How remarkable pursuit of UEFA Conference League glory has 'changed lives' at Crystal Palace

”You’ve changed my life.”

An emphatic statement that could just as easily have been directed toward any Palace player, or manager Oliver Glasner, after the remarkable journey the club have been on over the last two years, culminating in a European final.

The Eagles have not only ‘changed the lives’ of their fans, but also their own.

They face Rayo Vallecano at Leipzig Arena in the UEFA Conference League final - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max - where they could add their name to the illustrious list of teams to lift one of the major continental trophies.

Quite simply, this sort of thing isn’t supposed to happen for Palace.

The south Londoners are wonderfully well-supported, but even the most dyed-in-wool Selhurst Park regular will tell you that their team, historically, perhaps doesn’t have the stature to be rubbing shoulders with those on the European stage, let alone winning European trophies.

Palace have spent much of their 121-year existence bouncing between the divisions in England, and while they are currently on their longest run in the top-flight, they can also boast the fact they’ve won the Championship play-offs four times in the last four decades, highlighting their former 'yo-yo club' reputation.

They have also endured serious financial struggles, twice going into administration and facing a threat to their very existence as recently as 2010.

The club’s Selhurst Park home is beloved by regulars and casuals alike for its special, unique and somewhat dated look, but a world away from football’s modern arenas in terms of infrastructure and facilities. Something is amiss if you’re still having your view of the game obstructed by a pillar in 2026.

But the club has been on an upward trajectory over the last decade or so, and the appointment of Glasner has had a previously-unimaginable transformative effect on their on-pitch fortunes.

The Austrian’s arrival in late spring of the 2023/24 season saw him lead the club to a run of six wins in seven Premier League matches, and while things started slowly in his first full campaign in charge, it went on to be one that would ultimately go down in history.

Palace’s trophy cabinet prior to 2025 had largely consisted of regional titles from the early years of their existence, lower division titles, those play-off triumphs, and the short-lived Full Members Cup (one for Google, kids!), but that was soon to change in dramatic fashion.

Playing in just their third FA Cup final, Glasner’s Eagles stunned Manchester City to lift the trophy for the first time after Eberechi Eze’s goal – and a penalty save by Dean Henderson from Erling Haaland – secured a 1-0 win at Wembley.

After adding the Community Shield, the club has a taste for silverware, and despite being controversially denied a place in the UEFA Europa League, have made the most of their Conference League opportunity to reach the final.

While there may have been some slight wobbles along the way, Glasner’s side can boast victories over European luminaries such as Dynamo Kiev, Fiorentina and Shakhtar Donetsk en route to the final, and go into the match against Rayo as favourites.

Palace’s rise is also coinciding with English football’s growing strength and domineering presence in European competition, so the club have the chance to strike while that particular iron remains hot, and not only add this trophy to their collection but use it as a springboard to compete in next season’s Europa League.

Life-changing indeed, for a club which had never competed in Europe prior to this season.

Of course, they will have to do this without Glasner, who will be departing following the match, but the journey they’ve been on with him at the helm should provide optimism for the future and show exactly what plucky underdogs from south London can hope to achieve if they dare to dream.

You can watch the Conference League final on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

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