CRYSTAL PALACE could get THROWN OUT of the Europa League in a shock to the sporting world.The Eagles initially secured their spot in Europe by beating Manchester City in a thrilling FA Cup final.GettyCrystal Palace beat Manchester City in a thrilling FA Cup final[/caption]GettyCrystal Palace celebrated winning their first major trophy in style[/caption]Eberechi Eze’s sublime 16th-minute strike was enough to secure Palace’s first-ever major trophy.And despite finishing 12th in the League, winning the FA Cup meant that the Eagles automatically qualified for next season’s Europa League.However, in a shocking turn of events, the South London outfit could be exiled from the tournament before they have even kicked a ball.Why could Crystal Palace get thrown out of the Europa League?American billionaire John Textor is Palace’s largest shareholder but also owns French side Lyon – who have also qualified for the Europa League.Uefa rules prevent two clubs from the same ownership group from participating in the same competition. Where there is a conflict, the spot will go to the team that finished highest in their domestic league.That means Palace would miss out as they finished 12th while Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1.They will also not be able to drop into the Conference League due to Textor’s stake in Brondby, who qualified for that competition by finishing third in the Danish Superliga.Owners of both Manchester City and Manchester United have had to take steps, including placing shares in blind trusts, to avoid such issues in recent seasons.Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis placed his shares in the club into a blind trust when it looked like they would qualify for the Champions League alongside the Greek businessman’s other club, Olympiakos.Who would take Crystal Palace’s spot in the Europa League should they get thrown out?It is yet to be confirmed, but if Crystal Palace were to be thrown out of Europe, it would mean that Nottingham Forest would move up into their Europa League spot from the Conference League.Palace’s rivals Brighton would also find themselves in Europe, in the Conference League.Forest finished 7th in the Premier League and Brighton secured 8th spot.See More Tables See Full Table When does the 2025/26 Europa League start?The 2025/26 Europa League campaign gets underway on Thursday, July 10 and concludes in Istanbul on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.Here are the key dates for next season’s Europa League.First qualifying round: 10 & 17 July 2025Second qualifying round: 24 & 31 July 2025Third qualifying round: 7 & 14 August 2025Play-offs: 21 & 28 August 2025Matchday 1: 24 & 25 September 2025Matchday 2: 2 October 2025Matchday 3: 23 October 2025Matchday 4: 6 November 2025Matchday 5: 27 November 2025Matchday 6: 11 December 2025Matchday 7: 22 January 2026Matchday 8: 29 January 2026Knockout phase play-offs: 19 & 26 February 2026Round of 16: 12 & 19 March 2026Quarter-finals: 9 & 16 April 2026Semi-finals: 30 April & 7 May 2026Final: 20 May 2026 (Istanbul)