Crystal Palace face testing route to Conference League final after play-off draw
Crystal Palace’s route to the Uefa Conference League final has been partially revealed after the Eagles were drawn on the silver side of the bracket for the knockout rounds.
Oliver Glasner’s side finished 10th in the league phase and missed out on an automatic spot in the round of 16 meaning they must first progress through a two-legged play-off.
Palace won just three of their six league games and notched up 10 points with one draw and two defeats coming from the other three fixtures. It meant they entered the play-off draw as one of the seeded teams and were subsequently drawn against HSK Zrinjski Mostar from Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mike Jones16 January 2026 13:04
The ties for the play-off rounds will be held on 19 February 2026 and 26 February 2026.
The seeded teams, including Palace, will play the second legs at home.
Dates and fixture reversals are handled on a case-by-case basis by Uefa.
The official calendar will be announced on 30th January 2026.
Mike Jones16 January 2026 12:50
There will be another draw following the play-off round to determine who will play each other in the first knockout round proper.
Palace know they will face either Mainz or Larnaca.
Should they then make it to the quarter-final they will face one of Fiorentina, Jagiellonia, Strasbourg or Rakow Czestochowa.
The latter two of which finished first and second in the league phase table.
Not an easy route to Leipzig for Oliver Glasner’s side.
Mike Jones16 January 2026 12:45
Here are the odds for the main sides to win the competition, with Palace unsurprisingly favourites despite Strasbourg’s fast start.
While Palace have struggled domestically of late, they remain arguably the best side in the tournament on paper, while Strasbourg will likely need a period to adapt following the departure of Liam Rosenior.
Can Glasner go one better from last year and deliver the Eagles their first European trophy?
Chris Wilson16 January 2026 12:40
The knockout round play-offs will take place on 19 & 26 February 2026 respectively, with the seeded teams playing the second legs at home.
Remaining key dates for the rest of the competition include:
Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final draws: 27 February 2026
Round of 16: 12 & 19 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 9 & 16 April 2026
Semi-finals: 30 April & 7 May 2026
Final: 27 May 2026 (Leipzig)
Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena will host the final in May (Getty Images)
Chris Wilson16 January 2026 12:35
Palace learn play-off round fate
Crystal Palace will take on Bosnia-Herzegovina’s HSK Zrinjski Mostar in the play-off round of the Uefa Conference League after finishing 10th in the league phase.
Palace were a seeded team in the play-off round draw meaning they will play the second leg of this tie at home with an understanding of what they need to do to make it into the last-16 of the European competition.
Palace have also been drawn on the same side of the bracket as Fiorentina, who will face Polish side Jagiellonia in the play-off round.
Other results from the draw include Swiss side Lausanne vs Czech club SK Sigma Olomouc and AZ Alkmaar of the Eredivisie taking on FC Noah from the Armenian Premier League.
The draw means Palace will face either Larnaca or Mainz in the last-16 and potentially Fiorentina in the quarter-finals.
Mike Jones16 January 2026 12:34
Here’s the full draw for the play-off round:
Jagiellonia vs Fiorentina
Lech Poznan vs KuPS Kuopio
Crystal Palace vs HSK Zrinjki
FC Lausanne vs Sigma Olomouc
Mike Jones16 January 2026 12:26
Crystal Palace are on the silver side of the draw!
They face HSK Zrinjski in the play-off round.
FC Lausanne play Sigma Olomouc on the green side.
Mike Jones16 January 2026 12:24
Four more fixtures to decide:
On the silver side Lech Poznan will take on KuPS Kuopio.
Samunspor will take on Shkendija on the green side.
Two more matches to go…
Mike Jones16 January 2026 12:23
AZ Alkmaar will face FC Noah on the silver side.
Celje will take on Drita FC on the green side of the bracket.
Mike Jones16 January 2026 12:22