Players of Newcastle United pose for a team photo prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Newcastle United FC and Qarabag FK at St James' Park on February 24, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
Players of Newcastle United pose for a team photo prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Newcastle United FC and Qarabag FK at St James' Park on February 24, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Champions League draw: Newcastle United’s last 16 opponents and potential route to the final in Budapest.
The Magpies battered the Azerbaijan champions 6-1 in the first leg in Baku following four goals from Anthony Gordon and a goal each for Malick Thiaw and Jacob Murphy.
And even with a five-goal advantage, Eddie Howe’s side made no let-up on Tyneside with a 3-2 win last night, with Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Sven Botman on the scoresheet.
While United have reached the last 16 of the Champions League as part of a second group stage in 2002-03, they have never done so in a knockout match.
When will the Champions League last 16 draw take place?
The Champions League last 16 draw takes place at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, February 27 from 11am GMT.
The draw will be streamed live on UEFA.com, UEFA.tv and the official UEFA Champions League app.
Who could Newcastle United face in the last 16 of the Champions League?
Newcastle will play either Premier League rivals Chelsea or La Liga champions Barcelona over two legs.
The Magpies will play the first leg on Match 10 or 11 at St James’ Park before travelling to Stamford Bridge or Camp Nou on March 17 or 18.
What is Newcastle United’s route to the Champions League final?
As well as deciding the last 16 matches, the draw will also map out each club’s potential route to the final, which takes place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30, 2026.
The winners of the last 16 tie will face either Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool or Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final. The winners of the quarter-final will then face one of Bodo/Glimt, Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester City, Sporting, Bayern Munich or Arsenal in the semi-final.
Newcastle can’t face league phase opponents and holders Paris Saint-Germain or record 15-time winners Real Madrid until the final.
What has Eddie Howe said about Newcastle United’s Champions League campaign?
On qualifying for the last 16, Howe said: “I think it's a massive achievement for us to get to the last 16. I think nothing was given to us at the start of this Champions League run that we've been on.
“I think we’ve love the new format. I think it's a really, really good thing. I think you get to see individual teams and you then get to move on to another one. We've really enjoyed it.
“And then coming to the pressure games, the double-header, I think we've navigated that really well because it's a tough... I don't care who you play at this stage, it's a tough draw. We did the majority of the work in the away game.
“I think that's the great thing now in our season. There's a positive feel that whoever we get in the next round will be an amazing tie for us. I believe that we can raise our game and compete with anybody. That's what we're going to have to do, whoever we get.
“But I just think it's a massive thing for us to give our season an extra boost to get through this knockout phase and then into the next one.”
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