Nottingham Forest’s season could be about to change significantly, with Lyon’s successful appeal of their relegation to Ligue 2 having the potential for seismic changes to Forest’s European campaign.
Lyon have won their appeal against relegation and have therefore had their position in Ligue 1 reinstated, which has the potential to cause chaos in the Premier League.
It had been suggested that Crystal Palace could be demoted to the UEFA Conference League if Lyon’s appeal was successful due to the influence of John Textor in both clubs. While terrible for Palace, Forest would be the team to benefit and take the FA Cup winners’ place in the Europa League.
A remarkably complex situation, Lyon’s victory in their appeal has left UEFA with significant decisions to make, with Evangelos Marinakis and Forest now anxiously waiting on communications.
Europa League trophy
Photo by Kristian Skeie – UEFA
UEFA’s plan to solve Europa League issue after Lyon appeal
Marinakis believes Forest should take the Europa League spot due to Textor’s influence in the two clubs, something that the Forest owner had to be wary of himself when the possibility of Olympiacos and Forest both being in the Champions League was on the cards.
However, the significance of this decision will require UEFA to discuss all options on the table, with the Daily Mail providing the latest on their current plans.
🚨🔴🔵 OFFICIAL: Olympique Lyon will NOT be relegated to Ligue 2 and the club will stay in Ligue1.
The decision has been confirmed. pic.twitter.com/45JY8acjJd
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 9, 2025
View Tweet
The report said: “There had been hope for Palace after Lyon were relegated after breaching financial rules in France. However, their successful appeal will cause devastation at Selhurst Park.
MORE FOREST STORIES
“As a knock-on effect, it would appear that Forest, who were in the Conference League, will be promoted to the Europa League and effectively take Palace’s spot. UEFA officials will now meet before a decision is communicated.”
A timeline isn’t known on how long this decision will take, but all signs do point to it being Forest who will take Palace’s place, in what would provide a significant financial boost for the club.
Europa League qualification could be lucrative for Forest
It may not be the desired way to qualify for the competition, but there’s no denying that Europa League football could change the whole outlook of Forest’s season, from transfer targets to revenue.
Speaking to finance expert Adam Williams at the time of Palace’s Europa League participation initially coming into question, he mapped out to Nottingham Forest News just how significant the ‘promotion’ could be.
Williams said: “Man United and Spurs got almost as much money after the league phase of the Europa League as Chelsea did for winning the Conference League. For Forest, they don’t have the same coefficient rating as those clubs, so their take-home would be less, but it’s still a significant difference.
“Also, you have the chance to get Champions League qualification from the Europa League, which is the ultimate prize. People talk about the cliff edge between the Championship and the Premier League, but the revenue difference between the Europa League and Champions League is now almost as substantial on a per-year basis when you zoom out on the graph.”
All Forest can do now is await UEFA’s ruling, but the signs are all pointing to an unexpected change to next season’s schedule.