Crystal Palace Enter Europa Conference League Play-Offs Against Fredrikstad

Crystal Palace is set to begin its first major European campaign in the Europa Conference League after being demoted from the Europa League due to multi-club ownership rule breaches. The Eagles, who qualified by winning the FA Cup and Community Shield, will face Norwegian club Fredrikstad FK in a two-legged play-off at Selhurst Park and away, with the first leg on August 21. The demotion has caused controversy among fans, but Palace is considered a strong favorite to win the Conference League, leveraging the financial advantages of Premier League clubs. Channel 5 has acquired free-to-air broadcasting rights for these play-off matches, with production led by Sunset+Vine, promising high-quality coverage including expert analysis from former Crystal Palace player Joel Ward. The Conference League was originally designed to offer smaller clubs more European football, but the dominance of English clubs like Palace, West Ham, and Chelsea raises questions about competitive balance. Despite this, Palace supporters are hopeful their team will capitalize on this historic opportunity to achieve European success.