Newcastle Set for First UCL Knockout Match Against Qarabag

Newcastle United is heading to Qarabag for the first leg of their Champions League play-off round.

This 2,529-mile journey to face the Azerbaijani team is the longest ever for an English club in this tournament. The 2025-26 season marks Newcastle’s fourth appearance in the Champions League, but surprisingly, this is their first knockout stage match.

Despite previous European attempts, Newcastle has not reached the later stages of the Champions League.

1997–98 UEFA Champions League – Group Stage

Newcastle qualified for their first Champions League in the 1997-98 season after finishing as runners-up in the Premier League. They were placed in a difficult group with Dynamo Kyiv, PSV Eindhoven, and Barcelona.

Faustino Asprilla scored a famous hat-trick against Barcelona at St James’ Park in their opening match, but Newcastle struggled to win again until the sixth matchday. Losses to PSV were costly, leaving Newcastle third in the group, as only the winners advanced, with Dynamo Kyiv going on to the quarter-finals.

Iconic Performances: Asprilla’s hat-trick against Barcelona at St James’ Park

2002–03 UEFA Champions League – Second Group Stage

When Newcastle qualified again for the Champions League, the format included a second group stage. Under Bobby Robson, they made history by advancing past the first group after losing their first three matches. Craig Bellamy’s last-minute goal against Feyenoord secured their progression.

📆 #OnThisDay 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣2️⃣

A memorable night in Rotterdam! pic.twitter.com/PmJnibY6el

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) November 13, 2020

In the second group stage, Newcastle faced a challenging group with Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Bayer Leverkusen. They managed to beat Leverkusen in both matches but finished third in the group, resulting in elimination.

2003–04 UEFA Champions League – Third Qualifying Round

The 2003-04 Champions League campaign ended prematurely for Newcastle. They suffered a surprising defeat to Partizan Belgrade in qualifying, winning the first leg 1-0 but losing 1-0 in the return match, which led to penalties. Alan Shearer, Kieron Dyer, and Aaron Hughes all missed their spot-kicks.

2023–24 UEFA Champions League – Group Stage

Newcastle is likely relieved about the new league phase format following their challenging draws. Their return to the Champions League in 2023-24 presented another tough group featuring Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan.

Although they missed out on advancing, a memorable 4-1 victory over PSG added to their Champions League history, but it was their only win out of six games.