Palace in Europe: Get to know our league phase opponents
Crystal Palace's eight opponents for the league phase of the UEFA Europa League have now been confirmed – here's the first of two guides, looking at four of the teams we'll be facing.
Lyon
- Country: France
- Year founded: 1950
- Nickname: Les Gones
- Best European performance: Champions League semi-finals (2009/10 and 2019/20)
Pierre Sage faces a reunion with his former team after Palace were awarded a trip to Lyon in the league phase draw. The French side have serious European pedigree from their golden spell in the 2000s, where they won seven straight top-flight titles.
During the latter part of this decade, Lyon regularly survived the winter in the Champions League and reached the last 16 of the old format – only beaten by Bayern Munich in the semi-finals in 2010.
Despite selling star player Rayan Cherki to Manchester City in the summer of 2025, Lyon enjoyed a decent season in Ligue Un last term, finishing in fourth place to ensure European qualification.
They competed in the Europa League last season and started strongly by topping the league table in the first round. However, their journey would end in the last 16 last season where they were eliminated by Celta Vigo.
Real Sociedad
- Country: Spain
- Year founded: 1909
- Nickname: La Real
- Best European performance: Champions League**** semi-finalists 1982/83
Based in San Sebastian in the Basque region of Spain, Sociedad are UEFA Cup / Europa League regulars, although they are yet to lift a European trophy.
They enjoyed a memorable Copa del Rey triumph in 2025/26 to qualify for European football, defeating Atlético Madrid on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the final.
Managed by American Pellegrino Matarazzo, la Real finished in 10th place last season in La Liga.
Their standout player is Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored the winning goal against England in the final of Euro 2024, who is also their captain.
Current Chelsea manager and former Liverpool and Real Madrid star Xabi Alonso came through the ranks at Sociedad – arguably their most famous academy graduate.
TSG Hoffenheim
- Country: Germany
- Year founded: 1899
- Nickname: Die Kraichgauer
- Best European performance: Europa League
A club that has enjoyed one of German football's most remarkable rises in the 21st century. Hoffenheim only won promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in 2008, but have played in Europe regularly over the last decade.
Their first taste of the Champions League was a play-off defeat to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in 2017, but they reached the group stage proper for the first time in 2018/19, facing the likes of Lyon and Manchester City.
Christian Ilzer took over as manager in 2024 and led them to a fifth place finish in his first full season in charge last term.
The most familiar name in their ranks is club legend and Croatia international Andrej Kramarić, who has an impressive 119 caps for his country. Kramarić was actually part of Leicester City's Premier League title winning squad in 2015/16, but left the following summer and been with the German club ever since.
Beşiktaş
- Country: Turkey
- Year founded: 1903
- Nickname: Kara Kartallar
- Best European performance: European Cup semi-finalists
One of Turkey's big three, Beşiktaş may be fourth seeds for the 2026/27 Europa League, but are normally competitive in European competition regardless of their seeding.
They did miss out on European football a year ago after a defeat in the Conference League play-offs to Lausanne-Sport, a defeat which saw former Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær leave the club.
His replacement Sergen Yalçın did a good job of steadying the ship. Under his management, Beşiktaş finished 4th in the Turkish Super League, winning precisely half of their 34 league games.
Yalçın was replaced in the summer by former Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano. His first competitive European tie saw the Turkish side see off Midtjylland in the second qualifying round.
Further wins over Hradec Králové and Kauno Žalgiris ensured they booked a place in the league phase of the Europa League.
Their marquee signing this summer is a familiar name from the Premier League – Leandro Trossard arriving from Arsenal for £15m. Another familiar name is former Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.
Beşiktaş have won the Turkish championship 16 times, most recently in 2020/21.