Crystal Palace's Europa League Dreams Crushed: The Shocking Reason Behind Their Elimination
Crystal Palace's Community Shield triumph has been dampened by confirmation that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld UEFA's decision to exclude them from the Europa League.
The Eagles had secured qualification for UEFA's secondary club tournament for the 2025–26 season, but have fallen victim to complications surrounding multi-club ownership regulations.
Oliver Glasner's squad will still make their European debut, and despite the downgrade, the forthcoming season promises to deliver unparalleled continental adventure for Palace fans.
Nevertheless, UEFA's verdict and the subsequent CAS confirmation have left a sour aftertaste. Here's the explanation behind Palace's exclusion from the 2025–26 Europa League.
How Did Crystal Palace Qualify for the Europa League?
A disastrous beginning to the 2024–25 Premier League campaign, following Michael Olise's transfer to Bayern Munich, left Palace with minimal prospects of European qualification through league standings.
They managed to ease relegation concerns by year's end and showed significant improvement during the season's latter half, though they could only manage a 12th-place finish.
Nevertheless, Palace earned their Europa League berth by claiming the FA Cup trophy in May. Glasner's team defeated Aston Villa, who had secured European qualification through their sixth-place Premier League position, in the semi-final before narrowly beating Manchester City 1–0 in the showpiece final.
Why Are Crystal Palace Playing in the Conference League?
Simply put, Palace have been relegated to the Conference League, UEFA's third-tier club tournament, for violating UEFA's multi-club ownership (MCO) regulations.
Previous co-owner John Textor departed the club at June's conclusion, but maintained stakes in both Palace and French side Lyon during UEFA's evaluation period—March 1. Any potential conflicts of interest required resolution by this deadline, yet Textor's exit occurred significantly after the cutoff. Reports suggest Palace overlooked multiple UEFA communications regarding their MCO regulations.
These rules prevent clubs sharing a controlling stakeholder—Textor, in this instance—from participating in identical competitions, with Lyon earning Europa League qualification through their sixth-place Ligue 1 finish. Palace appeared safe when the French club faced Ligue 2 relegation and European exclusion due to financial difficulties, but they successfully appealed their punishment.
Lyon's higher league position granted them priority over Palace, forcing the English side down one tier while Nottingham Forest takes their Europa League spot.
The Eagles felt confident about their CAS appeal, highlighting inconsistencies in multi-club ownership rule enforcement and Textor's limited influence despite his substantial shareholding. However, the court confirmed UEFA's original decision.
Consequently, Palace will face either Norwegian club Fredrikstad or Danish team Midtjylland across two Conference League playoff matches. Forest, meanwhile, are set to join Villa in the Europa League group stage.