English Premier League (EPL) club Crystal Palace have been crowned champions of the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). It marks the club's first-ever European trophy.
Crystal Palace defeated Spain's Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the 2025-2026 UECL final held in Leipzig, Germany on Tuesday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta's goal in the sixth minute of the second half secured a thrilling one-goal victory.
The triumph marks Crystal Palace's first European title since the club's founding in 1905. It is also their third trophy in the past two years. Last season, Crystal Palace won the Community Shield and the Football Association (FA) Cup for the first time in 120 years, and added the UECL trophy this season to extend their upward momentum.
Crystal Palace had originally been set to compete in the Europa League (UEL), but were demoted to the UECL — one tier lower — under UEFA's "conflict of interest" rules on multi-club ownership. The setback ultimately turned into a blessing in disguise.
Meanwhile, with Aston Villa winning this season's UEFA UEL and Crystal Palace now claiming the UECL — both EPL clubs — an Arsenal victory in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) would result in an unprecedented sweep of all three European competitions by Premier League sides.
