With Crystal Palace set to begin their 2026/27 pre-season campaign against Swindon Town (12:30 BST) this Saturday, here are five reasons to tune in!
Make sure you're subscribed to Palace TV+, or secure a 26/27 pre-season bundle – which costs just £19.99, to make sure you can catch every single game from our pre-season campaign.
Saturday's match is being played behind closed doors, with no supporters admitted – but will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+.
In case you haven't heard, the sash is back for 2026/27!
For the first time Palace will take to the field in our brand spanking new home kit.
The new strip reimagines a classic design that has become one of the most recognisable shirts in Palace history, worn during some of our most iconic games.
You can see how it looks out on the pitch for the first time, against the League Two Robins on Saturday.
There may still be over a month until Pierre Sage selects his first Premier League team, but Saturday marks the first time the new Manager will name a Palace starting XI.
Pre-season is often a time for experimentation, but it will still be intriguing to see how the French coach lines up his side.
Although he won't be able to select from a full strength squad due to World Cup participation, Sage has worked on grass with the players that are available throughout this week.
As part of that first XI of pre-season, we could see an unofficial debut for Palace's most recent recruit – Óscar Mingueza.
The Spain international can also play a number of different positions, having featured across defence over recent seasons.
We've already had it confirmed that Mingueza will wear No. 30 in his first season in England. Let's hope he can help the team get off to a winning start on Saturday, should he feature.
As we saw earlier this week when the players returned to training, this included the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Cheick Doucouré, who are both on the road to recovery after their respective injuries last season.
Both could feature against Swindon as they aim to work their way back to fitness ahead of the new campaign.
What a sight it would be to have them both back out on the pitch.
Of course we've all enjoyed watching the World Cup. But the first pre-season fixture really whets the appetite for the return of club football.
It may be a friendly but there's never a bad time to get that winning weekend feeling. Once the first game, and hopefully first win, is out of the way, excitement for the return of the Premier League will ramp up another notch.
Sage and the Eagles will be looking to build momentum quickly with tougher tests still to come in pre-season, notably in the Como Cup and also away to Bundesliga side Freiburg.
And remember on Saturday, 22nd August, the Premier League season starts again with a trip to Everton. The road to that game on Merseyside starts against Swindon...
Palace v Swindon is being played behind closed doors, with no supporters admitted – but will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+, the only way to watch our start to the 2026/27 season!