Home of football statistics and historyUEFA Conference League glory is up for grabs as Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano are set to lock horns in the 2025/26 final on 27 May 2026.
Palace will look to uphold the proud tradition of English clubs in this competition and become the third Premier League side to lift the trophy after West Ham United and Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Vallecano will try to avenge Real Betis’ defeat in last season’s final and become the first La Liga team to secure the Conference League crown in only their second continental campaign.
When & where is the 2026 Conference League final?
The fifth final of Europe’s youngest club competition will take place at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena on Wednesday, 27 May. Kick-off is at 8pm BST.
RB Leipzig’s home ground will host its first major UEFA event, having already staged four matches at UEFA EURO 2024 as well as several games at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
With a capacity of around 48,000, Leipzig’s state-of-the-art venue will stage the penultimate fixture in the European calendar, acting as a warm-up for the highly anticipated UEFA Champions League final.
Fans in the UK will be able to watch the Conference League final on TNT Sports (via HBO Max). For non-UK fans, here is how you can live stream football worldwide.
What’s on the line?
Palace stalwart Nathaniel Clyne heaped praise on his side’s performance following a 2-1 home victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the return leg of their semi-final tie, which fired the club into its first European final.
However, the Eagles can ill-afford to underestimate their upcoming rivals, as the Spaniards also stand on the brink of history after overcoming Strasbourg in their last-four tie.
Both chasing a maiden piece of European silverware, the winners of this competition will gain a place in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League main draw unless they qualify through their domestic championship.
Meet the finalists
Crystal Palace
Despite heading towards a second consecutive bottom-half finish in the Premier League, Palace could still win their second major trophy in two years, having lifted the FA Cup title last season.
Becoming a fifth different Conference League winner would be a perfect parting gift for departing manager Oliver Glasner, who could clinch another major honour in his farewell game.
Destined for a finish in the Premier League’s lower reaches, this mouth-watering fixture offers Palace a chance to end the season on a high and secure a place in next season’s continental competition.
Rayo Vallecano
Keen to spoil the German tactician’s aspirations will be Vallecano boss Inigo Perez, as he could become the youngest manager to win an elite European title since Andre Villas-Boas’ Europa League triumph with Porto in 2011.
Adding a piece of European silverware to their dusty trophy cabinet would mark a landmark moment in the club’s history, especially for a side that was competing in Spain’s Segunda División as recently as six years ago.
It would also be an ideal way for veteran defender Florian Lejeune to celebrate his contract extension, with the 34-year-old signing a new deal in the build-up to the Leipzig showpiece.
Crystal Palace’s road to Leipzig
Palace progressed into the league phase as narrow 1-0 aggregate winners of their play-off tie against Norwegian minnows Fredrikstad, before picking up just three victories across their six league-phase outings.
As a result, they had to navigate a fiercely contested knockout play-off tie against Zrinjski Mostar, before squeaking past AEK Larnaca in the round of 16, courtesy of a 2-1 second-leg win away from home.
Glasner’s side then knocked out former Conference League finalists Fiorentina in the quarter-finals and raised their level further in the semi-finals, where they defeated Shakhtar across both legs.
Rayo Vallecano’s road to Leipzig
Vallecano’s European journey commenced with a 5-0 aggregate victory over Neman Grodno in the qualification play-offs.
Unlike Palace, Los Franjirrojos enjoyed a decent league-phase campaign, securing automatic last-16 qualification after winning four of their six European fixtures in autumn.
Despite a second-leg home loss, Perez’s team eliminated Turkish outfit Samsunspor in the round of 16, before beating AEK Athens 4-3 on aggregate in a dramatic quarter-final tie.
A pair of slender 1-0 wins over Strasbourg in the semi-finals sealed Vallecano’s hard-fought passage to their first European final.
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