Oliver Glasner will take Crystal Palace into the Europa League next season with some tasty opponents already confirmed for the competition.
As well as injecting a sizeable cash prize into the club’s coffers, Crystal Palace have booked a place in the Europa League. It’s the first time that the Eagles will compete in Europe with supporters already thinking about midweek trips to the continent.
Several well-known European giants are already also confirmed for the Europa League and LondonWorld looks at which clubs Crystal Palace could meet in the 2025/26 Europa League campaign.
First qualifying round
There will be 16 teams that compete in the first qualifying round for the Europa League with seven of those clubs already confirmed. The most recognisable for football fans in the UK will be Polish side Legia Warsaw and Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk - the former were knocked out of the Conference League by Chelsea this season with the latter involved in the Champions League.
They will be joined by CFR Cluj from Romania, Celje from Slovenia, Spartak Trnava from Slovakia, Paks from Hungary and Aktobe from Kazakhstan. Teams from Israel, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Moldova, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Croatia and Sweden. The draw for this round will be on June 17.
Second qualifying round
Scottish Premiership side Hibernian are one of the clubs that will enter in the second qualifying round and could be one of the easier trips for Crystal Palace supporters to book should the teams eventually meet.
They are joined by Utrecht from the Netherlands, Braga from Portugal and Anderlecht from Belgium. Teams from the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Turkey and Denmark will also enter here but are to be confirmed. The draw for this round will be on June 18.
Third qualifying round
The Europa League gets a little more complicated at this stage with a Champions Path and a Main Path but it’s not something for Crystal Palace to worry about given they have already qualified for the league phase.
A total of 26 teams feature in the third qualifying round. Austrian side Wolfsberg, Norwegian club Fredrikstad and Greek team PAOK are the only three already confirmed to be taking part in this round. The draw will take place on July 21.
Play-off round
A total of 24 teams compete in the play-off round. Belgian side Genk and Czech side Sigma Olomouc are already confirmed to enter at this stage. The draw will take place on August 4.
They will be joined by a Turkish, Scottish and Swiss side alongside 13 winners of the third qualifying round and six losers of the Champions League third qualifying round.
League phase
Crystal Palace are joined by five teams from the continent already confirmed for the league phase. Familiar European names include French side Lille and Portuguese giants Porto.
German team SC Freiburg and Dutch outfit Go Ahead Eagles are also confirmed. Bologna have booked a place in the Europa League but could also still qualify for the Champions League depending on their final Serie A position. Another Italian, German, French and British team will also enter the league phase, as well as two Spanish clubs.
In other news, Crystal Palace must spend FA Cup prize money on QPR transfer - opinion.
Continue Reading