We are in the final months of this Newcastle United season.
As we close in on this 2025/26 season end, I started looking at what it will need for Eddie Howe and his players to once again be in Europe next season.
It looks highly unlikely that Newcastle United will win the Champions League or FA Cup (The FA will make sure one of their darlings win it).
We will almost certainly have to rely on our Premier League position, come the end of this season.
So what is needed?
The basic qualification for Premier League clubs is as follows:
1st to 4th – Champions League
5th – Europa League
FA Cup winners – Europa League
Carabao Cup winners – Conference League
Now it starts to get complicated, as it looks like the Premier League will finish in the top two UEFA coefficient places due to this season’s collective performances in European competitions, so the Premier League will get an additional place in the Champions League, thus:
1st to 5th – Champions League
6th – Europa League
FA Cup winners – Europa League
Carabao Cup winners – Conference League
Should any of the teams finishing 1st – 5th in the Premier League also win either the Champions League or Europa League, this would NOT create an additional place in next year’s Champions League.
Should a team finishing outside the top five win either Champions League or Europa League, then they would qualify for the Champions League. Based on the current top five, that would mean Liverpool or Spurs to win the Champions League and/or Forest winning the Europa League. As I don’t see any of those happening, it’s now down to the FA Cup and Carabao Cup winners.
As it’s looking likely that both Carabao Cup finalists Arsenal and Manchester City will qualify for the Champions League, the Conference League spot goes to the next placed team in the league, thus:
1st to 5th – Champions League
6th – Europa League
FA Cup winners – Europa League
7th – Conference League
Are you still with me?
Finally, if the FA Cup winners have already qualified for Champions League or Europa League, the Europa League spot for winning the FA Cup goes to the next team in the league, thus:
1st to 5th – Champions League
6th and 7th – Europa League
8th – Conference League
Therefore, the minimum league position Newcastle United need to finish is top eight.
Should Liverpool or Spurs win the Champions and not finish in the top five, 9th would get Conference League. If that happened AND Forest win the Europa League, 10th could get Europe.
I recall a team finishing 10th many years ago going on to win the following season’s Fairs Cup (today’s equivalent of the Conference League).
Lots of ifs and buts, but in my opinion, finishing in the top eight would get Newcastle United into Europe next season.
Eddie Howe and his team are currently 10th, one point behind 8th, six points from 6th, so it’s not impossible.
I can live without Newcastle United qualifying for Europe…but I can’t live with us finishing behind the Mackems.
Come on boys, a big push through the end of the season will see more trips to the four corners of Europe next season.