Magpies to learn Champions League league phase opponents on Thursday | OneFootball

When is the Champions League draw?

The draw for the League Phase will take place on Thursday, 28th August 2025 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, with the draw to be streamed live on UEFA's website at 5pm (BST) while UK viewers can watch it all unfold on TNT Sports.

How does the draw work?

The Champions League format has changed since Newcastle were last in the competition in 2023/24, with four fixtures at home and four away against a total of eight different opponents.

There are 36 teams in the League Phase and they will be split into four pots based on their individual coefficient ranking.

Starting with Pot 1, one physical ball will be drawn before the automated software draws eight opponents for them, taking into account the following principles:

The same procedure will be repeated for all other teams until all pairings have been drawn.

Who could the Magpies face?

There are a number of rules surrounding the Champions League draw, with Eddie Howe's side unable to face fellow Premier League teams. This means we will not play Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, or Tottenham Hotspur at this stage of the competition.

The four pots are determined by UEFA club coefficient. We will be in pot 4 for the draw alongside F.C. Copenhagen, AS Monaco, Athletic Club, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Kairat Almaty, Pafos and Qarabağ.

Pot 1 consists of current holders Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona as well as Premier League trio Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.

We will play two teams from each pot, one at home and one away, and we also cannot be drawn against more than two teams from the same country.

When will Newcastle United be back in action?

Matchday 1 - 16/18 September 2025

Matchday 2 - 30 September - 1 October 2025

Matchday 3 - 21/22 October 2025

Matchday 4 - 4/5 November 2025

Matchday 5 - 25/26 November 2025

Matchday 6 - 9/10 December 2025

Matchday 7 - 20/21 January 2026

Matchday 8 - 28 January 2026

The teams that finish in the top eight of the league phase will go automatically through to the round of 16, with sides placed ninth through to 24th competing in the two-legged knockout phase play-off.

The draw for the knockout play-offs rounds will be carried out on January 30, 2026, with the two legs taking place on February 17-18 and February 24-25.