UEFA Conference League 2026/27: Season Guide — Key Dates, Fixtures and Betting Preview
Crystal Palace are the Conference League champions after beating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in Leipzig, a first major European trophy in their first Conference League campaign. Palace have moved up to the Europa League, and 36 clubs now chase the trophy they left behind.
The first Conference League fixtures of the 2026/27 league phase arrive on 15 October 2026, with the final at Beşiktaş Stadium in Istanbul on 2 June 2027.
UEFA Conference League 2025/26 — Final, Trophy and Season Results
Leipzig's Red Bull Arena hosted the UEFA Conference League final on 27 May 2026 before a crowd of 39,176. Jean-Philippe Mateta settled it with a 51st-minute finish from close range, and Rayo, in their first European final, could not find a reply.
| Detail | 2025/26 |
|---|---|
| Final | Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano, 27 May 2026, Red Bull Arena, Leipzig |
| Goal | Jean-Philippe Mateta, 51 minutes |
| Player of the match | Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace) |
| Coach | Oliver Glasner, a year after winning the FA Cup (left after the final) |
| Top scorer | Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace), 9 goals |
| Best player | Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace) |
| Reward | Place in the 2026/27 Europa League league phase |
Lifting the UEFA Conference League trophy capped a season that had already brought the Community Shield in August, and a run that started in the play-off round, where Mateta scored the club's first-ever European goal against Fredrikstad. Palace's league results tell the story of a slow burn: 10th in the league phase, a 3-1 aggregate win over Zrinjski Mostar in the knockout play-offs and a 3-0 win over Fiorentina at Selhurst Park in the first leg of their quarter-final.
Senegal forward Ismaïla Sarr was the story of the campaign. He finished as the competition's top scorer with nine goals and was named its best player, part of a 21-goal season across all competitions. Palace did it while finishing 15th in the Premier League.
Rayo Vallecano had the better league phase, finishing fifth to Palace's 10th under coach Iñigo Pérez. The Madrid club were chasing a first major title in their first European final, and they leave a template for this season's mid-ranked sides: a strong league phase earns a kinder knockout path, but the final rewards the side that takes its chance.
Five seasons of UEFA Conference League results have produced five different winners from three countries.
| Season | Winners | Final | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Roma | 1-0 Feyenoord | Tirana |
| 2022/23 | West Ham United | 2-1 Fiorentina | Prague |
| 2023/24 | Olympiacos | 1-0 Fiorentina (aet) | Athens |
| 2024/25 | Chelsea | 4-1 Real Betis | Wrocław |
| 2025/26 | Crystal Palace | 1-0 Rayo Vallecano | Leipzig |
Conference League Fixtures and Key Dates 2026/27
This is the sixth edition of the competition and the third under the league phase format. Qualifying began in July, and all 36 clubs in the league phase came through qualifying, with none entering directly: 24 won play-off ties and 12 dropped down after losing in the Europa League play-off round.
| Date | Stage |
|---|---|
| 15 October 2026 | League phase MD1 |
| 22 October 2026 | MD2 |
| 5 November 2026 | MD3 |
| 26 November 2026 | MD4 |
| 10 December 2026 | MD5 |
| 17 December 2026 | MD6, final matchday |
| 18 & 25 February 2027 | Knockout phase play-offs |
| 11 & 18 March 2027 | Round of 16 |
| 8 & 15 April 2027 | Quarter-finals |
| 29 April & 6 May 2027 | Semi-finals |
| 2 June 2027 | Final, Beşiktaş Stadium, Istanbul |
Each club plays six matches against six different opponents, one from each pot, three at home and three away, which makes 108 Conference League fixtures across the six Thursdays of the league phase. The top eight go straight into the round of 16, the clubs placed ninth to 24th meet in the knockout phase play-offs, and the bottom 12 are eliminated.
League position also shapes the bracket. The knockout draw is seeded by final ranking, and the top two cannot meet until the UEFA Conference League final, so a strong first six matchdays protects a club well into the spring. Last season Rayo's fifth-place finish gave them a direct route to the round of 16, while Palace, 10th, needed an extra two-legged tie.
The draw took place in Monaco on 28 August, with the 36 clubs seeded into six pots by club coefficient.
| Pot | Clubs |
|---|---|
| 1 | Atalanta, Braga, Ajax, Freiburg, Monaco, Copenhagen |
| 2 | Midtjylland, Crvena Zvezda, Gent, Panathinaikos, Pafos, Brighton |
| 3 | Lugano, Getafe, KuPS Kuopio, Twente, Lincoln Red Imps, Borac |
| 4 | Sint-Truidense, Brann, Hearts, Kairat Almaty, Trabzonspor, Universitatea Craiova |
| 5 | Riga, Hajduk Split, Jablonec, Nordsjælland, Aarhus, Inter Escaldes |
| 6 | Thun, CSKA Sofia, Kauno Žalgiris, Mjällby, Iberia Tbilisi, Egnatia |
Pot 1 carries the most European pedigree. It holds a 2024 Europa League winner in Atalanta, a four-time European Cup winner in Ajax, and Freiburg, beaten in the Europa League final in May. Brighton are the only English club in the field and have the shortest outright price at 22Bet. Gibraltar's Lincoln Red Imps and Andorra's Inter Escaldes bring the competition's reach to its smallest associations.
Several clubs arrive here after being beaten one tier up, in the Europa League play-off round:
- Aarhus: Lost 6-2 on aggregate to Benfica.
- Trabzonspor: Beaten 5-0 on aggregate by Ferencváros.
- Sint-Truidense: Edged out 4-3 on aggregate by Omonia.
- CSKA Sofia: Lost 5-0 on aggregate to OFI Crete.
- Kauno Žalgiris: Beaten 3-1 on aggregate by Beşiktaş.
Every UEFA Conference League match in the league phase is scheduled for a Thursday, and the full list of fixtures for all 36 clubs is published by UEFA.
Istanbul hosts the final: the 2027 UEFA Conference League final takes place on Wednesday 2 June at Beşiktaş Stadium in the city's Beşiktaş district. The ground staged the 2026 Europa League final, when Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0, and every knockout tie from the round of 16 to the semi-finals is played over two legs.
UEFA Conference League Tips 2026/27 — Who Will Win?
The market has a clear favourite and a crowded chasing pack. Brighton lead the outright betting for the UEFA Conference League trophy at 4.05, ahead of Atalanta at 6.6, Monaco and Freiburg at 8.1 each, Braga at 10.2 and Ajax at 11. These decimal odds may change before you place a bet.
Brighton
Brighton are 4.05 to win it and 2.65 to reach the final, the shortest price in both markets. Their case rests on Premier League depth and England's record in the competition: English clubs have won three of the five finals, through West Ham, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. Fabian Hürzeler's side finished eighth last season and enter from Pot 2, and this is only their second European campaign, after the 2023/24 Europa League.
Atalanta
Atalanta are 6.6 to win it and 3.6 to reach the final. They won the Europa League in 2024, giving them recent experience of winning a major European trophy. They enter from Pot 1, but that does not keep them apart from the other top seeds: each club faces one opponent from every pot. Atalanta visit Ajax in the league phase, and Serie A commitments will test their depth through the winter.
Freiburg
Freiburg reached the 2026 Europa League final before losing 3-0 to Aston Villa, and the 2027 Conference League final is at the same ground in Istanbul. They are 8.1 to win and 4.5 to reach the final, level with Monaco in both markets. The test is replacing Johan Manzambi, who won UEFA's new Revelation of the Season award as the Europa League's best young player last season and joined Aston Villa in the summer.
Beyond those three, Monaco at 8.1 and Braga at 10.2 are also worth considering, while Pot 2 holds two clubs with European Cup history: Crvena Zvezda, winners in 1991, are 27, and Panathinaikos, beaten by Ajax in the 1971 final at Wembley, are 35.
Each club faces one opponent from every pot, and the league phase draw has produced some standout ties: Panathinaikos host Brighton, while Ajax host Atalanta. Spanish clubs have reached the last two finals and lost both, through Real Betis and Rayo, and Getafe carry that challenge at 30.
Dark horse: Crvena Zvezda at 27 to win. The Serbian champions won nine of their first ten SuperLiga games this season without a defeat, including a 2-1 derby win over Partizan, and they open the league phase away to Lugano.
Our pick for the UEFA Conference League final in Istanbul is Atalanta at 6.6. Brighton lead the market, but 4.05 asks a lot of a club in only its second European campaign, while Atalanta's price comes with experience of winning the 2024 Europa League.
Freiburg at 4.5 to reach the final offers another option after last season's Europa League run. These UEFA Conference League tips will sharpen once the league phase settles. Check the current odds and market availability on 22Bet.
UEFA Conference League Matchday 1 Fixtures and Kick-off Times
The league phase opens on Thursday 15 October 2026 with 18 matches split across two kick-off slots. Ten games start at 18:45 CEST and eight at 21:00 CEST, with Brighton, Atalanta and Freiburg all at home in the later slot.
| Kick-off (CEST) | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|
| 18:45 | Lugano | Crvena Zvezda |
| 18:45 | Hajduk Split | Ajax |
| 18:45 | Gent | Aarhus |
| 18:45 | Egnatia | Midtjylland |
| 18:45 | KuPS Kuopio | Trabzonspor |
| 18:45 | Mjällby | Inter Escaldes |
| 18:45 | Panathinaikos | Borac |
| 18:45 | CSKA Sofia | Monaco |
| 18:45 | Riga | Kairat Almaty |
| 18:45 | Universitatea Craiova | Getafe |
| 21:00 | Atalanta | Pafos |
| 21:00 | Brighton | Kauno Žalgiris |
| 21:00 | Copenhagen | Braga |
| 21:00 | Twente | Thun |
| 21:00 | Hearts | Nordsjælland |
| 21:00 | Sint-Truidense | Iberia Tbilisi |
| 21:00 | Freiburg | Jablonec |
| 21:00 | Brann | Lincoln Red Imps |
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