Key Points

Match Fixtures: Premier League club Crystal Palace will face Championship club Bristol City in an out-of-season friendly match.
Date of Match: The match is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 2026, with the kick-off at 12:30 pm GMT.
Ground: The match will be held at Selhurst Park in South London.
Reason for Match: Due to the long international break, there is a period of three weeks before the next fixture; hence, the two clubs have decided to play this match.
Availability of Players: There will not be available due to their international commitments.
Broadcast and Streaming Information: Although this game will not be televised live on any channel in the UK, it will be streamed live through Palace TV+.
Subscription Charges for Streaming: To get Palace TV+, you need to pay a subscription fee of £3.99 for a weekly pass, £5.49 for a monthly pass, or £37.99 for a yearly pass.
Ticket Prices: Traveling and local fans watching the match live have to buy tickets worth £7.50 for adults, and admission is free for those who are below 18 years old.

South London (Bristol Express News) October 2, 2026 – Crystal Palace welcome EFL Championship side Bristol City to Selhurst Park for a mid-season friendly fixture, designed to maintain crucial match sharpness during an extended three-week international break. Despite missing several key players who are away representing their respective national teams, both clubs view the Saturday lunchtime encounter as an essential test to preserve momentum ahead of their return to competitive league action later in the month.

Contents

Key Points
Background of the Development
Prediction and Impact on the Audience

When is the Crystal Palace v Bristol City friendly match taking place?

As reported by staff writers of Bristol City FC, the mid-season friendly fixture between Crystal Palace and Bristol City is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

The game comes as a direct result of the extended international window, which forces clubs across the Premier League and the English Football League’s second tier into a lengthy three-week pause between competitive fixtures. In an effort to keep players sharp and avoid a drop-off in physical conditioning, the Premier League club arranged to host the Championship promotion hopefuls in South London.

What time does Crystal Palace v Bristol City kick off?

According to details outlined by Bristol City FC, the match at Selhurst Park is set to get underway at 12:30 pm UK time.

Writers for Radio Times noted that while both squads will be depleted due to ongoing international call-ups, a significant amount of professional talent remains available on both sides. With Bristol City currently performing strongly and pushing toward the upper echelons of the Championship standings, the fixture is widely anticipated to offer a robust and competitive test for the Premier League hosts.

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What TV channel is Crystal Palace v Bristol City on, and how can fans watch it live?

Football supporters hoping to catch the action on standard television channels will find that the match has not been selected for a live broadcast by traditional UK television networks.

However, as detailed by Radio Times, supporters can watch the game via a live stream provided directly on Palace TV+. Accessing the stream requires a dedicated platform subscription. Pricing options include a weekly pass for £3.99, a monthly pass for £5.49, or an annual pass for £37.99.

For fans preferring to attend the fixture in person at Selhurst Park, ticketing details released by Bristol City FC confirmed that tickets are affordably priced at £7.50 for adults, while admission is free for all supporters under the age of 18. Traveling supporters making the trip from the West Country can also utilize official coach travel departing from Ashton Gate ahead of the clash.

Background of the Development

Mid-season friendlies during international windows have become an increasingly vital tool for football clubs aiming to bridge multi-week gaps in the competitive calendar. When major international tournaments or standard qualification windows occur, clubs often lose a core segment of their starting XIs to national team duties.

For managers remaining at club training grounds, maintaining match sharpness for the non-international players is a logistical challenge. Fixtures such as this encounter between Crystal Palace and Bristol City offer a practical solution, allowing coaching staff to test tactical adjustments, give valuable minutes to fringe players or returning substitutes recovering from injuries, and preserve physical rhythms ahead of high-intensity league run-ins.

Prediction and Impact on the Audience

For Crystal Palace, this friendly provides an ideal platform to experiment with tactical depth and keep senior squad members match-fit without the high-stakes pressure of Premier League points. For Bristol City, testing themselves against top-flight opposition serves as a valuable benchmark during their ongoing campaign in the Sky Bet Championship, particularly as they look to maintain momentum for a potential push toward the play-off places.

For the supporters—whether tuning in via the Palace TV+ digital stream or filling the stands at Selhurst Park—the fixture breaks the monotony of the international break, offering an entertaining look at emerging squad talent and tactical readiness ahead of the domestic season’s resumption.