Crystal Palace fans have a lot to look forward to next season.
A new manager is at the helm in Pierre Sage as we embark on a UEFA Europa League campaign for the first time, after winning the UEFA Conference League last season.
Having never been involved in Europe’s second-best competition, some Crystal Palace fans may not know much about the scheduling, so let’s take a look at all the key dates.
Initial thoughts on Pierre Sage? 🤔
He can boast a 67.5% win ratio from 40 games at RC Lens 😍
Crystal Palace discover UEFA Europa League opponents on Friday 28th August
The draw for the league phase of the UEFA Europa League takes place on Friday 28th August.
It now falls on the same day as our first Premier League fixture at Selhurst Park, after the clash against Manchester City was moved from Saturday 29th August having been selected for broadcast by Sky Sports.
The following dates show when each league phase match takes place.
- Matchday 1: 16/17 September 2026
- Matchday 2: 15 October 2026
- Matchday 3: 22 October 2026
- Matchday 4: 5 November 2026
- Matchday 5: 26 November 2026
- Matchday 6: 10 December 2026
- Matchday 7: 21 January 2027
- Matchday 8: 28 January 2027
If Sage – who may lose Maxence Lacroix this summer – can take us through the league phase and into the knockout stage, those ties begin on the 18th February 2027.
- Knockout phase play-offs: 18 & 25 February 2027
- Round of 16: 11 & 18 March 2027
- Quarter-finals: 8 & 15 April 2027
- Semi-finals: 29 April & 6 May 2027
- Final (Frankfurt): 26 May 2027
Winning the competition would earn Crystal Palace a spot in the UEFA Champions League for the 2027/28 campaign, which would be a truly incredible achievement for the Eagles.
It would also see the Eagles involved in the 2027 UEFA Super Cup – effectively a European version of the Community Shield where the winners of the UEFA Champions League take on the winners of the UEFA Europa League.
While Crystal Palace have no experience of the UEFA Europa League whatsoever, Sage fortunately does have some knowledge of the competition.
The Frenchman oversaw seven UEFA Europa League matches while in charge of Lyon in the 2024/25 campaign, winning four and drawing two.
| Matches | W | D | L | Goals | Points | PPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 15:7 | 14 | 2.00 |
However, John Textor sacked Sage in January 2025 in favour of hiring Paulo Fonseca, meaning the 47-year-old never got a chance to build on his impressive work in the UEFA Europa League that term.
Where do you think we can finish in the UEFA Europa League next season after victory in Leipzig? 🤔
If Nottingham Forest can reach the last four while in a relegation battle, surely we can at least make the final? 👀
