Has cheering on PSG cost Newcastle United fans the chance of Champions League football? | OneFootball

Like the rest of you, there I was on Tuesday night cheering on PSG in the Champions League against Liverpool.

It was a great match, with the French side battering Liverpool but somehow the Scousers only losing 1-0 after 90+ minutes.

Their goal having such a charmed life, almost as bad as in Paris in the first leg, when PSG could and should have won by five or six but somehow lost 1-0.

Anyway, justice was done in the end and in the best way possible.

Nothing better than seeing a team you want to lose, defeated on penalties.

You get all the pleasure of watching the agony for them and their fans BUT without any risk to yourselves, as it isn’t your team who could lose in this all or nothing shoot-out.

Anyway, then I started thinking about just how much I would love to be watching Newcastle United back in the Champions League.

Was it really only last season when we hammered PSG 4-1 at St James’ Park in October 2023, then the following month got cheated out of an arguably even more famous victory in Paris? That penalty which later UEFA apologised for and disciplined the match officials involved, ultimately meant the difference between PSG and not Newcastle United going through.

What might have been…from that group of death, PSG and Dortmund meeting in the semi-finals and the German side unlucky to lose the final.

Back to the present and reality struck, could us as Newcastle United fans have helped to deny ourselves the chance of Champions League football by cheering on PSG against Liverpool, would our Premier League disloyalty be punished in the worst way possible?

As we all know, the two domestic leagues in European competitions this season whose clubs have the collective best average coefficient scores get an extra place in the next season’s Champions League.

The coefficient points gained by all clubs this season are added together and that total score is divided by the number of clubs a country has in Europe in the season. That gives the coefficient average.

This season’s combined results in European competition for each of the competing leagues?

ESPN report on current position after Tuesday night’s Champions League games, including Liverpool’s exit to PSG. Which countries in best position to get one of the two bonus places in the 2025/26 Champions League competition:

How does the average coefficient table look now for each country (in brackets how many teams remain for each league, so for England it is five out of seven)?

1. England, 22.178 – (5/7) 2. Spain, 20.392 – (6/7) 3. Italy, 19.375 – (4/8) 4. Germany, 17.109 – (3/8) 5. Portugal, 16.250 – (1/5) 6. France, 15,785 – (3/7) 7. Belgium, 15.250 – (3/5) 8. Netherlands, 15.083 – (3/6) 9. Greece, 12.187 – (2/4) 10. Norway, 10.812 – (2/4)

This is how ESPN describe the situation now on Wednesday 12 March 2025 after Tuesday’s Champions League results:

England and Spain are out in front and more clubs remaining than any other league.

England in particular has a great buffer to third-placed Italy, which has only four teams still active.

The Premier League is in a place of incredible strength even though Manchester City and Liverpool are out of the UCL.

The two remaining teams in the UCL saw Aston Villa win 3-1 at Club Brugge and Arsenal thrash PSV 7-1. Both should progress but would meet in a potential semifinal

However, Man United and Tottenham are paired in the Europa League, which means they cannot face each other until the final — thus no prospect of knocking each other out.

In the UCoL, Chelsea have a tricky looking tie against FC Copenhagen but won the first leg in Denmark 2-1.

It would take an even worse collapse than last season to miss out on one of the extra places.

So, can Newcastle United qualify for the Champions League this season?

This is how the Premier League table currently looks on Wednesday (12 March 2025) morning:

Eddie Howe’s side currently finding themselves level on points with Man City who are in fifth place.

That was a huge win at West Ham on Monday, as it has put NUFC in a great position. Especially with the next four matches seeing United play Brentford (Home), Leicester (Away), Man U (Home) and Palace (Home).

A Champions League qualifying route remains very much open to Newcastle United as things stand.

I would say that if the Premier League gets that extra fifth spot in next season’s competition, then it gives Newcastle United a four or five times greater chance, if having to finish top five rather than top four.

Upcoming Newcastle United fixtures:

Sunday 16 March – Newcastle v Liverpool (4.30pm) Carabao Cup final Sky Sports

Wednesday 2 April – Newcastle v Brentford (7.45pm)

Monday 7 April – Leicester v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports

Sunday 13 April – Newcastle v Man U (4.30pm) Sky Sports

Wednesday 16 April – Newcastle v Palace (7.30pm)