Crystal Palace have been dropped to the UEFA Europa Conference League ahead of next season. The Eagles had qualified for the Europa League after beating Manchester City 1-0 in the 2024/25 Emirates FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. Read
Reasons behind the Palace demotion. According to UEFA, American businessman John Textor holds major stakes in Crystal Palace and Lyon, stating that it breaches the multi-club ownership rules. The governing body had set a deadline for Textor to show proof of multi-club ownership restructuring, but Palace missed the March 1, 202,5, deadline.
However, the seven-time Ligue 1 champions won their appeal against their relegation, which means they will take part in the Europa League after finishing sixth position last season.
Following the CFCB’s assessment of all other relevant conditions included in the settlement agreement, Olympique Lyonnais will not be excluded from the 2025/26 UEFA club competitions. UEFA, in a statement, said: “Consequently, the CFCB First Chamber pursued the assessment of the documentation submitted by Olympique Lyonnais and Crystal Palace and concluded that the clubs breached, as at 1 March 2025, the multi-club ownership criteria.”
Crystal Palace finished in 12th position with 13 wins, 14 draws, and 11 losses last season.
Textor also resigned from his leadership role at Lyon when the club was relegated to the Ligue 2 following their financial difficulties.
