2026 UEFA Conference League final
Football match in Leipzig, Germany
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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.
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] | ||||||
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 Europe for the first time, reached their first ever European final. They won their second major trophy, having won the FA Cup in 2025, beating Manchester City in the final.[8]
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.[9]
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:[10]
- 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.[11]
| 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.[12][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
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[13] |
          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[14]
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Statistics
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