Radical Newcastle United shift – All Champions League pre-season opposition friendly schedule | OneFootball

What better way to prepare for a Champions League campaign than Newcastle United in pre-season facing…Champions League opposition.

As things stand, Eddie Howe’s NUFC will face four club sides in pre-season friendlies and like United, all four of them will also be competing in the 2025/26 Champions League.

Newcastle United will play Kieran Trippier’s former club Atletico Madrid at St James’ Park, the Spanish club finished third in La Liga last season and fifth in the league stage of the 2024/25 Champions League .

United will play away at Celtic, who won the league over the border last season and finished 21st in the league stage of the 2024/25 Champions League.

Newcastle will meet Arsenal in Singapore, the Gunners of course were Premier League runners-up, finished third in the league stage of the Champions League and were losers in the semi-finals to eventual winners PSG.

Newcastle United will also face Europa League winners Spurs in South Korea, date still to be confirmed. There will also be an NUFC match against a K-League Select XI on that part of the overseas tour, with a date also still to be confirmed for that match.

This is all a world away of where we ended up under Mike Ashley, where pre-season friendlies tended to be a schedule of mediocrity at best in terms of the opposition and attractiveness of matches.

The last pre-season arranged under the reign of Mike Ashley, saw Newcastle United play against York, Doncaster, Rotherham, Burton, Burnley and Norwich.

Back in the pre-Ashley days, St James’ Park hosted friendlies against the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. However, making the effort (and the expense) of playing prestige opposition disappeared under the pile it high sell it cheap, any old rubbish will do them, mindset of Mike Ashley.

Last summer Newcastle United played against two Japanese clubs in pre-season and also included home games against 2024/25 Champions League competitors Brest and Girona.

However, no doubt at all that this pre-season has seen another step up in terms of quality and prestige.

As we all know, Newcastle United are now still in the lengthy business of rebuilding on and off the pitch after a wasted decade and a half, but the facts are there to see when it comes to progress.

Part of this sees the building up of the profile of the club and to be seen as worthy of invitation to be part of more prestigious friendly games. All of this takes time but whilst Arsenal will for sure be seen as the bigger attraction in Singapore and Spurs (Son!!) in South Korea, the fact that United are invited to be part of these type of games overseas is proof of progress, on and off the pitch.

We have put together some of the important upcoming dates for Newcastle United fans, including Champions League ones.

Tuesday 10 June 2025

First Summer transfer window closes at 7pm

Monday 16 June 2025

Second Summer transfer window opens

Wednesday 18 June 2025

Premier League fixtures released at 9am for the 2025/26 season

Monday 30 June 2025

End of the Newcastle United 2024/25 season financial year

Saturday 19 July 2025

Celtic v Newcastle pre-season friendly with 3pm kick-off

Sunday 27 July 2025

Arsenal v Newcastle pre-season friendly (National Stadium, Singapore) 7.30pm kick-off local time

Saturday 9 August 2025

Newcastle v Atletico Madrid friendly with 4pm kick-off (One ticket covers NUFC Women’s match v Atletico Madrid as well, which kicks off at 1pm_

Saturday 16 August 2025

Premier League season kicks off this weekend

Thursday 28 August 2025

Draw made for the league stage of the 2025/26 Champions League

Monday 1 September 2025

Second Summer transfer window closes at 7pm

Tuesday 16, Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 September 2025

Matchday 1 of the league stage of the 2025/26 Champions League

Tuesday 30 September and Wednesday 17 October 2025

Matchday 2 of the league stage of the 2025/26 Champions League

Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 October 2025

Matchday 3 of the league stage of the 2025/26 Champions League

Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 November 2025

Matchday 4 of the league stage of the 2025/26 Champions League

Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 November 2025

Matchday 5 of the league stage of the 2025/26 Champions League

Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 December 2025

Matchday 6 of the league stage of the 2025/26 Champions League

Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 January 2026

Matchday 7 of the league stage of the 2025/26 Champions League

Wednesday 28 January 2026

Matchday 8 of the league stage of the 2025/26 Champions League

Thursday 30 January 2026

Draw made for the knockout phase play-offs of the 2025/26 Champions League

Tuesday 17, Wednesday 18, Tuesday 24, Wednesday 25 February 2026

Knockout phase play-offs of the 2025/26 Champions League

Thursday 27 February 2026

Draw made for the round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final of the 2025/26 Champions League

Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11, Tuesday 17, Wednesday 18 March 2026

Round of 16 of the 2025/26 Champions League

Sunday 22 March 2026

League Cup final at Wembley.

Tuesday 7, Wednesday 8, Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 April 2026

Round of 16 of the 2025/26 Champions League

Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 April, Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 May 2026

Semi-finals of the 2025/26 Champions League

Saturday 16 May

FA Cup final at Wembley

Sunday 24 May 2026

Final round of 2025/26 Premier League matches

Saturday 30 May 2026