The 2026 UEFA Conference League Final is the showpiece match of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa Conference League, played on Wednesday 27 May 2026 at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany. It is the fifth edition of UEFA’s third-tier European club competition and the first European final to be held at the Leipzig venue.
What is the UEFA Conference League Final?
The UEFA Conference League Final is the single-match climax of UEFA’s third-tier club competition, sitting beneath the Champions League and Europa League in the European pyramid. Introduced in 2021, the Conference League was created to widen European competition for clubs from smaller associations, giving teams from every UEFA member a realistic route to continental silverware. The winner lifts a silver trophy and receives automatic qualification for the following season’s UEFA Europa League league phase.
The 2025/26 edition is the second to be played under UEFA’s revamped format, which replaced the old group stage with a single 36-team league phase. Clubs played six matches each in the league phase between late September and mid-December, with the top eight advancing directly to the round of 16. Teams finishing ninth to twenty-fourth entered a knockout play-off round in February, with the winners joining the round of 16 in March. The tournament then moved through two-legged quarter-finals and semi-finals before the single-match final in Leipzig.
Chelsea are the reigning champions having won the 2024/25 final in Wroclaw, but they cannot defend the trophy: the competition’s rules automatically move the holder up to the Europa League, and Chelsea qualified for the 2025/26 Champions League through their Premier League finish. The 2026 final will therefore crown a new name on the Conference League trophy.
When is the UEFA Conference League Final 2026?
The final kicks off on Wednesday 27 May 2026. UEFA has confirmed the match as the culmination of the 2025/26 season, slotted between the Europa League Final on 20 May in Istanbul and the Champions League Final on 30 May in Budapest. Local kick-off in Leipzig is scheduled for 21:00 CEST (20:00 BST, 15:00 ET). The semi-finals are played over two legs on 30 April and 7 May 2026, determining the two finalists.
Where is the UEFA Conference League Final 2026?
The match is being held at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Saxony. Built on the site of the historic Zentralstadion and renovated for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the stadium is the home ground of Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and has a current capacity of 47,069 for European matches. It hosted four group games and a round of 16 fixture at the 2006 World Cup and four matches at UEFA Euro 2024, including England’s quarter-final against Switzerland. The 2026 Conference League Final will be the first major European club final held at the venue, part of a wider push by UEFA to spread showpiece matches across Germany: Eintracht Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park will host the 2027 Conference League Final the following year.
Key Contenders
With the quarter-finals still being contested in April 2026, the field of potential finalists is wide. The confirmed quarter-final ties pair Rayo Vallecano with AEK Athens, Mainz with Strasbourg, Crystal Palace with Fiorentina and Shakhtar Donetsk with AZ Alkmaar.
Crystal Palace are the highest-profile English side remaining and the only team in the draw with Premier League experience of deep European runs under their current head coach. Fiorentina, beaten finalists in 2023 and 2024, arrive in their third Conference League knockout campaign in four seasons and are widely considered the most experienced side at this stage of the competition. Italian international Moise Kean and Albanian captain Nedim Bajrami have led their scoring in Europe this year.
Mainz are the surprise package of the competition, riding strong Bundesliga form and a well-drilled defensive system under Bo Henriksen. French side Strasbourg, part-owned by BlueCo (the same ownership group that controls Chelsea), play an attacking brand of football that has translated well to European competition. Rayo Vallecano are making their deepest European run in decades, while AEK Athens, Shakhtar Donetsk and AZ Alkmaar each bring strong domestic pedigree and experience of continental knockout football.
Fiorentina are currently the bookmakers’ favourites to reach and win the final, although any of the eight remaining clubs can claim a maiden Conference League title.
How to Watch
The 2026 UEFA Conference League Final will be broadcast live in more than 150 territories. In the United Kingdom, the match is being shown by TNT Sports and streamed on Discovery+, as part of TNT’s exclusive Conference League rights deal that runs through 2027. TNT’s coverage includes a pre-match build-up from Leipzig and full post-match analysis.
In the United States, Paramount+ holds the streaming rights, with select matches also airing on CBS Sports Network. Viewers in Germany can watch the final free-to-air on RTL, which holds the domestic rights for UEFA club competitions. In Italy, Sky Sport carries the match, while Spanish audiences can watch on Movistar Plus+. In France, Canal+ has coverage. Australian fans can stream the match on Stan Sport, and Canadian viewers can access it via DAZN. UEFA.tv streams the match free of charge in a number of smaller markets where no domestic broadcast deal has been agreed.
History and Records
The UEFA Conference League was launched for the 2021/22 season as the third tier of European club competition, sitting alongside a restructured Champions League and Europa League. The inaugural final was won by Roma, who defeated Feyenoord 1-0 in Tirana to give Jose Mourinho his fifth different European trophy. West Ham United won the following year, beating Fiorentina 2-1 in Prague in 2023, before Olympiacos became the first Greek club to lift a European trophy with a 1-0 extra-time win over Fiorentina in Athens in 2024. Chelsea completed the honours list so far with a 4-1 victory over Real Betis in Wroclaw in 2025, with Cole Palmer among the scorers.
Fiorentina’s status as two-time beaten finalists is one of the most unusual records in modern European football. No club has yet won the Conference League more than once, and every final so far has been decided by a clean sheet for the winning team. Olympiacos remain the only club to have required extra time in a Conference League final. The highest-scoring final to date is Chelsea’s 4-1 win in 2025.
Tickets and Attendance
The general public ticket sale for the 2026 UEFA Conference League Final opened in March 2026 via UEFA’s official ticket portal, with a ballot-style application process. Ticket prices for the 2025/26 final range from €30 in Category 4 to €150 in Category 1, with each finalist club receiving an allocation of approximately 10,000 tickets. A further block is held for UEFA sponsors, hospitality partners and the free fan allocation. Resale is strictly controlled via UEFA’s official resale platform, and tickets purchased from unauthorised sellers are likely to be invalidated. Hospitality packages are sold through UEFA’s official hospitality partner and include premium seating, food and beverage service, and match-day programmes.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the UEFA Conference League Final 2026 start?
The match kicks off at 21:00 local time (CEST) on Wednesday 27 May 2026, which is 20:00 BST and 15:00 ET.
Where is the UEFA Conference League Final 2026 being held?
At the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, the home ground of Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
How can I watch the UEFA Conference League Final 2026?
TNT Sports and Discovery+ in the UK, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network in the US, RTL in Germany, Sky Sport in Italy, and UEFA.tv in selected territories.
Who won the UEFA Conference League last year?
Chelsea, who beat Real Betis 4-1 in the 2025 final in Wroclaw. Chelsea cannot defend the title because winners automatically progress to the Europa League.
How many teams have won the UEFA Conference League?
Four: Roma (2022), West Ham United (2023), Olympiacos (2024) and Chelsea (2025). The 2026 final will produce a fifth different winner.