Crystal Palace have suffered a late alteration to their 2026/27 pre-season schedule after the planned friendly against Swindon Town was cancelled.
The fixture had only just appeared as the final piece of Pierre Sage’s early summer programme, with Palace due to face the League Two side on Saturday 18 July.
However, an update from the club’s official Facebook channel now states that the Swindon game has been called off and that Palace are working to arrange a replacement. That leaves Sage with an immediate planning issue before his first full campaign at Selhurst Park.
Palace already have a demanding summer route. The club have confirmed a South London trip to Bromley on Saturday 25 July, followed by the Como Cup block in Italy and a recently announced Freiburg away friendly in Germany.
Palace Need Fresh Opening Test For Sage
The Freiburg fixture has already been framed as a key marker before the Premier League opener at Everton on Saturday 22 August. Palace confirmed that match will take place at Europa-Park Stadion on Saturday 15 August, with kick-off set for 13:00 BST.
But the Swindon match carried a different value. It would have given Sage an early controlled setting to assess fitness, academy involvement and tactical spacing before the schedule sharpened.
Read Crystal Palace has already covered how the Freiburg friendly strengthens Palace’s pre-season plan. The next task for the club is now clear.
Palace need to find a replacement fixture quickly enough to protect Sage’s first phase of squad work.
