Crystal Palace: What Defines Success in 2025/26?

The 2024/25 season was a historic one for Crystal Palace, as they stunned Manchester City in the FA Cup Final to lift the club’s first-ever major trophy.

The 2025/26 season began in equally dramatic fashion last Sunday, with the Eagles edging Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield Final another moment already etched into the club’s history.

It’s clear that Oliver Glasner has changed the culture at Selhurst Park.

A club who, in their 164-year history, had never won a major trophy have now won two in just four months something few could have imagined was possible when the Austrian touched down in South London 18 months ago.

Glasner has shifted the mentality of everyone connected to the club. The players, staff, and supporters all believe this club can achieve even more than it already has.

Last season will not be viewed as an overachievement, but a benchmark for the future and their reward brings new challenges.

The Eagles have had the perfect start to the season already, and ambitions are high. So what else do they need to do to ensure this coming season is classed as a success?

This season, Palace will compete in Europe for the first time in their history. Although it’s not the competition they earned the right to play in, it will still be remembered as the Eagles’ first-ever European campaign.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding the decisions from UEFA and the CAS, the Eagles have no choice but to embrace the opportunity.

If they can overcome either Fredrikstad or Midtjylland in the qualifier, Palace will likely be labelled as one of the favourites for the competition.

A deep run in the competition will be expected but it’s vital that they bring some new signings in to ensure they can manage the workload of regularly playing two games a week.

Palace have been extremely quiet in the transfer market thus far, spending the second-lowest in the Premier League at just three million.

With the extra games this season and an already thin squad, they certainly need to make some moves in the market not just by signing squad players, but by bringing in quality that will help them not only this season, but for the foreseeable future.

With European football on offer, it’s an opportunity for the Eagles to bring in some elite-level talent and ensure that Thursday night football at Selhurst Park becomes a regular event.

New signings alone won’t guarantee a successful season, but smart, ambitious recruitment will be a major step towards achieving and perhaps surpassing this season’s ambitions.

Last season, Palace finished 11th with a club-record 53 Premier League points another club record and one Glasner will want to surpass.

Whilst targeting a top-seven finish is an enticing goal, the reality of a first European campaign may see them prioritise that at points during the season.

That means a realistic aim would be to secure a comfortable top-half finish, keeping them within touching distance of the European spots without burning out the squad.

They’ll certainly go all out in defending their FA Cup trophy they’ve tasted silverware and will certainly want more.

If Palace can reach the latter stages in Europe, finish in the top ten, and put together another exciting cup run, then 2025/26 will go down as another season of genuine progress.