One month on: Your stories from the trip to Leipzig & the Conference League Final

On the sun-soaked streets of Leipzig, tens of thousands of red-and-blue clad Eagles came together to celebrate the culmination of a memorable first-ever European campaign for the club. The sights, the scenes, the memories created – just like at Wembley a year prior – never to be forgotten.

That Palace then went on to defeat Rayo Vallecano at the Leipzig Stadium, and lift the trophy, only added to the majesty of a triumphant occasion for South London.

We are delighted to share a selection of the stories and celebrations you submitted from the trip to Leipzig, with thanks to you (and the chance to submit more here). One month on, these continue to make us smile...

Chris, Alfie & Jo

My Journey began in 2002. It ended in Leipzig on May 28th, 2026.

I confess my dad was always an Arsenal fan and thats how I grew up following Arsenal. Alfie’s middle name is “Liam” after Liam Brady.

In 2002 I met Joanne Filer, a girl from South London who supported Palace with all her passion. Palace became my team through Jo and Alfie was born in 2011 after possibly the lowest stage of the club’s history. But in 2013 they entered the Premiership.

In 2015 Jo passed away leaving me with an amazing gift: Alfie George Liam Scoble.

22 years a Season Ticket Holder later, with Alfie by my side.

Jo never got to see the FA Cup win, the Charity Shield victory or the European Conference Victory. But as I sit on this train from Leipzig to Wroclaw, I know she was looking down and smiling. She gave me two gifts – Palace and Alfie – and I thank her with all my heart. ❤️

Eagles 🦅

Nikki, Family – and Cardboard Rachael!

We are 4 families who have had season tickets in the Arthur Wait stand for over a decade and our sons have been coming to Palace since they were small.

When Crystal Palace made history and reached the European stage, we knew we had to be there. But for one of our mums, Rachael, fate had other plans. She was on the waiting list for an urgent hip replacement and in a cruel twist of timing, the call came the week before the final. For the other European games she’d been unable to go, as she is a teacher and couldn’t get the time off. The final was different, as it fell during half term. She was absolutely gutted.

So we did what any self-respecting Palace family would do. We made a life-size cardboard Rachael and took her on European tour.

Cardboard Rachael saw everything. She posed for photos (including with Adam Wharton’s mum), visited the sights, made it to the match and soaked up every moment of a historic night - all while the real Rachael recovered at home, watching in disbelief as photos landed on her phone.

The real Rachael may have missed this one. But she’ll be first through the turnstile next season. Hip and all.

Here are a few photos of her adventures!

Nadia & Layla

Just over 24 hours after the match finished, I wanted to share my memories of Leipzig 2026! Wow.

I’ve been a Palace fan since the 1994/1995 season when my Dad first took me. Over the years we experienced many highs and lows as season ticket holders, including play off final wins at Old Wembley, Cardiff and New Wembley, famous wins like at Stockport all alongside the lows of relegation and possible liquidation. My Dad has been too unwell to come to games since Covid but we are still a Palace mad family, even though I now live near Southampton.

Last year I started bringing my 6 year old daughter, Layla, to matches as often as I could. It’s our Mummy/daughter time and she loves it as much as I do! I keep telling her to treasure these magical moments because having been a fan for 30 odd years I know how precious these memories are.  She’s still never seen us lose (and saw us win three matches at Wembley last year - for a while she thought it was our home stadium), and was a lot more confident than me before the match that we’d win in Leipzig!

So off we went on our big adventure to Germany for the final.

Soaking up the atmosphere before the match was just incredible - it really felt like one big Palace family, and so many other fans high fived Layla and joined in with her singing.

She was very confident and told everyone who would listen that we would win 10 nil - and you have to admire the optimism!

We even bumped into an old friend of mine from primary school who I haven’t seen in 25 years - amazing how Palace brings people together.

Layla sang through the whole match despite it being way past her bedtime. It was hands down one of the best days of my life, and as Layla finally went to sleep after the excitement of the day she said ‘Mummy, I wish I could rewind the day so we could win the trophy again’…

I’ve told her there’s always next year to look forward to!

Paul, Andy & Paula

Me my Dad and my Partner went to the game, 1650 mile round trip by car and ferry

Thank you to Crystal Palace Football Club for providing us with the best night of our lives

Jim, Elliott, Andy, Josh & Sam

Elliott and I left out house at 11.30pm on 26/05/2026 and drove to Biggin Hill to meet Andy, Josh and Sam. All piled into his car and a punt down to Folkestone for the 2am Le Shuttle.

Once off at Calais, we drove 9 hours through France, Belgium, Netherlands and then into Germany and finally reaching our accommodation 35km away from the ground.

Drive and tram into town to Fan Zone before sipping that 1st pint at around 4pm.

Meeting up with old and new friends before the game in the sunshine before the epic march to the ground.

After the game, once we found our tram and then back to our car we finally get to bed at 2.30am, up at 6am to get back on the road. Once at Calais, Shuttle delayed with no end in sight and had 4 hours sleep since 8am on 26th May.

Would I change it? Have you ever seen Brighton win a cup?

Oliver

After a brilliant couple of days in Leipzig, where the weather and people were most welcoming, one thing about the entire experience really stood out to me.

I apologise because it wasn’t seeing Steve Parish engaging with everyone like a regular fan at lunchtime on Wednesday; the entertainment at the Palace Fanzone; the almost deafening atmosphere in the stadium; or seeing the Palace win, which was obviously amazing and the best thing, it was watching the Rayo fans and team at the end.

I don’t think a soul left at the final whistle. They stayed a long time to raucously celebrate their team’s effort, regardless of the result, whilst the team themselves lined up together directly in front of the north stand and shared the collective moment of sorrow.

The most amazing bit, for me, was their banner which I read, relying on 40 year old schoolboy Spanish, as meaning “I know no greater victory than to be with you in defeat”.   It was a beautiful and humbling expression of the relationship between a club, its players and its fans.

Top class!

Stella & the Whitehorse Laners

What a wonderful end to an amazing European journey.

We have had a fantastic time, travelling different routes, train, plane, subways buses, unknown steps, but every part of it was amazing.

We are the Whitehorse Laners!

Myself (Stella), Gary, John, Kaitlin, David, Andy, Tracy, Robert .

Nishma

We celebrated our 10 Yr anniversary at the game. My husband was born in Thornton Heath. Has bled red and blue since before he could walk.

We were at the FA cup; community Shield and now this. Perfect way to end the season!

Stuart

Wow. What an amazing experience and incredible performance from the boys in Leipzig.

I was fortunate to go with my fellow eagle Richard. How we got there - we really didn’t care! But we got there flying from Gatwick to Munich, train to Munich HBF then on to Leipzig arriving Wednesday afternoon.

The atmosphere was electric and the Rayo fans added to that with some passion.

We were the better side and JP’s goal was celebrated in our normal calm fashion - not!

Tears of joy, celebrations and much singing and hugging followed (plus one or two beverages) that went on to the early hours when we managed to find the only bar/restaurant open (Chinese) serving every Palace fan around.

Writing this sat back in Munich Airport with fellow eagles having a last beer and still can’t quite believe we are European Champions!

Thank you Oliver. That was a masterclass last night and quite simply, you are the GOAT.

Cliff

Well yes, we did have a family holiday booked during half term in the Scottish Highlands . Ooops it became apparent as we progressed that this would be a sensitive subject within our family .

With much grovelling me and my two sons decided to make it happen . Step 1 Match Tickets secured . Step 2 Flights and travel . Step 3 Accommodation found 20 mins away .

So, we left our wives and children at 2 am on day of final and drove south to Edinburgh . Plane to Frankfurt and then high-speed train to Leipzig.  Met our friends in the square for a few hours and then joined the March to the Stadium and witness one of those great nights . Celebrations after , quick sleep and headed back to Edinburgh via Frankfurt with happy memories and a strategy to restore family harmony for the remaining day of our holiday .

Memories for ever . Thanks CPFC

James & Darren

Best mates James & Darren from the Arthur Wait Stand!

How did we get there?

Until last minute plans, we didn’t know and we didn’t care!!

We did a 5 day lads trip of it, travelling by Le Shuttle, staying over in a riverside town called Kettwig near Dusseldorf on the way out and Cologne on the way back. After a good recce, we found our favourite spot called Jessie’s German Bar with great beer, food and service who looked after us well for two solid days!

We arrived at the ground 2 hours before kickoff to enjoy the buildup. A wave from Joel Ward preparing for his media work and a few more beers, set us up well to support the Holmesdale Fanatics raise the Tifo, before singing loud and proud and dancing the whole way through the match to help carry the boys through and do our little bit to help Palace towards another massive trophy.

Thanks to all our Palace family of fellow fans, players, coaches, Manager OG but most of all Steve Parish who has always had all our support for saving our club, building solid stability for future and now bringing this glory for the fans. Steve Parish‘s red and blue army!

Huge respect to the opposition Rayo Vellecano fans who we sang, danced and drank with before and after the match. They sung and supported well under the barrage of noises from the famous Crystal Palace fans and despite being sad at their loss, they stayed throughout all of the trophy celebrations. Supporters very much like Crystal Palace and a club we should remain friends with.

A highlight for James afterwards was swapping his 1978 CPFC replica shirt with a Rayo Vallecano fans shirt! I’ll be back on the club shop to buy it back!

Nicholas & Max

We travelled over 21hrs on a FlixBus to get to Lepzig and would do it again tomorrow to witness history being made. Here is my 10 year old son Max loving his European tour. Palace fans were incredible and atmosphere was surreal.

Same time next year for Frankfurt?

Adrian

I've supported CPFC since October 1961 as my father and father in law had before me. Unfortunately I missed the final and Charity Shield match as I had a pre booked holidays with my wife. However the family were well represented with my son, daughter, son in law and grandson.

These last few days in Leipzig were magical with my son. I thought I'd missed my last chance of a major final with him after missing the last two Wembley matches, however I should have had more faith in CPFC.

What a club and what a community of supporters. Long may it continue.

Drew

My journey was probably one of the most enduring and tedious out there I’d say, but boy was it worth it!

I’d only have my leave granted from work on the Monday, so there I was rushing to Eurostar ticket office to get travel.

I managed to get a ticket, but only to Paris on the Tuesday evening. It was my first ever time on Eurostar but the thought of the final the next day superseded that.

Touchdown (well whatever you call a train arrival…) in Paris at 2130 local time and 90 mins (hopefully how long we’d get the win in Leipzig) later I was on an overnight bus to Mannheim, near Frankfurt. Not much slept was had at all, wether that was nerves or just the coach I cannot tell but an arrival one hour late meant I only had to wait in the lovely Mannheim centre for just over an hour until the final leg, a high speed train to Leipzig. Kind of wish that Irish pub next to the station was open ant 6am… Along the route we picked up many more Palace fans.

Almost 18 hours of travel, and my was it worth it! Emotions I’ve never felt before. I saw fellow Palace friends in the ground and to share such an historic and unreal moment with the thousands of us there, and the thousands at Selhurst was truly special.

Oli Glasner has gave me and every other Red & Blue the most magical 2 years. I don’t even know what to say at this point! A true CPFC legend. Thank you Oli for making trips like this a norm for us (at least for now!)

3 trophies in a year? Are we on FIFA Career mode?

After a sleepless night at Leipzig station, I’m still in Germany, having an explore of the country. I’m going to leave Frankfurt out because we’ll be there next year won’t we?

Colin

For me, Leipzig was all about closure, the culmination of something so important.

Since I went to my first Palace match in 1971, I had always harboured two wishes. One was to see Palace lift a major trophy and the other was to see Palace play in Europe.

I had suffered the disappointment of watching Palace lose the 1990 and 2016 Cup Finals, but in 2025, when we finally won our first major trophy, I couldn’t be there as it was my son’s wedding day. That day, I nervously followed updates on my phone throughout the match and I was ecstatic when we won.

My consolation for not being at Wembley was that we got to play in Europe, and I was determined to enjoy that experience. I didn’t have enough loyalty points to go on any of the away trips, but I was at Selhurst Park for every European home game.

When Palace beat Fiorentina at Selhurst Park, amidst that fantastic atmosphere, the belief kicked in that we really were on our way. When Palace beat Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the final in Leipzig, I knew I had to be there, even though I didn’t know (and didn’t care) how I would get there. This was, as I told my wife, a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I travelled out to Germany on my own and arrived in Leipzig on the day of the match, to find that the city centre had been turned into a corner of South London. I just walked the streets, taking in the atmosphere and enjoying all the friendly conversations that you could strike up with anyone in red and blue. It just felt like a massive celebration, a feeling that only strengthened when I arrived at the stadium, even before the match. The first half was nervy, but once JP scored early in the second half, I truly believed that we would go on and win.

When the final whistle blew, I experienced something that I never knew that I had missed by not being at the Cup Final last year, despite watching countless videos of our fans celebrating at Wembley at full time. The feeling of sheer euphoria that came from sharing the joy with so many thousands of other people was something I had never anticipated, and I have never hugged so many strangers in my life. The bond between supporters and players felt tangible and inextricable.

I had closure. Not only had I seen Palace play in Europe, I was there in person to see them win a major trophy - and next year, I can watch Palace play in the Europa League.

Now all I need to do is explain to my wife that it could be a twice in a lifetime opportunity…

Dale

I took an 6.45 am flight from Heathrow to Frankfurt on the Bank Holiday Monday, joined by my friend Barney (who had travelled back from Melbourne) and his mother, Christine; we weren’t going to miss this for the world!

After spending the day in Frankfurt sightseeing and seeing other Palace fans who, like us, arrived early, we went our separate ways to meet back in the final. I took a train direct to Leipzig and to my hotel (which I had booked since October 2025) and it was fully booked with Palace fans!!

As I’ve not been to Germany before, I did a day trip to Berlin before making my way back to Leipzig, visiting the TV Tower, Brandenburg Gate, and the Berlin Wall. Palace fans were everywhere! I got chatting with other Palace fans with a little nod, smile, or a serenade of “We’re on our way, on our way”, finding out how they got here, whether they cared, and not quite believing that we were in Germany!

Back in Leipzig, it was SURREAL seeing red and blue everywhere! Leipzig had turned into South London. This was my first Palace European adventure, having not been able to go to any other away games, and I got into the spirit of things.

That’s when the realisation hit of how crazy this journey is: I’m watching Crystal Palace complete on the grand stage of a European final! Regardless of what the result would bring, I had to enjoy the moment, and the result of the final will take care of itself. And so it did!

And what a performance it was from the team! The atmosphere was incredible, from the unveiling of the tifo to the final whistle. Once Mateta had scored, I was drenched in beer, but I didn’t care! Cheering every tackle, wishfully hoping that we would either score another or see the game out.  At full time, my phone started blowing up from friends back home who weren’t Palace fans, but had watched the final and wanted us to win!

Winning will live with me forever as another chapter in this football club, to the point I now have stories to tell my future kids! But if there is one thing I take away from this amazing journey, it is that every Palace fan is my family. This was a moment for us all to connect and share with each other, making new friends (Eddy, Fergus, Nat and her Dad), to catching up with old friends (Jay, who made his way from Dubai and Matt on the Palace charter).

And to the team. No words express what you have done for us. Thank you for creating history for yourselves and for us, the fans!

Adam

Best birthday ever!

Went on my own and met palace fans from Croatia and Ireland, Joel Ward and Pete and Alice.

The march through the city was such a highlight!

Now off to Munich to meet a work colleague of 5 years for the first time in person.

What a week!

Paige

When I was a little kid, I never imagined I’d see days like this as a Palace fan.

The heartbreak. The jokes. Watching everyone else celebrate while we just hoped for our turn one day. But through all of it, we stayed loyal. That’s what being Palace is about.

And now look at us.

FA Cup winners.

Community Shield winners.

Conference League winners.

I still can’t believe I’ve lived through it all properly too — going to home and away games, the parades, getting selfies with players I grew up watching, hearing the music blasting through the streets, the crowds going absolutely wild, everyone singing together like one massive family.

The Fanatics creating unreal atmospheres every single game. The Palace cheerleaders bringing energy everywhere. Fans hugging strangers after goals, people crying happy tears, laughing, singing at the top of their lungs. Those moments honestly stay with you forever.

Little me would never believe this life. All those cold nights, stressful matches and years of hoping somehow led to memories I’ll talk about forever.

Football is more than a game sometimes. It’s emotion, community, noise, passion, memories and believing when nobody else does.

And honestly, I wouldn’t trade supporting Palace for anything. ❤️💙