EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE FINAL 2026: Crystal Palace vs Rayo Vallecano tickets

Book your 2026 Conference League final tickets now and witness one of football's most romantic stories — Crystal Palace vs Rayo Vallecano at Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on 27 May 2026. Two clubs from the fringes of their domestic leagues, both in just their second ever European campaign, competing for one of UEFA's most coveted trophies. This is the Conference League at its very best: unpredictable, passionate, and full of heart.

Crystal Palace vs Rayo Vallecano — Conference League final 2026

Crystal Palace reach their first ever European final after beating Shakhtar Donetsk 5-2 on aggregate (3-1 in Krakow, 2-1 at Selhurst Park). It is the culmination of a stunning debut European campaign for Oliver Glasner's side, who finished as the highest scorers in the 2025/26 Conference League with 25 goals across the competition. Ismaïla Sarr — who scored the fastest goal in Conference League history, after just 21 seconds in the first leg — was the standout individual of their run to the final.

Rayo Vallecano complete an extraordinary fairytale by beating Strasbourg 2-0 on aggregate (1-0 in Madrid, 1-0 in France). The club from the working-class Vallecas neighbourhood of Madrid are in a European final for the first time in their history — and only the second European campaign of their existence. A club that was playing in Spain's third division as recently as 2004, Rayo Vallecano have captured the hearts of football fans across Europe under coach Íñigo Pérez.

For both clubs, this is uncharted territory. For neutrals, it promises to be one of the most captivating Conference League finals yet.

Semi-final results

• Crystal Palace 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk (Crystal Palace win 5-2 on aggregate)
• Strasbourg 0-1 Rayo Vallecano (Rayo Vallecano win 2-0 on aggregate)

2025/26 road to the final

Qualifying rounds

• First qualifying round: 10 & 17 July 2025
• Second qualifying round: 24 & 31 July 2025
• Third qualifying round: 7 & 14 August 2025
• Play-offs: 21 & 28 August 2025

League phase matches

• Matchday 1: 2 October 2025
• Matchday 2: 23 October 2025
• Matchday 3: 6 November 2025
• Matchday 4: 27 November 2025
• Matchday 5: 11 December 2025
• Matchday 6: 18 December 2025

Knockout phase

• Knockout phase play-offs: 19 February 2026
• Round of 16: 12 March 2026
• Quarter-finals: 10 April 2026
• Semi-finals: 30 April & 7 May 2026
• Final: 27 May 2026 — Red Bull Arena, Leipzig

Final venue: Red Bull Arena, Leipzig

• Location: Leipzig, Germany
• Date: Wednesday 27 May 2026 (21:00 CET)
• Capacity: 47,069
• Note: Red Bull Arena previously hosted five games at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and four matches at UEFA EURO 2024, including the memorable 1-1 draw between Croatia and Italy. It provides a spectacular stage for what promises to be an unforgettable final.

About the finalists

Crystal Palace

The Eagles are in their first ever European campaign and have taken to it emphatically. Manager Oliver Glasner — who will leave the club at the end of the season — has built a dynamic, direct side with pace and attacking threat throughout. Ismaïla Sarr led the way as joint top scorer in the competition, while Jean-Philippe Mateta, Daichi Kamada, and Jørgen Strand Larsen all made crucial contributions across the knockout rounds. Palace won the FA Cup last season, beating Manchester City in the final — their first ever major trophy. Now they are 90 minutes away from a second piece of silverware in 12 months.

Rayo Vallecano

Los Franjirrojos are one of European football's great underdog stories. Having spent time in Spain's third division as recently as 2004, Rayo Vallecano have defied every expectation to reach a first European final in their history. Coach Íñigo Pérez has organised a resilient, hard-working side that proved difficult to break down throughout the knockout rounds. Alemão, who scored the decisive goals against Strasbourg across both semi-final legs, is the symbol of their collective spirit. Remarkably, their only previous European campaign ended in a UEFA Cup quarter-final 25 years ago.

Conference League final statistics & records

Tournament overview

• First tournament: 2021/22 season
• Original name: UEFA Europa Conference League (renamed to Conference League in 2024)
• Current holders: Chelsea (2025 — beat Real Betis 4-1)
• Total different winners: 4 clubs
• Format change: League phase introduced in 2024/25 season (36 teams)

All-time winners

• 2022: AS Roma (beat Feyenoord 1-0) — inaugural winners
• 2023: West Ham United (beat Fiorentina 2-1) — first English winners
• 2024: Olympiacos (beat Fiorentina 1-0) — first Greek major European trophy
• 2025: Chelsea (beat Real Betis 4-1) — completed collection of all major European trophies

Most successful clubs

• Most wins: All previous winners tied with 1 victory each
• Most finals: Fiorentina (3 finals — 2022, 2023, 2024 — 0 wins)
• First club to win all major European trophies: Chelsea (Champions League, Europa League, Cup Winners' Cup, Conference League)

Final score records

• Biggest final victory: Chelsea 4-1 Real Betis (2025)
• Closest finals: Roma 1-0 Feyenoord (2022), Olympiacos 1-0 Fiorentina (2024)
• Most dramatic final: West Ham 2-1 Fiorentina (2023 — 90th-minute winner)
• All finals decided in regular time: No final has gone to extra time or penalties yet

Top scorers by season

• 2021/22: Cyriel Dessers (Feyenoord) — 10 goals
• 2022/23: Zeki Amdouni (Basel) & Arthur Cabral (Fiorentina) — 7 goals
• 2023/24: Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos) — 11 goals
• 2024/25: Afimico Pululu (Jagiellonia) — 8 goals
• 2025/26: Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace) — joint top scorer in the competition

Managerial records

• Winning managers:
  • José Mourinho — AS Roma (2022)
  • David Moyes — West Ham (2023), first Scottish manager to win a UEFA competition since Sir Alex Ferguson
  • José Luis Mendilibar — Olympiacos (2024)
  • Mauricio Pochettino — Chelsea (2025)
• Most finals as manager: Vincenzo Italiano (Fiorentina — 3 finals, 0 wins)
• 2026 finalists: Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace) vs Íñigo Pérez (Rayo Vallecano)

Final venues

• 2022: Arena Kombëtare, Tirana, Albania
• 2023: Fortuna Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
• 2024: OPAP Arena, Athens, Greece
• 2025: Stadion Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
• 2026: Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany

Geographic records

• Most successful country: England (2 wins — West Ham, Chelsea)
• England in 2026 final: Crystal Palace are England's third Conference League finalist
• Spain in 2026 final: Rayo Vallecano are Spain's second Conference League finalist, following Real Betis in 2025
• Italy: 4 final appearances (Roma 1, Fiorentina 3)

Special achievements

• Fastest goal in Conference League history: Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace) — 21 seconds vs Shakhtar Donetsk, semi-final first leg, 2026
• Unbeaten campaigns: West Ham (2022/23 — only 1 draw, 14 wins)
• First Greek European trophy: Olympiacos (2024)
• Grand Slam achievement: Chelsea (first club to win all four major European competitions)
• Qualification benefit: Winner of the 2026 final qualifies for the 2026/27 Europa League

Recent format changes (2024/25)

• New league phase: Replaced the traditional group stage format
• 36 teams: Expanded from 32 to 36 teams
• Qualification system: Top 8 qualify directly; positions 9–24 enter play-offs
• Name change: "Europa" dropped from the competition name in 2024

Competition records

• Biggest victories:
  • Chelsea 8-0 Noah (2024/25, League Phase)
  • West Ham 6-0 AEK Larnaca (2022/23, Round of 16)
  • Feyenoord 8-3 Partizan (2021/22, Round of 16)
• Most goals by a team in a campaign: Chelsea — 42 goals (2024/25)
• Top scoring team in 2025/26: Crystal Palace — 25 goals across the competition