Crystal Palace
the Eagles.

Crystal Palace First-Team Squad

Pierre Sage’s Eagles are captained by the commanding Danish defender Joachim Andersen. Playmaker Eberechi Eze and winger Ismaïla Sarr provide the attacking spark, powerful striker Jean-Philippe Mateta leads the line, and the gifted young Adam Wharton anchors a talented squad behind England goalkeeper Dean Henderson at Selhurst Park.

Squad correct as of the summer 2026 window, which runs until 1 September — numbers and personnel may change. Follow every Crystal Palace fixture and prediction at AI Pro Prediction and our Europa League predictions hub.

Crystal Palace: A Complete Guide to the Eagles

Origins and Identity

Crystal Palace Football Club were founded in 1905 and are based in the Selhurst area of south London. Known as the Eagles, Palace spent much of their history moving between the divisions of English football, establishing a reputation as a resilient, well-supported club with one of the most passionate fanbases in the country. In the modern era, Palace have become an established Premier League club and, remarkably, winners of major silverware for the first time in their history.

Playing in their distinctive red-and-blue stripes at the atmospheric Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace are renowned for the fervent support of their fans, particularly the ultras-style atmosphere generated by the Holmesdale Fanatics behind one goal. The club’s identity is rooted in its south London community, its loyal and vocal support, and a never-say-die spirit that has carried it through decades of ups and downs — and, finally, to the greatest triumphs in its history.

A Club of Resilience

For most of their existence, Crystal Palace were a club defined by resilience rather than trophies. Palace bounced between the top flight and the lower divisions on numerous occasions, earning a reputation as a classic “yo-yo club” while never quite establishing themselves among the elite. Yet through all the promotions and relegations, the financial difficulties and the near-misses, the club retained a fiercely loyal fanbase and a strong sense of identity that sustained it through the leaner years.

Palace enjoyed notable moments in their history, including reaching the FA Cup final in 1990, where they pushed Manchester United to a replay, and again in 2016, as well as producing a memorable third-placed top-flight finish in 1991 — their highest ever. But major trophies eluded the club for 120 years, making the eventual breakthrough in the modern era all the more special and cherished by generations of long-suffering supporters.

Crystal Palace Season-by-Season: Recent Premier League Record

The table below charts Crystal Palace’s Premier League finishes across recent seasons, illustrating the club’s consolidation as an established top-flight side and the transformative impact of the Oliver Glasner era, which delivered the first major trophies in the club’s history and back-to-back qualifications for European competition.

As the data shows, Palace established themselves as a solid mid-table Premier League club under Roy Hodgson and Patrick Vieira before the appointment of Oliver Glasner sparked the most successful period in the club’s history. Despite a 15th-placed league finish in 2025–26, Palace won the Conference League to qualify for the Europa League, following their FA Cup triumph and Conference League qualification the previous season — a remarkable achievement for the south London club.

The Historic FA Cup Triumph

The 2024–25 season delivered the single greatest moment in Crystal Palace’s history, as the club won the FA Cup — the first major trophy in its 120-year existence. Under the management of Oliver Glasner, Palace defeated Manchester City in the final at Wembley, a stunning triumph that ended more than a century of waiting and sparked scenes of unbridled joy among the club’s long-suffering supporters. It was a landmark achievement that transformed the club’s history.

The FA Cup victory was the culmination of years of steady progress and the catalyst for the most successful period Palace have ever enjoyed. Winning the world’s oldest cup competition, and doing so by beating one of the greatest Teams in the world, was a fairytale achievement that will forever be cherished by Eagles supporters. The triumph also secured qualification for European competition for the first time in the club’s history, opening a new and exciting chapter.

Crystal Palace’s Major Honours

Although Crystal Palace waited 120 years for their first major trophy, the club’s recent success has been extraordinary, delivering silverware in consecutive seasons. The full breakdown of the club’s major honours is charted below, reflecting the transformative impact of the modern era under Oliver Glasner and the achievements that finally rewarded the club’s loyal supporters.

This collection, headlined by the FA Cup of 2025 and the UEFA Conference League of 2026, represents the greatest period of success in the club’s history. To have won a first major domestic trophy and a first European trophy in the space of two seasons, having waited more than a century for any major silverware, is a remarkable story and a testament to the work done under Oliver Glasner. Palace also have a proud history in the lower divisions, including title-winning promotions to the top flight.

The 2026 Conference League Triumph

Following their historic FA Cup triumph, Crystal Palace went one better in continental competition, winning the UEFA Conference League in 2026 — the club’s first-ever European trophy. Palace defeated Rayo Vallecano in the final, becoming the third English club to lift the Conference League and securing qualification for the 2026–27 Europa League. The victory placed Palace alongside West Ham and Chelsea as English winners of the competition and marked the club out as a genuine force in European football. It was another momentous achievement in the most glorious period in the club’s history. The scenes that greeted the final whistle, both among the players and the travelling supporters, captured the magnitude of a club winning European silverware for the very first time.

Winning a European trophy, having only just tasted major domestic success for the first time, confirmed Crystal Palace’s transformation into a genuine trophy-winning club under Oliver Glasner. The triumph gave the club’s supporters more unforgettable memories and ensured a return to European football for the coming season, this time in the higher-profile Europa League. For all the latest Palace match previews, team news and score forecasts, follow our Europa League match predictions throughout the season.

The Glasner Revolution

The appointment of Oliver Glasner in February 2024 proved to be the most transformative decision in Crystal Palace’s history. The Austrian, a Europa League winner with Eintracht Frankfurt, brought tactical sophistication, a clear identity and a winning mentality to Selhurst Park, transforming Palace from a solid mid-table side into cup winners and European champions. His impact was extraordinary, delivering the first major trophies in the club’s 120-year history.

Under Glasner, Palace played dynamic, aggressive and effective football, and the manager got the very best out of a talented squad. His back-to-back trophy triumphs — the FA Cup and the Community Shield in 2025, followed by the Conference League in 2026 — made him the most successful manager in the club’s history by some distance. Although Glasner departed for Nottingham Forest at the end of the 2025–26 season, his legacy at Palace is secure, having delivered the greatest era the club has ever known.

The Pierre Sage Era

Following Oliver Glasner’s departure, Crystal Palace turned to the French coach Pierre Sage, who was appointed in June 2026 to lead the club into its Europa League campaign. Sage arrived with a growing reputation from his work in French football, and inherits a talented squad and a club enjoying the most successful period in its history, with the significant challenge of maintaining Palace’s standards and competing in European competition.

Sage’s appointment represents an important moment for the club as it seeks to build on the extraordinary success of the Glasner era. The task of following such a successful predecessor is considerable, but the French coach inherits a club transformed, with silverware in the cabinet, European football to look forward to and a squad capable of competing at a high level. Palace supporters will hope Sage can continue the momentum and add further chapters to the club’s newly glorious history.

Selhurst Park and the Fans

Selhurst Park has been Crystal Palace’s home since 1924 and is one of the most atmospheric grounds in English football. The stadium, particularly the Holmesdale Road end, generates an intense and passionate atmosphere driven by the club’s famously vocal supporters, including the ultras-inspired Holmesdale Fanatics whose displays, flags and songs create a spectacle that has become renowned throughout the game. Selhurst Park on a big night is one of the great experiences in English football. The noise, colour and passion generated by the home support have intimidated countless visiting teams and inspired the Palace players to many memorable results over the years.

The passionate support of the Palace faithful is central to the club’s identity and has long been regarded as one of its greatest assets. The connection between the club and its south London community is profound, and the loyalty shown by supporters through the difficult years was rewarded in spectacular fashion by the trophy triumphs of the modern era. There are long-standing plans to redevelop and expand Selhurst Park to increase its capacity while preserving its unique character and atmosphere.

Legendary Players and Modern Stars

Crystal Palace’s history has featured many memorable players. The teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s, featuring the prolific strike partnership of Ian Wright and Mark Bright, are fondly remembered, and Wright in particular went on to become a legend of the English game. Over the decades, a succession of talented and popular players have worn the red and blue and earned their place in the affections of the Palace faithful.

In the modern era, Palace have become renowned for developing and showcasing exciting talent, including the electrifying winger Wilfried Zaha, a academy graduate and club icon, and, more recently, the emergence of highly rated England internationals who have thrived at Selhurst Park before attracting the attention of the biggest clubs. The trophy-winning side under Oliver Glasner featured a blend of experienced quality and outstanding young talent that delivered the club’s greatest triumphs.

Rivalries

M23 derby — one of the most passionate and heated rivalries in English football, named after the motorway connecting the two clubs. Despite the geographical distance, the animosity between the two sets of supporters is genuine and long-standing, and matches between Palace and Brighton are among the most fiercely contested of the season.

Palace also share south London rivalries with Charlton Athletic and Millwall, rooted in geography and local pride, which have been contested across various divisions over the years. As an established Premier League club, Palace now regularly face the biggest names in English football, and their status as trophy winners has added a new dimension to these encounters. The passion of the Palace support ensures that every match at Selhurst Park is a fiercely contested and memorable occasion.

Ownership and Structure

Crystal Palace are led by chairman Steve Parish, who has been a central figure in the club’s modern rise. Parish, part of a consortium that rescued the club from financial difficulty in 2010, has overseen Palace’s establishment as a Premier League club and the transformation into trophy winners. His stewardship, combined with investment from other owners, has provided the stability and ambition required for the club’s remarkable success. Parish’s emotional connection to the club, as a lifelong supporter, has been evident throughout Palace’s rise and has helped forge a strong bond between the boardroom and the fanbase.

The club is run with a clear football structure that has delivered sustained top-flight status and, ultimately, major silverware. The stability at boardroom level, the shrewd appointment of Oliver Glasner and the investment in the squad have all contributed to the greatest period in the club’s history. As Palace look to build on their success and compete in Europe, the ownership’s continued ambition and support will be crucial to sustaining the club’s newfound status as a trophy-winning force.

Crystal Palace and the Community

Crystal Palace are deeply rooted in their south London community, and the club’s connection to its local area is a fundamental part of its identity. Through the Palace for Life Foundation and its community programmes, the club uses its profile and resources to support local causes and to make a positive impact across south London, reflecting its commitment to the communities from which it draws its passionate support. The foundation’s work in areas such as education, health and social inclusion has touched thousands of lives and reflects the club’s deep sense of responsibility to its local area.

This bond between the club and its heartland, forged over more than a century, is one of Crystal Palace’s greatest strengths. The loyalty and passion of the Palace faithful, who supported the club through the many difficult years and celebrated the historic trophy triumphs, are central to the club’s story. The deep connection to place and community remains at the heart of what Crystal Palace represents as one of English football’s most passionately supported clubs.

A Growing Profile

Crystal Palace’s recent success has significantly raised the club’s profile both in England and abroad. The FA Cup triumph, the European nights at Selhurst Park and the Conference League victory have attracted new admirers and increased the club’s appeal, building on the foundation of a loyal and passionate traditional fanbase. Palace have become one of the feel-good stories of English football, a club that finally achieved its dreams after a long wait.

The club’s emergence as a trophy winner and European participant has introduced Crystal Palace to a wider audience and enhanced its reputation across the game. As one of the most passionately supported clubs in England, with a bright present and an exciting future, Palace are well placed to build on their success and to grow their following, and the achievements of recent seasons have given supporters everywhere reason to believe in the club’s continued rise. From a club that spent much of its history simply fighting to survive in the top flight, Palace have become a genuine success story admired far beyond south London.

Playing Philosophy and the Glasner Style

Under Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace developed a distinctive, aggressive and highly effective style of play that transformed the club into cup winners. Glasner’s teams were known for their intensity, their organisation and their potent attacking play, particularly on the counter-attack and from set-pieces. This dynamic, front-foot approach suited the talent in the squad and made Palace a difficult and dangerous opponent for even the biggest clubs, as their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City demonstrated. Glasner’s ability to organise his team defensively while unleashing rapid, incisive attacks proved the perfect formula for a club looking to punch above its weight against wealthier opponents.

The tactical identity forged under Glasner was central to Palace’s success, and the challenge for new manager Pierre Sage is to build on this foundation while adding his own ideas. Maintaining the intensity, organisation and attacking threat that defined the trophy-winning side will be crucial as Palace seek to compete in the Premier League and Europe. The continuity of a clear, effective footballing philosophy has been a key factor in the club’s remarkable rise to prominence.

Europa League Ambitions

For a club that won its first-ever European trophy in the Conference League, qualification for the higher-profile UEFA Europa League represents another significant milestone. The Europa League offers Crystal Palace the chance to test themselves against a higher calibre of continental opposition, to experience more memorable European nights at Selhurst Park, and to build on the extraordinary success of recent seasons. For the Palace faithful, the prospect of following their team in the Europa League is a thrilling reward for the club’s achievements.

The challenge of competing in Europe while maintaining their Premier League status will test the depth and quality of Palace’s squad under Pierre Sage, but it is a challenge the club will embrace with relish. Having already proved they can win a European competition, Palace will approach the Europa League with confidence and ambition, determined to make their mark and to continue the most glorious period in the club’s long and proud history. You can follow every Palace European fixture with our Europa League predictions hub throughout the campaign.

The Wilfried Zaha Legacy

No modern Crystal Palace player is more beloved than Wilfried Zaha. A product of the club’s academy, the electrifying winger became a Palace icon over more than a decade of service, his pace, skill and match-winning ability making him one of the most exciting players in the Premier League and the talisman of the team. For a generation of Palace fans, Zaha was the player who made Selhurst Park come alive, capable of turning a match in an instant with a moment of individual brilliance. Zaha’s loyalty to the club, and his decisive contributions in so many crucial matches, endeared him to the Palace faithful and cemented his status as a genuine club legend.

Zaha’s emergence from the academy to become the club’s star player exemplified Crystal Palace’s tradition of developing and showcasing exciting attacking talent. His years of service and his iconic status represent an important chapter in the club’s modern history, and he paved the way for the further development of talented young players who have thrived at Selhurst Park. The legacy of players like Zaha is a source of great pride for the club and its supporters.

Developing Young Talent

Crystal Palace have earned a strong reputation for developing and showcasing young talent, both through their academy and through shrewd recruitment of promising players. The club has provided a platform for numerous gifted young players to establish themselves at the highest level, and several have gone on to earn international recognition and moves to some of the biggest clubs in the game after impressing at Selhurst Park. This reputation as a club where young players can develop and shine has helped Palace attract promising talent and has become an important part of the club’s recruitment strategy.

This ability to develop and improve players has been an important part of Palace’s model, allowing the club to compete effectively and, at times, to generate significant transfer income to reinvest in the squad. The pathway from the academy to the first team, and the club’s willingness to give young players an opportunity, is a valued part of the Crystal Palace identity and has contributed to the club’s success and its reputation as a good home for developing talent.

The Historic 1990 and 2016 FA Cup Finals

Before their triumph of 2025, Crystal Palace had twice come agonisingly close to FA Cup glory. In 1990, a talented Palace side reached the FA Cup final and pushed Manchester United all the way, drawing the first match 3–3 in a classic before losing the replay. It remains one of the most memorable occasions in the club’s history and a symbol of the near-misses that characterised Palace’s long wait for a major trophy. The 1990 final, and the run to it, is remembered with enormous affection by older Palace supporters as one of the defining moments of the club’s history before the modern era of success.

Palace reached the FA Cup final again in 2016, once more facing Manchester United, and once more falling short, losing after taking the lead late in the game. These two final defeats made the eventual triumph of 2025 all the sweeter, as the club finally banished the heartbreak of the past and lifted the trophy that had eluded it for so long. The journey from those painful near-misses to eventual glory is a central part of the Crystal Palace story.

The Community Shield Success

As FA Cup winners, Crystal Palace earned the right to contest the 2025 FA Community Shield against the Premier League champions, and the Eagles seized the opportunity to add another piece of silverware to their newly filled trophy cabinet. Winning the Community Shield, a match that traditionally opens the English football season, was another historic first for the club and further evidence of the transformation Palace had undergone under Oliver Glasner.

The Community Shield triumph, coming so soon after the FA Cup victory, underlined the fact that Palace had become a genuine trophy-winning club capable of competing with and beating the very best. For supporters who had waited so long for any success, the accumulation of silverware in such a short period was almost overwhelming, and it confirmed that the club was enjoying a golden era unmatched in its long history. What had once seemed an impossible dream had become a joyous reality, and the celebrations reflected decades of pent-up longing finally released.

A Model of Ambition

Crystal Palace’s remarkable rise from a resilient mid-table club to a trophy-winning European participant stands as an example of what can be achieved through stability, ambition and shrewd decision-making. The club’s willingness to appoint an elite manager in Oliver Glasner, to back him and to invest in a talented squad, transformed its fortunes and delivered success that few could have imagined during the many years of struggle and near-misses.

This transformation has established Crystal Palace as a respected and admired club, no longer merely fighting for survival but competing for honours and enjoying European football. As the club looks to sustain this success under new management, the model of ambition and clear planning that delivered its greatest triumphs provides a strong foundation. Palace have shown that, with the right approach, a club with a proud history and passionate support can achieve its dreams, however long the wait.

Looking Ahead

As Crystal Palace enter the 2026–27 season as Conference League winners and Europa League qualifiers, the ambitions are higher than they have ever been. Under new manager Pierre Sage, the club aims to build on the extraordinary success of the Glasner era, to compete in Europe, and to establish itself as a durable force in the upper reaches of English football. With silverware in the cabinet, one of the most passionate fanbases in the country and a talented squad, Palace approach the future with genuine optimism. For a club that waited 120 years for its first major trophy and then won two in the space of two seasons, the dream now is to make this glorious era a lasting one. The Eagles, backed by their devoted supporters, soar into the future with belief, hoping to write yet more memorable chapters in the newly triumphant history of Crystal Palace. From the long decades of resilience and near-misses to the trophy-laden glory of the Glasner era, Palace have shown that patience, loyalty and ambition can ultimately be rewarded in the most spectacular fashion. Follow all the latest Palace fixtures and predictions throughout the campaign.