What is the Conference League?
The UEFA Conference League is Europe’s third-tier club competition — below the Champions League and Europa League. It was only introduced in 2021, making it the newest of the three. It still represents a significant achievement for clubs to compete in and win, as it requires consistently performing well over many months against clubs from across Europe.
Want to know more? See our Conference League Explained page.
The Final: Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
Crystal Palace beat Spanish club Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the Conference League final in Leipzig, Germany on 27 May 2026. The only goal came from Jean-Philippe Mateta in the 51st minute — the French striker pouncing on a rebound after a shot from Adam Wharton was parried.
“I feel fantastic! I feel fantastic! We did it! First time in Europe and we did it,” said Mateta after the match, capturing the mood perfectly.
It was Crystal Palace‘s first European trophy and only their second major honour ever, having won the FA Cup the previous season under the same manager, Oliver Glasner. Glasner — a hugely popular figure at the club — announced he would leave after the final. The match was his farewell.
An Unlikely Fairytale
Crystal Palace are a south London club with a fraction of the budget of Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City. Rayo Vallecano, their opponents, are a Madrid club who had barely been in European competition before this season. Both clubs’ fans filled the arena in Leipzig for a final that felt genuinely joyful — two clubs who had no business being there, and loved every second of it.
Palace captain Tyrick Mitchell said after the match: “We played 60 games this season and so many of our bodies are gone. But we gave everything.” It was that kind of season — a club running on heart.
