· 21 May 2025, 20:00
**Sunday's game against Everton is massive for Newcastle United, who know that a win against the Toffees will secure their spot in the Champions League next season.**
The Magpies are already in the Europa Conference League, and barring any crazy results on Sunday, are practically guaranteed an upgrade to the Europa League, but a win would take them to the tippy top of Europe's competition ladder.
If we're being honest with ourselves, it doesn't really matter what happens on Sunday, as we can count this one as a hugely successful season. We lifted a trophy for the first time in 56 years, and nobody can take that away from us.
Whomever wins tonight between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the Europa League final is likely to class this as a successful season despite being absolute toilet water domestically. So, a strong top-half finish and a trophy can't be seen as anything else. Obviously, it would suck to come so close only to miss out, but Europa League isn't a bad competition to be in.
> [](https://twitter.com/LukeEdwardsTele/status/1925168378030739575)
Luke Edwards tries to calm Newcastle fans ahead of crunch tie on Sunday
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As Luke Edwards has pointed out on a wordy X post, Newcastle could win the Europa League if that's where we end up - if Tottenham or Manchester United can, then we definitely can.
> "I get all the stress worrying about Newcastle getting into the Champions League. It’s great for financial reasons and prestige. It will potentially make them more attractive to summer targets but I don’t buy into the idea it is vital. "If you had offered anyone associated with the club a place in the Europa League and a trophy last summer they would have probably said it was beyond their wildest dreams."It’s been an amazing season, the best in living memory with or without Champions League qualification. Newcastle can win the Europa League next season if they are in it or they can enjoy the glamour of the Champions League nights and try and go as far as they can in the knockout rounds.
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> "In short, relax, this is a wonderful position to be in. All they’ve got to do is win at home on the final day of the season. The last time so much was riding on the last day was relegation survival #nufc"
Would you be happy to forego Champions League for a crack at winning the Europa League?
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The big draw of the Champions League is the money, of course, and it would make recruitment that much easier, but would we be better off going into a competition we could win rather than entering a better competition as the lowest-ranked side?
Nothing Edwards said is wrong, but let's be honest, he's not a Newcastle fan, and for all I've tried there to put a positive spin on going into the Europa League, I, and I'm sure most of you reading would definitely prefer us to bag a place in the Champions League.
It may be about money for the club, but for the fans, it's prestige. It's about knowing that we are one of the top sides in the country.