Newcastle successfully qualified for the Champions League on Monday night with a 0-0 draw against Leicester to end their 20-year exile from the competition.
Eddie Howe’s side have had a remarkable season, building on last year’s 11th-place finish as they go from strength to strength under their Saudi-backed ownership group.
The Magpies have played in Europe’s premier club competition three times before – 1997-98, 2002-03 and 2003-04 – but they have never progressed beyond the group stage, their last foray in 2003-04 ending in the third qualifying round.
They will go straight through to the group stage for next season, but could face a nightmare after the expected pots for 2023-24 have been announced.
Newcastle are expected to be placed in Pot Four – the lowest tier of teams – meaning they are likely to face some European heavyweights.
Newcastle qualified for the Champions League with a 0-0 draw against Leicester on Monday
Next season they will return to the European elite club competition for the first time in 20 years
However, Eddie Howe’s side is expected to be placed in Pot Four for the group stage draw
With four teams in each group, there are four pots from which teams can be selected.
Pot 1 consists of the champions of the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Primeira Liga along with the winners of the Champions League and Europa League.
However, if Man City wins the Champions League together with the Premier League, one of their places in Pot One will go to champions Feyenoord.
Pots two, three and four are determined by the UEFA club coefficient, which is proportional to the performance of both sides in Europe over the past five seasons.
Given that Newcastle have been battling relegation for the past five years and have not competed in Europe, it is not surprising that they are expected to be placed in the bottom pot.
This is a challenge that Man City originally faced after first qualifying for the league in early 2010.
While several leagues in Europe still have plenty to decide, Howe’s side is currently expected to be joined in Pot Four by FC Copenhagen, Young Boys, Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, Celtic, Newcastle, Union Berlin and RC Lens.
Pot three probably consists of Shakhtar Donetsk, RB Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb, Rangers, AC Milan, Braga, Lazio and Red Star Belgrade from Serbia.
This could mean taking on heavyweights such as 14-time European champions Real Madrid
A nightmarish draw could see them face PSG along with AC Milan in a potentially lethal group
If luck is on their side, they can draw Feyenoord (left), Porto (right) and Red Star Belgrade
Pot two is expected to consist of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Porto and Arsenal, while pot one will include Manchester City, Barcelona, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Benfica, Feyenoord and AS Roma or Sevilla – depending on the result of the Europa League final.
This means Newcastle could get a nightmare from PSG, Real Madrid and AC Milan if luck is against them.
Alternatively, however, the Magpies could also be lucky enough to receive a dream draw consisting of Feyenoord, Porto and Red Star Belgrade.
The group stage kicks off on September 19, 2023, before the final takes place at Wembley Stadium on June 1, 2024 and the excitement will only increase as European football returns to St James’ Park.