A general view as the UEFA Champions League trophy is displayed on the plinth prior to the UEFA Champions League Final 2025 between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Internazionale Milano at Munich Football Arena on May 31, 2025 in Munich, Germany.placeholder image
A general view as the UEFA Champions League trophy is displayed on the plinth prior to the UEFA Champions League Final 2025 between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Internazionale Milano at Munich Football Arena on May 31, 2025 in Munich, Germany. | Getty Images
Newcastle United return to the Champions League this season - and the league phase draw is nearly upon us.
After a year absence, the Magpies are back in Europe’s premier club cup competition for only the fourth time in their history. And it’s now only a matter of hours before we find out who they will take on, with many fans hoping for glamour ties against the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona - again.
NUFC in the Champions League - what’s changed?
The last time Newcastle were in this competition they were drawn in a group with three other sides, and progression was sorted by finishing in the top two of that pool of four. You also played one game at home and one away against each side, six games in total. That’s been ditched in favour of a new league format.
There are now 36 teams in four pots of nine. Each team will face two sides from each pot, including the one in which they are placed. Newcastle are in pot four.
Each team will now play right league matches, four home and four away, against the eight different opponents.
The draw takes place on Thursday, August 28. It begins around 5pm GMT.
Which pot are Newcastle United in the Champions League?
Newcastle United are, like last time, in pot four - that is largely down to the fact they have a low coefficient with UEFA. As a result, the Magpies take the league coefficient, but in this competition it is still not enough to see them climb from the lowest pot. They are likely to be the third lowest ranked side of all of the 36 in the competition.
Champions League pots - who can NUFC face?
Newcastle must face two sides from pot one, pot two, three and four. But they cannot face sides from the same country. That rules out Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea or Manchester City at this stage. You can also only play a maximum of two sides from one association, for example two sides from Spain out of your eight opponents.
Pot 1: PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
Pot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge/Rangers, Benfica/Fenerbahce
Pot 3: PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille
Pot 4: AS Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Athletic Club, Pafos, Kairat, Copenhagen/Basel , Qarabag/Ferencvaros
So - in the interests of progression, not prestige - we worked out the best possible, and worst, draws Newcastle could face.
Dream Champions League draw for NUFC
Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bodo/Glimt, Slavia Prague, Pafos, Kairat.
Nightmare Champions League draw for NUFC
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Napoli, Marseille, Galatasaray, AS Monaco.
Champions League group-stage matchdays
Matchday 1: September 16-17, 2025
Matchday 2: September 30-October 1, 2025
Matchday 3: October 21-22, 2025
Matchday 4: November 4-5, 2025
Matchday 5: November 25-26, 2025
Matchday 6: December 9-10, 2025
Matchday 7: January 20-21, 2026
Matchday 8: January 28, 2026
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