Conference League results: Brighton hit four, Hajduk Split beat Ajax
Conference League matchday 1 round-up: Brighton beat Kauno Zalgiris 4-0, Copenhagen saw off Braga 3-0 and Hajduk Split beat Ajax 2-1. All 18 scores, standings, qualification lines and top scorers.
The UEFA Conference League league phase got under way on Thursday 15 October 2026 with 18 matches and 53 goals. Brighton opened with a 4-0 win over Kauno Žalgiris, FC Copenhagen beat SC Braga 3-0, Trabzonspor won 4-2 in Finland and Hajduk Split beat Ajax 2-1 in one of the night's standout results. Home advantage dominated, with only Monaco and Trabzonspor winning away. This Conference League results round-up covers every score, the first standings, the qualification lines and the competition's top-scorer race.
Conference League results: every score from matchday 1
Home teams won 12 of the 18 fixtures, four ended in draws and only two away sides took all three points. Ten games kicked off at 16:45 GMT and eight at 19:00 GMT.
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Half-time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/10 | CSKA Sofia | 1-2 | Monaco | 0-2 |
| 15/10 | Egnatia Rrogozhinë | 1-1 | FC Midtjylland | 1-1 |
| 15/10 | Gent | 1-0 | Aarhus | 0-0 |
| 15/10 | HNK Hajduk Split | 2-1 | Ajax | 1-0 |
| 15/10 | KuPS | 2-4 | Trabzonspor | 0-2 |
| 15/10 | FC Lugano | 3-2 | FK Crvena Zvezda | 1-1 |
| 15/10 | Mjallby AIF | 2-0 | Inter Club d'Escaldes | 0-0 |
| 15/10 | Panathinaikos | 2-1 | Borac Banja Luka | 1-0 |
| 15/10 | Riga | 1-1 | Kairat Almaty | 1-1 |
| 15/10 | Universitatea Craiova | 1-1 | Getafe | 0-0 |
| 15/10 | Atalanta | 3-1 | Pafos | 3-0 |
| 15/10 | Brann | 2-1 | Lincoln Red Imps FC | 0-0 |
| 15/10 | Brighton | 4-0 | Kauno Žalgiris | 2-0 |
| 15/10 | FC Copenhagen | 3-0 | SC Braga | 0-0 |
| 15/10 | SC Freiburg | 3-2 | FK Jablonec | 1-1 |
| 15/10 | Heart Of Midlothian | 1-1 | FC Nordsjaelland | 1-0 |
| 15/10 | St. Truiden | 2-0 | FC Iberia 1999 | 1-0 |
| 15/10 | Twente | 1-0 | FC Thun | 0-0 |
Biggest wins: Brighton, Copenhagen and Trabzonspor fly out of the blocks
Brighton 4-0 Kauno Žalgiris was the biggest win of the opening night. Brighton were 2-0 up at half-time at the American Express Stadium and added two more after the break, which puts them first in the 36-team table on goal difference. Kauno Žalgiris sit bottom.
FC Copenhagen 3-0 SC Braga was a game of two halves. It was goalless at the interval at Parken before Copenhagen scored three times in the second half against a Braga side with a strong European pedigree. Copenhagen are second, and Braga are 35th.
KuPS 2-4 Trabzonspor was the highest-scoring match of the night. The Turkish side led 2-0 at half-time in Tampere, and although KuPS scored twice after the break, Trabzonspor matched them to sit third.
Atalanta 3-1 Pafos was decided before the interval, with the Bergamo club 3-0 up at half-time before Pafos pulled one back in the second half.
Upsets and surprises in the Conference League
Hajduk Split beat Ajax
The most eye-catching result was HNK Hajduk Split 2-1 Ajax at the Poljud. Hajduk led 1-0 at the break and held on after both sides scored in the second half. Ajax are 25th after the opening round, just below the play-off line.
Lugano edge Crvena Zvezda in a five-goal game
FC Lugano 3-2 FK Crvena Zvezda was level at 1-1 at the interval before the Swiss side won the second half 2-1. Lugano are eighth, holding the last direct qualifying place, while Crvena Zvezda are 24th.
Draws for Getafe and Midtjylland
Two of the better-known clubs were held. Universitatea Craiova 1-1 Getafe was goalless at half-time, and Egnatia Rrogozhinë 1-1 FC Midtjylland was level at 1-1 at the break and stayed that way. Riga 1-1 Kairat Almaty and Heart of Midlothian 1-1 FC Nordsjælland were the other draws, with Hearts leading at half-time at Tynecastle before being pegged back.
Monaco win in Sofia
CSKA Sofia 1-2 Monaco was one of only two away wins. Monaco led 2-0 at half-time and conceded once after the break. The other results were all home wins: SC Freiburg beat FK Jablonec 3-2, Mjällby beat Inter Club d'Escaldes 2-0, Panathinaikos beat Borac Banja Luka 2-1, Brann beat Lincoln Red Imps 2-1, St. Truiden beat FC Iberia 1999 2-0, Gent beat Aarhus 1-0 and Twente beat FC Thun 1-0.
Conference League standings and qualification lines
According to the standings descriptions, the top eight qualify directly for the round of 16, teams placed ninth to 24th go into the knockout play-offs, and clubs from 25th to 36th are currently outside the qualification places. After one round, the top ten looks like this:
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 3 |
| 2 | FC Copenhagen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
| 3 | Trabzonspor | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 4 | Atalanta | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 5 | Mjallby AIF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 6 | St. Truiden | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 7 | SC Freiburg | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| 8 | FC Lugano | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| 9 | Monaco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| 10 | HNK Hajduk Split | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
- Direct qualification places: Brighton, Copenhagen, Trabzonspor, Atalanta, Mjällby, St. Truiden, Freiburg and Lugano.
- Winners outside the top eight: Monaco, Hajduk Split, Panathinaikos, Brann, Gent and Twente all have three points but sit ninth to 14th on goal difference and goals scored.
- The play-off line: the eight teams that drew sit 15th to 22nd, with Jablonec and Crvena Zvezda, who both lost by one goal while scoring twice, holding 23rd and 24th.
- Outside the qualifying places: Ajax, Borac Banja Luka, Lincoln Red Imps, CSKA Sofia, Aarhus, FC Thun, KuPS, Pafos, Inter Club d'Escaldes, FC Iberia 1999, SC Braga and Kauno Žalgiris.
Conference League top scorers: qualifying goals set the pace
Because the scoring chart counts every round of this season's competition, the leaders built their tallies in qualifying, before the league phase began.
| # | Player | Club | Goals | Apps | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winsley Boteli Mokango | FC Sion | 7 | 6 | 443 |
| 2 | K. Behrens | FC Lugano | 6 | 7 | 487 |
| 3 | A. Cornelius | FC Copenhagen | 5 | 6 | 326 |
| 4 | D. Klaassen | Ajax | 5 | 6 | 412 |
| 5 | Robert | FC Copenhagen | 4 | 7 | 548 |
FC Sion's 19-year-old Winsley Boteli Mokango tops the list with seven goals and an assist in six appearances, although Sion are not among the 36 clubs in the league-phase table. Lugano's Kevin Behrens has six goals and an assist, and Copenhagen have two players in the top five: Andreas Cornelius, with five goals and two assists, and 20-year-old Robert, with four goals and an assist. Ajax's Davy Klaassen also has five.
What's next in the Conference League
The second round of the league phase begins on Thursday 22 October 2026. With 14 teams on three points after one game, the first meaningful separation should start to appear next week. Ajax and Braga, two clubs with deep European pedigree, will be looking to recover from opening defeats, while Brighton and Copenhagen will want to build on their strong starts.
Follow the full table on our UEFA Conference League page, and keep track of Brighton, FC Copenhagen, Ajax and Monaco as the competition continues.