Premier League side Crystal Palace have been relegated to the UEFA Conference League following a ruling.
Palace qualified for the Europa League via their FA Cup triumph but concerns were raised over co-owner John Textor’s involvement. The American businessman, who has agreed a deal to sell his shares, also co-owns French side Lyon.
Lyon were initially demoted to Ligue 2 amid financing issues but have won their appeal against relegation.
They qualified for the Europa League via their sixth-place finish in Ligue 1, and a UEFA ruling has confirmed their spot.
However, they have rejected Palace’s admission to the competition and they will now play in the Conference League instead.
The UEFA Conference League Trophy on display (Photo by Kristian Skeie – UEFA)
UEFA statement reads:
The First Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body has concluded the proceedings on the multi-club ownership case involving Crystal Palace [ENG] and Olympique Lyonnais [FRA].
The CFCB First Chamber had opened proceedings against Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyonnais due to a potential conflict with the multi-club ownership rule provided for in Article 5 of the UEFA Club Competitions Regulations.
On 9 July 2025, the appeal instance of the French financial control authority [DNCG] decided not to relegate Olympique Lyonnais to Ligue 2. Consequently, and following an assessment by the CFCB of all the other relevant conditions included in the settlement agreement, Olympique Lyonnais will not be excluded from the 2025/26 UEFA club competitions [see media release of 30 June 2025]
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 foreseen in Art 5.01 of the UEFA Club Competition Regulations
For this reason, and in accordance with the provisions set in Art. 5.02, 5.03 and 5.04 of the UEFA Club Competitions Regulations, the CFCB First Chamber decided:•
To accept Olympique Lyonnais’ admission to the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League; and• To reject Crystal Palace’s admission to the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League and to accept Crystal Palace’s admission to the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League.
The present decision may be appealed against before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in accordance with Articles 62 and 63 of the UEFA Statutes.
UEFA are yet to confirm if Nottingham Forest will take Crystal Palace spot and be promoted to the Europa League.
Forest are set to play in the competition but this won’t be confirmed until they discover if Palace appealing the decision.
