon, 3-0 down to Manchester United, listening for results from across the country. When the news came through that Brighton had qualified for European football despite losing, he led the celebrations in front of the home supporters. Thirty-four years old, Brighton through and through, going to Europe for the second time in his career.
"You look at the players, you look at the size of the club. Should we be here? Probably not. We overachieve a lot and that's our thing," Dunk told reporters after the match. "We want to do this in the dressing room. We want to overachieve as much as we can. Obviously it's hard to compete with the big boys, the boss talks about challenging the establishment and I guess we have because we're in Europe. Let's see what happens next year."
Brighton finish the 2025/26 Premier League season in 8th place, having secured a place in the UEFA Conference League for 2026/27. It is the second time in the club's history that European football is coming to the Amex Stadium. For Dunk, who has been part of Brighton since joining the academy in 2003, it is a moment that never gets old.
The Season in One Sentence
Dunk had a quote for that too. Talking to BBC Sport earlier this month after Brighton's 3-0 win over Wolves, he summed up the 2025/26 campaign with a clarity that no journalist could have managed better.
"It's a mental season. One minute we're looking at relegation, and now we're talking about Europe. It's great fun, football, isn't it?"
He was not exaggerating. Brighton spent a period in the bottom half of the table during the winter months. A run of five Premier League games without a win had them looking nervously over their shoulder at the relegation places. Then something changed. James Milner came back into the side.
The James Milner Factor
James Milner is 40 years old. His contract at Brighton expires this summer. He has made 657 Premier League appearances, more than any other player in the history of the competition, surpassing Gareth Barry's record earlier this season when he played in Brighton's vital 2-0 win at Brentford in February. Guinness World Records confirmed two further records for Milner after that appearance: the longest gap between first and last Premier League goals at 22 years and 248 days, and the most consecutive Premier League seasons played at 24.
Dunk is in no doubt about what Milner meant to Brighton's season. "I think if you look at that period, it was frustrating. Milner had a massive impact. If you look at the team that the gaffer put out, we needed men to turn it around and Milner had a huge impact, understanding what the group needed. He was fundamental. The whole group stuck together, and now we're looking at Europe again."
Dunk went further when speaking to reporters after Sunday's match, hinting strongly that he wants Milner to stay for the Conference League campaign next season. "He's a strange human but he's lovable and amazing," Dunk said of his 40-year-old teammate. He credited Milner with helping to change the energy in the dressing room during the period when Brighton's season could have gone either way.
Whether Milner signs a new contract at Brighton remains to be seen. Fabian Hurzeler has also spoken positively about the veteran's contribution this season. A decision on his future is expected before the transfer window opens on 15 June.
The Fans' Reaction
The moment Brighton's European place was confirmed at the Amex on Sunday was one of the more unusual in recent Premier League history. The team was losing 3-0. The home supporters had been largely quiet for most of the second half. Then the news filtered through that the results elsewhere had gone Brighton's way.
Deflation turned into celebration within seconds. Supporters who moments earlier had been watching a heavy home defeat suddenly began hugging each other in the stands. Chants of "Europe again" rang around the Amex. Dunk led the celebrations on the touchline, running to the supporters and joining in the moment.
It was a scene that captured something true about this football club. Brighton lost 3-0 and qualified for Europe on the same afternoon. That is the kind of thing that only happens at Brighton.
What the Conference League Means
Brighton competed in the UEFA Europa League in 2023/24 under Roberto De Zerbi. They topped a group that included Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens before losing to Roma 4-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16. Roma won the first leg 4-0 in the Stadio Olimpico before Brighton won the second leg 1-0 at the Amex, with Danny Welbeck scoring the only goal. The campaign stretched the squad significantly and Dunk acknowledged on Sunday that lessons were learned from that experience.
"Obviously it's a different competition," he said of the Conference League. "But I think it was new to us as a football club. I don't think anyone in the football club knew really what was going on. We've experienced it. A lot of people have now found it. We've not got many new players that are new to us, so hopefully we can be more comfortable in that position. Hopefully we can thrive in it."
The UEFA Conference League league phase begins on 15 October 2026. Brighton will learn their group opponents during the summer draw. The Conference League is UEFA's third-tier European club competition, sitting below the Champions League and Europa League. Previous winners include Roma in 2022 and West Ham United in 2023.
Lewis Dunk: Brighton's Man
Lewis Dunk was born in Brighton on 21 November 1991. He joined Wimbledon's academy as a child before joining Brighton's academy in 2003 at the age of 11. He had two loan spells away from the club — Bognor Regis Town in 2010 and Bristol City in 2013 — before establishing himself as a Brighton first team regular from the 2014/15 season onwards. He made his Brighton first team debut in 2010 and has gone on to make over 400 appearances for the club across all competitions.
He has been Brighton's captain since the 2019/20 season. He has played in the Championship, won promotion to the Premier League in 2017 under Chris Hughton, played in the Europa League and now qualified for a second consecutive season of European football. He has made 6 senior England appearances, the first coming against the United States in November 2018 under Gareth Southgate.
At 34, Dunk's contract situation beyond this summer has not yet been formally confirmed publicly by the club. Brighton's sporting director will be managing several contract decisions this summer alongside the transfer window activity. A decision on Dunk's future is expected before the new season begins on 22 August 2026.
Whatever happens next, Sunday was a moment worth savouring. Brighton are going to Europe. Lewis Dunk led the celebrations. For a club that spent most of its existence in the lower divisions of English football, that still means something.
For our full report on how Brighton qualified for the Conference League despite losing 3-0, read our article Brighton Are Going to Europe. For our half time report from the Manchester United match read our Brighton vs Manchester United half time update. For everything happening in Brighton this summer read our Brighton Events Guide 2026.
