How many more times does the myth that clubs from the “Big Five” leagues are not interested in the Conference League need to be shattered? Apparently, last season was not enough to put an end, once and for all, to one of the most persistent misconceptions in European football. Crystal Palace won the competition, Rayo Vallecano reached the final, Strasbourg played in the semi-finals, while Fiorentina and Mainz were knocked out in the quarter-finals. In other words, five representatives of Europe's strongest leagues among the last eight, both finalists from the “Big Five” leagues, and the trophy in the hands of an English club. Yet, evidently, the same lesson needs to be repeated year after year. And the opening round of the new Conference League campaign offered precisely the same reminder.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brighton have now scored 29 goals in their last 9 matches 🤯 18-year-old debutant Younes Ibrahim earned an assist as the Seagulls started their Conference League campaign with a win 👏 https://t.co/fA465sVbs2</p>— Premier League (@premierleague) <a href="https://x.com/premierleague/status/2110856527179366834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##Brighton thrashed Kauno Žalgiris (4–0), Atalanta beat Pafos without too much trouble (3–1), Freiburg overcame Jablonec (3–2), while Monaco had beaten CSKA Sofia in an earlier kick-off. Of the five representatives of the “Big Five” leagues who took to the pitch on Thursday, only Getafe failed to win, drawing with Universitatea Craiova. The others showed that they have no intention of being mere bystanders in the Conference League. There was not the slightest doubt on the English coast. Brighton comfortably saw off Kauno Žalgiris, making their debut in the main phase of a European competition, who had travelled to England carrying the weight of history but also a great reason to be proud. The Lithuanian club, part of a sports organisation whose best-known representative is basketball giant Žalgiris, had reached the European stage beyond the qualifying rounds for the first time. However, the celebrations over this historic moment could not last long against a serious English Premier League side.##LINKED_NEWS_69927##Georginio Rutter and Jack Hinshelwood had already given Brighton a two-goal lead by half-time, making the second half little more than a formality. Rutter added his second goal to extend the advantage, and Matt O'Riley made it 4–0. The home side allowed no surprises and showed no intention of turning the Lithuanians' European debut into anything more than a pleasant memory for the visitors. A similar scenario unfolded in Bergamo. The Cypriot champions Pafos found themselves trailing early. The match had barely begun when Eljif Elmas found the net against Pafos, giving Atalanta the lead in the first minute. The Italian side did not stop at that early advantage. Giacomo Raspadori and Gianluca Scamacca ensured that the scoreboard already read 3–0 by half-time. Atalanta had practically wrapped up the match in 45 minutes, demonstrating the difference in quality and the seriousness with which they approached their European commitments. All Pafos managed was to reduce the deficit in the 88th minute through Brazilian player Bilu, making the final score 3–1.##LINKED_NEWS_69925##Of the three teams mentioned, Freiburg had the most problems. Last season's Europa League finalists faced a far sterner test from Czech side Jablonec than might have been expected.It looked as though the German side would also take control early when club legend Vincenzo Grifo scored in the 15th minute to make it 1–0. However, Jablonec had not travelled to Germany simply to defend. Antonín Rusek equalised in the 28th minute, showing that Freiburg would have to work hard for all three points. Maximilian Eggestein made it 3–1 in the 65th minute, giving Freiburg a cushion that should have guaranteed a comfortable finish.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">13 – Der SC Freiburg gewann alle seine letzten 13 internationalen Heimspiele (inkl. Quali), das ist die längste aktuelle Heim-Siegesserie aller Klubs im Europapokal. Makellos. https://t.co/um42UhPUrB</p>— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) <a href="https://x.com/OptaFranz/status/2110836852194521211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##And so, right from the opening round of the competition, representatives of England, Italy and Germany sent a message that the Conference League is not merely a stopover they will casually leave to others. Add Monaco's victory to the mix, and the record of clubs from Europe's five strongest leagues is almost flawless. Of course, nobody is claiming that every club from the “Big Five” leagues approaches this competition in the same way, or that every one of them will field their strongest line-up throughout the entire season. But there is an enormous difference between occasional rotation and claiming that they are not interested in the Conference League at all.22.00: (2.10) La Coruna (3.45) Levante (3.50)##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-138316-96529" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/138316/season/96529/standings?widgetTitle=UEFA+Conference+League&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:1763px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##
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