The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed Crystal Palace’s appeal against their demotion from the UEFA Europa League to the UEFA Europa Conference League due to multi-club ownership (MCO) regulations.
The decision follows an earlier ruling by UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), which determined that Palace’s ties with French club Lyon breached MCO rules designed to preserve the integrity of European competitions. Despite Palace challenging the ruling, CAS on Monday upheld UEFA’s position, effectively confirming the club’s drop to the Conference League.
As a result, Nottingham Forest have been elevated to the Europa League and will take Palace’s place in the competition.
Crystal Palace will now enter the Europa Conference League at the playoff round stage later this month.
The final list of Premier League clubs participating in European competition for the 2025/26 season is now confirmed. The six clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League are Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, and Chelsea. Aston Villa, who finished sixth in the league, will join Nottingham Forest in the Europa League.
