Crystal Palace won the Europe Conference League final 1-0 against Rayo Vallecano on May 27 in Leipzig, securing their first European trophy in their debut continental campaign [1, 2]. The only goal came from Jean-Philippe Mateta, who said, "I feel fantastic. We did it. First time in Europe. We did it. Now I just want to celebrate. I just want to party. It's incredible. We did everything" [1].
This victory qualified Crystal Palace for next season's Europa League after initially missing out due to multi-club ownership rules that placed them in the Conference League instead of the higher-tier Europa League [1, 2]. The final also marked the last game for Austrian coach Oliver Glasner, aged 51, who took charge in February 2024 [1, 2]. Under his management, Palace won two domestic trophies last year—the FA Cup and the Community Shield [1, 2].
Fan celebrations erupted both at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig and on the streets, with many supporters watching a live screen at Selhurst Park in London [1, 2]. Defender Tyrick Mitchell described the triumph as "something that you dream of but you don't think is reality. I'm just proud of everyone, past and present, that helped us get to this point ... it's amazing, it's the same feeling that we had when we won the FA Cup, it's just pure delight, pure emotions and we're just happy that we were able to get over the line" [1].
Former England player Glenn Hoddle commented: "This is justice. They should have been in the Europa League and now they have qualified for it next year" [1].
Palace's next campaign will see them compete in the Europa League following their groundbreaking European success this season [1, 2].