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Nottingham Forest set to replace Crystal Palace in Europa League after Lyon win appeal against relegation – but there could still be another twist
Chris Burton
5 – 6 minutes
Crystal Palace Nottingham Forest Europa LeagueGetty/GOAL
Nottingham Forest are, as things stand, set to replace Crystal Palace in the Europa League after Lyon won their appeal against Ligue 1 relegation.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Multi-club ownership confusion has been sparked following the Eagles’ stunning win over Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup final. Said victory at Wembley should have earned them a spot in the Europa League for next season.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
John Textor did, however, hold stakes in Palace and Lyon at that time – with both clubs qualifying for the Europa League. That situation breached UEFA regulations, with Textor and Palace chairman Steve Parish heading to Nyon for talks with European football’s governing body.
Woody Johnson John TextorGetty/GOAL
DID YOU KNOW?
Textor has since sold his stake in the Eagles to American billionaire Woody Johnson – the owner of the New York Jets NFL franchise – and resigned from his position on Lyon’s board. Those decisions were, however, made some time after the March 1 deadline set by UEFA for any supposed conflicts of interest to be avoided.
TELL ME MORE
Palace appeared to have earned a reprieve when Lyon were demoted out of the French top-flight as part of a financial dispute, but they have successfully appealed against that ruling and are due to take their place in the 2025-26 Europa League once more.
With Palace having finished lower than Lyon in their respective domestic division – 12th in the Premier League – they are the ones set to miss out when the list of Europa League participants is completed, with Forest being bumped up from the Conference League.
WHAT NEXT?
There may, however, be another twist in the tale. UEFA is preparing to deliver its ruling on what happens to Palace, with a challenge to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) set to be lodged if they are removed from the Europa League – which could result in them being reinstated.
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