Newcastle will be playing in the Champions League again this season. Here's what they can expect from next week's draw. _(Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)_
This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald.
It can be hard to remember amid the fireworks off the pitch over the summer at Newcastle, that this season marks a return to the Champions League for the club.
Despite having a striker on strike and notable public rejections over the summer, there is something that can make fans more optimistic about this season's run in the Champions League.
That will become apparent next Thursday (August 28) when the draw for the League Phase is made in Monaco.
Yes, that's right. League Phase. The Group Stage is no more - in fact Newcastle were among the last teams to take part in the archaic sorting system for preliminary European games.
In the modern league format introduced by UEFA last season, each team will play eight games - four at home and four away. There are no reverse fixtures. Every team gets to play against two teams from each pot.
This should give Newcastle an easier eight games on paper than the six they faced last time out.
Eddie Howe can expect a more balanced set of fixtures than last the club's last run out in the Champions League. _(Image: Bradley Collyer)_ Eddie Howe's side will be in pot four - the lowest pot - alongside other lower ranked teams based on UEFA's coefficient points system. Other pot four teams currently include Athletic Bilbao, Galatasaray and Union Saint-Gilloise.
Teams cannot play against other teams from the same country in the league phase.
**When will the matches be played?**
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
Dates and times for the games will be decided in the few days following the official draw.