Crystal Palace’s 2025/26 season ended in perfect fashion when they lifted the Conference League title in Leipzig, the club’s first-ever piece of continental silverware. The Eagles narrowly edged out Spanish outfit Rayo Vallecano in the final, with French hitman Jean-Philippe Mateta netting the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win, making good on the team’s position as the betting favourites.
Sites such as the popular Lucky Rebel Sportsbook listed Oliver Glasner’s side as a 9/2 favourite to win the Conference League before the competition got underway. That was in Europe’s tertiary competition, however, and now, a step up in class awaits. The Conference League triumph has secured Palace’s qualification to the Europa League in 2026/27, and a slew of the continent’s biggest clubs will stand in the way of a potential second straight European final.
Glasner Departs
But perhaps the biggest challenge is that the south London club will be embarking upon a campaign without the aforementioned Glasner. The Austrian boss left the club at the expiry of his contract earlier this summer, instead heading north to take over fellow Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest. Frenchman Pierre Sage has since taken over after leading Lens to second place in Ligue 1, and his new side will now be flying the flag for England in the Europa League next season.
The Premier League will be offering arguably its weakest ever lineup in the continent’s secondary tournament next term. Crystal Palace are the headliners, with both Bournemouth and Sunderland also surprisingly taking to the continent as well after finishing ahead of the likes of traditional European qualifiers such as Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham Hotspur. So, who will be the Eagles’ biggest threats if they wish to claim a second straight European trophy next season? Let’s take a look.
AC Milan
AC Milan are European football royalty. They have racked up a mighty seven Champions League titles over the years, a number only bettered by the 15 of record champions Real Madrid. It’s a different matter in the Europa League, however, as the Rossoneri have never lifted the trophy.
The Italian giants endured a miserable plight toward the back end of last season. After a 1-0 win against rivals Inter back in March, the club clawed its way back into genuine title contention, and they harbored a very real hope of usurping their cross-city enemies at the summit of Serie A. Then, however, Milan would win just three of their remaining ten games, finishing with three defeats in their final four to shockingly slide from second to fifth and out of the Champions League qualifying spots.
Now, it’s the Europa League the club will compete in next term, and that step down in quality could provide the perfect recipe for the Rossoneri to secure a first piece of European silverware in 20 years. The club has just appointed former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim as Max Allegri’s successor, and the Portuguese manager inherits a squad stacked with talent, such as goalkeeper Mike Maignan, wingers Rafael Leão and Christian Pulisic, and striker Christopher Nkunku. They will certainly be one of the teams to beat in the UEL next term.
Juventus
Milan aren’t the only Italian giant in the Europa League next term. Fellow heavyweight Juventus also missed out on a spot in Serie A’s top four last term, forcing them to settle for a spot in the continent’s secondary competition as opposed to the elite. And much like the rivals in northern Italy, the slide could provide the ideal opportunity for the Bianconeri to finally claim continental silverware at long last.
The Old Lady was the dominant force in Italian football for much of the 2010s, winning nine straight Scudettos between 2012 and 2020. Since then, however, Juve have slipped down the country’s footballing hierarchy, finishing in the top three just once in the six years since.
Napoli’s former Serie A-winning manager Luciano Spalletti is now in charge, and he is tasked with rebuilding the Bianconeri without the financial muscle afforded to the names that preceded him. Still, he has a plethora of young talent, with exciting wingers Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceição both 23 or younger. But following the departure of striker Dusan Vlahovic on a free transfer, Juve will likely need some additional firepower if they are to win the tournament next season, despite them being a household name.
Bayer Leverkusen
Two years ago, Bayer Leverkusen shocked the world as they embarked upon a perfect domestic double, winning both the DFB Pokal and the Bundesliga (for the first time ever) under Xabi Alonso without losing a single game. They very nearly made it a perfect treble, reaching the 2024 Europa League final and entering the Dublin showpiece as a favourite, only to suffer a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Atalanta after Ademola Lookman’s blistering hat trick.
Fast forward two years, and Die Werkself will return to the Europa League after finishing fifth in the Bundesliga last season. Former Toulouse manager Carles Martínez has taken over at the club this summer following the disastrous reign of Erik Ten Hag and the somewhat underwhelming efforts of his successor, Kasper Hjulmand. The Spaniard will be aiming to compete both domestically and continentally next term, and the Europa League will represent a real opportunity to deliver silverware in his first season at the BayArena.
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