Newcastle United's players celebrate after their Champions League qualification was confirmed (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA)
Newcastle United's players celebrate after their Champions League qualification was confirmed (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA)
NEWCASTLE UNITED confirmed their Champions League qualification when they finished in fifth position in the Premier League despite a final-day defeat to Everton.
The competition has changed significantly since the Magpies were last in it two seasons ago, when they failed to progress beyond the initial group stage after being drawn in a ‘Group of Death’ with Paris St Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan.
The format has changed, meaning Newcastle are now guaranteed eight group matches. How does the new system work – and who might they find themselves drawn against?
HOW DOES GROUP SYSTEM WORK?
Previously, the Champions League group stage featured 32 clubs divided into eight groups of four.
However, this season, under the new format, 36 clubs were involved in the league phase, competing in a single league competition in which all 36 competing clubs are ranked together. That system will be retained for next season.
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Each team will play eight matches in the new league phase. They will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against eight different teams, playing half of those matches at home and half of them away.
To determine the eight different opponents, the teams will initially be ranked in four seeding pots. Each team will be drawn to play two opponents from each pot, playing one match against a team from each pot at home, and one away.
Newcastle’s UEFA coefficient means they will be in Pot Four, and they cannot be drawn against another English team in the league phase.
WHO HAS QUALIFIED – AND WHAT POT WILL THEY BE IN?
The final list of Champions League participants is not yet confirmed because seven teams will make it through to the league phase from the qualifying matches at the start of next season.
As things stand, this is how the list of Champions League qualifiers is shaping up – with the highest-ranked teams in the qualifying competition included as unconfirmed. If all those teams made it through, this is how the seeding pots would be made up:
POT ONE
Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Paris St Germain, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
POT TWO
Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Benfica (unconfirmed), Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge (unconfirmed)
POT THREE
Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting Lisbon, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt (unconfirmed), Marseille
POT FOUR
FC Copenhagen (unconfirmed), Crvena Zvezda (unconfirmed), Monaco, Ferencvaros (unconfirmed), Galatasaray, Celtic (unconfirmed), Union Saint-Gilloise, Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle
WHEN IS THE DRAW – AND WHEN WILL THE MATCHES TAKE PLACE?
The draw for the Champions League league phase will take place on August 28.
The dates for the eight league matches are:
Matchday 1 – September 16-18
Matchday 2 – September 30-October 1
Matchday 3 – October 21-22
Matchday 4 – November 4-5
Matchday 5 – November 25-26
Matchday 6 – December 9-10
Matchday 7 – January 20-21, 2026
Matchday 8 – January 28, 2026