Crystal Palace have officially been demoted from the UEFA Europa League and will now compete in the UEFA Europa Conference League next season, IsaGoal can report.
Crystal Palace intend to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after UEFA enforced its multi-club ownership regulations.
The South London club had qualified for the 2025/26 Europa League by winning the FA Cup.
However, Lyon’s sixth-place finish in Ligue 1 also secured the French side a Europa League berth — creating a conflict due to ownership links.
John Textor, who previously owned a 43% stake in Palace, also held shares in Lyon.
UEFA rules prohibit clubs under the same ownership from competing in the same European competition to preserve sporting integrity.
Palace argue that Textor did not exercise “overall control” and had already sold his shares to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.
Furthermore, Textor stepped down from his Lyon roles following the club’s financial struggles and initial relegation to Ligue 2.
Despite those efforts, UEFA noted these actions occurred after its March 1 eligibility deadline — and therefore, Palace’s Europa League place was revoked.
The twist came midweek when Lyon won their appeal against relegation and were reinstated in Ligue 1, meaning they retain their Europa League spot.
On Friday, UEFA confirmed that Palace will drop to the Europa Conference League, pending the outcome of their CAS appeal.
This article was updated 4 weeks ago