When were Newcastle United last in the Champions League?

Thanks to the financial backing of their new Saudi owners, Premier League team Newcastle United are setting their sights on the very top echelons of football and they are already climbing the ladder.

Transfer moves for players such as Sandro Tonali, Alexander Isak and Tino Livramento have added a depth of quality to their squad and they are now firmly in the mix when it comes to competing for the best players in the world.

Here, GOAL brings you Newcastle's Champions League record, including detail on the last time they were in the group stage of the competition.

When were Newcastle United last in the Champions League?

Prior to qualifying for the 2023-24 Champions League, the last time Newcastle qualified for the Champions League was the 2003-04 season. However, on that occasion they did not reach the group stage after being knocked out in the third qualifying round by Partizan Belgrade.

The last time Newcastle played in the group stage of the Champions League was in the 2002-03 season. Having won the third qualifying round tie against Zeljeznicar, they were drawn in a group alongside Juventus, Dynamo Kiev and Feyenoord.

Getty

They progressed from that group by finishing second, but it required a mammoth effort, as they lost their first three games. Remarkably, the Magpies recovered and won their next three matches, including a dramatic late victory over Feyenoord in Rotterdam.

Back in those days, there were two group stages in the Champions League and so Newcastle qualified for the second group stage, where they faced Barcelona, Inter and Bayer Leverkusen. Unfortunately for the Tyneside outfit, however, they were eliminated at this stage, having only managed victories against Leverkusen and a draw against Inter at San Siro.

Juventus, who Newcastle had beaten in the first group stage, went on to reach the final, where they were beaten by fellow Serie A side AC Milan.

Newcastle's Champions League record

When were Newcastle United last in Europe?

While Newcastle had a two-decade long wait to get back to the Champions League, they were last involved in European football generally in 2012-13, when they played in the Europa League.

On that occasion, they reached the quarter-finals of the competition before being eliminated by Benfica.

Before that, they played in the 2006-07 UEFA Cup, reaching the round of 16 before being dumped out by AZ.