The Uefa Conference League will have a new name on the trophy in 2026-27 after Crystal Palace’s triumph in Leipzig.
While the Conference League is not the competition many big clubs want to be in, once they are in, it makes sense to try to win it. Chelsea proved that in 2024-25, and Crystal Palace followed suit last season, beating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the final at the Red Bull Arena to lift the club’s first major European trophy.
It made Palace the second consecutive English winner of the competition. As Conference League winners, they earn a Europa League place, meaning the holders will not be back to defend their title.
Rayo’s run to the final was a story in itself. The Madrid club knocked out AEK Athens in the quarter-finals before going all the way to Leipzig, and their consolation was a season to remember for their supporters.
Which sides will take part in the 2026-27 Conference League?
No sides have had their place in the League Phase confirmed but five teams have qualified for the Play-Off round. Brighton represent the Premier League, while Atalanta (Serie A), Getafe (La Liga), Monaco (Ligue 1) and Freiburg (Bundesliga) have also qualified.
When does the 2026-27 Conference League start?
Qualifying for the 2026-27 competition began in early June. The road to the final runs through the qualifying rounds, the league phase and the knockout stages, with the group stage fixtures typically running from October to December and the knockout rounds from February.
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | First qualifying round | 16 June 2026 | 9 July 2026 | 16 July 2026 |
| Second qualifying round | 17 June 2026 | 23 July 2026 | 30 July 2026 | |
| Third qualifying round | 20 July 2026 | 6 August 2026 | 13 August 2026 | |
| Play-offs | Play-off round | 3 August 2026 | 20 August 2026 | 27 August 2026 |
| League phase | Matchday 1 | 28 August 2026 | 15 October 2026 | |
| Matchday 2 | 22 October 2026 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 5 November 2026 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 26 November 2026 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 10 December 2026 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 17 December 2026 | |||
| Knockout phase | Knockout phase play-offs | 15 January 2027 | 18 February 2027 | 25 February 2027 |
| Round of 16 | 26 February 2027 | 11 March 2027 | 18 March 2027 | |
| Quarter-finals | 8 April 2027 | 15 April 2027 | ||
| Semi-finals | 29 April 2027 | 6 May 2027 | ||
| Final | 2 June 2027 | |||
Uefa Conference League winner odds 2026-27
Bookmakers had not priced up the 2026-27 Conference League outright market at the time of writing, with the league phase field still taking shape through qualifying. The latest winner odds will appear here as soon as the market opens.
You have to be 18+ to gamble. UK only. All odds within this article are accurate at the time of writing. GambleAware.
How the Conference League outright market works
The outright winner market covers which club lifts the trophy, rather than the outcome of any single tie. Prices open once the league phase field is confirmed and move throughout the campaign.
Recent history is a useful guide. English clubs have won the last two editions, and sides from the biggest leagues usually dominate the head of the market once qualification is settled. The competition also rewards squads that take it seriously from the start: rotation-heavy contenders have repeatedly been picked off by well-drilled sides from mid-ranking leagues in one-off knockout ties.