2026 UEFA Conference League final
Football match in Leipzig, Germany
The 2026 UEFA Conference League final was the final match of the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League, the fifth season of Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the second season since it was renamed from the UEFA Europa Conference League to the UEFA Conference League. It was played at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, on 27 May 2026 between English club Crystal Palace and Spanish club Rayo Vallecano.
 Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 2025–26 UEFA Conference League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 27 May 2026 | ||||||
| Venue | Red Bull Arena, Leipzig | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Maurizio Mariani (Italy)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 39,176[3] | ||||||
| Weather | Clear night 19 °C (66 °F) 35% humidity[4] | ||||||
The 2026 UEFA Conference League final was the final match of the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League, the fifth season of Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the second season since it was renamed from the UEFA Europa Conference League to the UEFA Conference League. It was played at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany,[5] on 27 May 2026 between English club Crystal Palace and Spanish club Rayo Vallecano.
Crystal Palace won the match 1–0 for their first UEFA Conference League title.[6] As winners, they qualified for the league phase of the 2026–27 UEFA Europa League.[7]
Background
Crystal Palace, having played in a major European competition for the first time, reached their first ever European final. They were aiming for their second major trophy, having won the FA Cup in 2025, beating Manchester City in the final.[8] As winners of the FA Cup, they were initially given a Europa League league phase berth but due to multi-club ownership restrictions regarding club stakeholder John Textor also having ownership of French team Olympique Lyonnais via Eagle Football Holdings, Crystal Palace's European qualification berth was switched with Nottingham Forest's, who initially took England's Conference League berth, by UEFA to prevent clubs with the same owners competing in the same tournament, as Lyon finished in a higher league position in France than Palace did in England.[9][10]
Rayo Vallecano also reached their first ever European final, and were aiming for a first major title. Rayo Vallecano had previously qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2000–01 UEFA Cup, losing 4–2 on aggregate to fellow Spanish side Alavés.[11]
Venue
Host selection
On 17 May 2023, UEFA opened the bidding process for the final, which was held in parallel with that of the 2027 final. Interested bidders could bid for either one or both of the finals. Additionally, bidding associations could only be appointed one UEFA final in a given year. The proposed venues had to include natural grass and be ranked as a UEFA category four stadium, with a gross capacity of 30,000 to 60,000 preferred. The bidding timeline was as follows:[12]
- 17 May 2023: Applications formally invited
- 17 July 2023: Closing date for registering intention to bid
- 26 July 2023: Bid requirements made available to bidders
- 15 November 2023: Submission of preliminary bid dossier
- 21 February 2024: Submission of final bid dossier
- 22 May 2024: Appointment of host
UEFA announced on 18 July 2023 that six associations had expressed interest in hosting the 2026 and 2027 finals during the first bidding process.[13]
| Association | Stadium | City | Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Germany | Red Bull Arena | Leipzig | 45,228 | Association also bid for 2026 or 2027 Europa League and 2026 or 2027 Women's Champions League finals (with different venues) |
 Israel | Teddy Stadium | Jerusalem | 31,733 | |
 Norway | Ullevaal Stadion | Oslo | 27,182 | Stadium also bid for 2026 or 2027 Women's Champions League finals Stadium appointed as host of 2026 Women's Champions League final |
 Scotland | Hampden Park | Glasgow | 51,866 | Stadium also bid for 2026 or 2027 Europa League and 2026 or 2027 Women's Champions League finals |
 Switzerland | Stade de Genève | Geneva | 30,084 | |
 Turkey | Beşiktaş Stadium | Istanbul | 42,684 | Stadium also bid for 2026 or 2027 Europa League finals Rams Park or Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium (both also in Istanbul) were also included as possible venues prior to official bid submission Stadium appointed as host of 2026 Europa League final and 2027 Conference League final |
The Red Bull Arena was selected as the venue by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, on 22 May 2024.[14][5]
Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
 Crystal Palace |
Round |  Rayo Vallecano | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Qualifying phase | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Fredrikstad |
1–0 | 1–0 (H) | 0–0 (A) | Play-off round |  Neman Grodno |
5–0 | 1–0 (A) | 4–0 (H) |
| Opponent | Result | League phase | Opponent | Result | ||||
 Dynamo Kyiv |
2–0 (A) | Matchday 1 |  Shkëndija |
2–0 (H) | ||||
 AEK Larnaca |
0–1 (H) | Matchday 2 |  BK Häcken |
2–2 (A) | ||||
 AZ |
3–1 (H) | Matchday 3 |  Lech Poznań |
3–2 (H) | ||||
 Strasbourg |
1–2 (A) | Matchday 4 |  Slovan Bratislava |
1–2 (A) | ||||
 Shelbourne |
3–0 (A) | Matchday 5 | Jagiellonia Białystok |
2–1 (A) | ||||
 KuPS |
2–2 (H) | Matchday 6 |  Drita |
3–0 (H) | ||||
| 10th place Advanced to knockout phase play-offs |
Final position | 5th place Advanced to round of 16 | ||||||
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Knockout phase | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
 Zrinjski Mostar |
3–1 | 1–1 (A) | 2–0 (H) | Play-offs | Bye | |||
| AEK Larnaca |
2–1 | 0–0 (H) | 2–1 (a.e.t.) (A) | Round of 16 | Samsunspor |
3–2 | 3–1 (A) | 0–1 (H) |
 Fiorentina |
4–2 | 3–0 (H) | 1–2 (A) | Quarter-finals |  AEK Athens |
4–3 | 3–0 (H) | 1–3 (A) |
| Shakhtar Donetsk |
5–2 | 3–1 (A) | 2–1 (H) | Semi-finals | Strasbourg |
2–0 | 1–0 (H) | 1–0 (A) |
Match
Summary
Just before half-time, Crystal Palace's Tyrick Mitchell missed the target with a diving header from close range after a pass from Adam Wharton. Crystal Palace went in front in the 51st minute, an Adam Wharton shot from outside the penalty area on the left was saved by Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper Augusto Batalla but the rebound went straight to Jean-Philippe Mateta who diverted the ball with his left leg to the net from six yards out. Yeremy Pino almost made it 2–0 when his free-kick hit both posts and stayed out.[15] Jean-Philippe Mateta also had a low shot saved by Augusto Batalla soon after. Crystal Palace held on to win the game 1–0 and claim a first European trophy.[16]
Details
The "home" team (for administrative purposes) was predetermined as the winners of semi-final 1 (Crystal Palace).
| Crystal Palace | 1–0 | Rayo Vallecano |
|---|---|---|
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Report[17] |
          Crystal Palace[4]
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     Rayo Vallecano[4]
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[2]
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Match rules[18]
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Statistics
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See also
References
- 1 2 "Adam Wharton named official 2026 UEFA Conference League final Player of the Match". UEFA. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Referee teams for 2026 UEFA club competition finals announced". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Full Time Report Final – Crystal Palace v Rayo Vallecano" (PDF). UEFA. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Tactical Lineups – Final – Wednesday 27 May 2026" (PDF). UEFA. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Budapest to host UEFA Champions League Final 2026". Union of European Football Associations. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ↑ "Crystal Palace 1–0 Rayo Vallecano: Jean-Philippe Mateta wins Conference League for the Eagles". UEFA. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "Crystal Palace 1 Rayo Vallecano 0". BBC Sport. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- ↑ "Crystal Palace – 2024/25 FA Cup winners!". Crystal Palace F.C. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "The CFCB First Chamber renders decision on Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyonnais". UEFA. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ↑ "Crystal Palace set to be replaced by Nottingham Forest in Europa League". BBC Sport. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ↑ "Alavés vs. Rayo Vallecano Match Report – Thursday March 8, 2001 (Leg 1)". FBref. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "Invitation to bid to host the UEFA Champions League Finals 2026 & 2027, UEFA Europa League Finals 2026 & 2027, UEFA Europa Conference League Finals 2026 & 2027 and UEFA Women's Champions League Finals 2026 & 2027". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 24/2023. Union of European Football Associations. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ↑ "Nine national associations interested in hosting UEFA club competition finals in 2026 and 2027". UEFA. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ↑ "UEFA Executive Committee to meet in Dublin". Union of European Football Associations. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ↑ "Crystal Palace win Conference League after Mateta strike sinks Rayo Vallecano". Guardian. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- ↑ "Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano: UEFA Conference League final win gives Oliver Glasner perfect farewell as Jean-Philippe Mateta scores winner". Sky Sports. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- ↑ "Crystal Palace vs Rayo Vallecano". UEFA. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
- ↑ "Regulations of the UEFA Conference League – 2025/26 Season". UEFA. 27 June 2025. Archived from the original on 11 September 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Team statistics" (PDF). UEFA. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.