Leipzig, Germany - A festive atmosphere swept through the city Wednesday as thousands of Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano fans arrived ahead of the UEFA Conference League final. It marks the first meeting between the two clubs and the first European final for either side.
Both teams are appearing in their maiden UEFA final after 120 and 102 years of existence respectively. Palace's only previous European outing was the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Rayo last reached the UEFA Cup quarterfinals in 2001.
Many Palace supporters skipped the official UEFA fan zone for local beer gardens. Rayo's fan zone was filled with families enjoying the warm weather in red and white.
"I am just trying to enjoy every single second," said Angel Linares, 60, a Rayo season ticket holder since 1981, traveling with his wife and son. "An experience like this is very, very unlikely to ever happen to us again."
Despite minor clashes between ultra groups on Tuesday, rival fans mingled cordially, noting their shared identity as modest teams from working-class districts south of London and Madrid.
The celebration follows a dramatic week for Rayo supporters. A crowdfunding campaign was launched after scammers used AI-generated posters to swindle 14 fans out of 250 euros each for a nonexistent bus trip. First-team players stepped in to help, raising enough funds within hours to book charter flights for the victims.
"Thank you to the anonymous Rayistas who helped and thank you to the best squad in our history, who proved their commitment to fans," a local fan group said.