Why Crystal Palace won't play in UEFA Europa league 2025-26?

Rajarshi has been part of Khel Now since 2022, and he covers world football.

Published at :July 11, 2025 at 11:30 PM

Modified at :July 11, 2025 at 11:30 PM

(Courtesy : Getty Images)

The Eagles will play in the Conference League next season.

UEFA has decided to demote Crystal Palace from the UEFA Europa League to the UEFA Conference League for the upcoming season.

Because the American entrepreneur John Textor owns a portion of the Eagles and is the majority owner of Lyon, a French team that has also qualified for the Europa competition, Palace violated the rules governing multi-club ownership. It led to this verdict.

The FA Cup winners, Palace, may be replaced in the Europa League by Nottingham Forest, who were seventh in the Premier League the previous season.

According to UEFA, Palace are prepared to challenge the decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Clubs owned, to a certain extent of control, by the same person or entity are prohibited from competing in the same European competition, according to the regulations of the body that oversees European football.

According to UEFA regulations, Palace had until March 1, 2025, to provide documentation of their multi-club ownership reorganisation.

Although UEFA has rejected the Premier League team’s defence, Palace maintained that Textor does not have any significant influence at the club.

Due to their superior league standing, Lyon—who also earned a spot in the tournament for the upcoming season—takes precedence over Palace.

The seven-time French champions were sixth in Ligue 1, while Palace placed 12th in the Premier League but won the FA Cup to earn a spot in Europe.

Eberechi Eze Crystal Palace FA Cup Premier League — Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on May 17, 2025, in London, England, for the FA Cup trophy (Photo via Getty Images)

After getting dropped on economic grounds, which hurt Palace’s chances of competing in the Europa League, Lyon successfully appealed their demotion from Ligue 1 earlier this week.

In order to allow Palace to participate in the Europa League, Lyon had agreed with UEFA to be disqualified if their relegation had been sustained.

After placing sixth in the Premier League, Aston Villa secured the other of English football’s two allotted Europa slots.

Which European competition will Crystal Palace play next season?

The Eagles will play in the UEFA Conference League.

Where did Palace finish last season in the Premier League?

Palace finished 12th in the league the previous season.

Where did Lyon finish in Ligue 1 last season?

The seven-time French champions were sixth in Ligue 1.

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Rajarshi Shukla

After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.