Crystal Palace win UEFA Conference League to complete trophy double under Glasner

Crystal Palace are European champions after beating Rayo Vallecano in the UEFA Conference League final at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena, completing a remarkable trophy double for a club that had never won a major honour before Oliver Glasner’s arrival.

The Austrian, who announced in January that he would be leaving Palace at the end of the season, departs having transformed the club’s fortunes entirely. He led the Eagles to their first piece of silverware when they defeated Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup final at Wembley, then added the Community Shield against Liverpool at the same venue before capping his tenure with a European title.

Captain Dean Henderson confirmed the squad recorded a tribute video for their outgoing manager, describing Glasner as a “huge miss” for the club. The gesture underlines the bond the 51-year-old forged with his players during a period of sustained success that few at Selhurst Park could have anticipated.

Glasner arrived with a reputation built on winning the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022, and he has now added a European trophy to Palace’s cabinet as well. His final act as manager leaves the club in a position — financially, structurally, and in terms of confidence — that is almost unrecognisable from the one he inherited.

For Palace supporters, the Conference League victory represents the culmination of a journey that began with that FA Cup final win over City. Back-to-back trophies in the space of little over a year is a feat the club has never previously achieved, and the scenes in Leipzig will rank among the most significant in the club’s history.

The search for Glasner’s successor now begins in earnest, with Palace needing to find a manager capable of sustaining the standards he has set — and of navigating the demands of domestic competition alongside a return to European football next season.