Newcastle United's senior stars can now dream of Champions League nights under the lights at St James' Park after sealing a top-four finish. Eddie Howe's side can no longer be overhauled by Liverpool despite a late rally from Jurgen Klopp's side, with a final-day visit to Chelsea only set to determine whether the Magpies finish third or fourth.
However, it is not only United's first-team stars and supporters who should look forward to a return to facing Europe's elite after an absence of two decades. Newcastle's entry into the Champions League also means the club will enter an academy side into the UEFA Youth League next season, a 64-team tournament featuring every club to qualify for the continent's leading competition.
It will mark the young Magpies' first appearance in the competition following a revamp in 2013, with Barcelona and Chelsea the only two-time winners so far. AZ Alkmaar are the reigning champions after a five-goal thrashing of Hadjuk Split in the final last month.
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Newcastle's youth side will participate in a group stage which mirrors the Champions League, with group winners progressing to the knockout phase and the runners-up entering a playoff phase. The remaining 32 teams will be the domestic youth champions from the highest-ranked entering associations whose senior team did not qualify for the Champions League group stage.
This domestic champions path pits teams into two rounds of two-legged knockout ties, and the eventual eight winners will then face the second-placed sides from the Champions League path. Knockout fixtures from this point will be one-off ties, with the runners-up playing away from home, and the semi-finals and final both played at the same venue.
The draw for the Champions League path of next season's UEFA Youth League is due to be held on August 31, with the group stage running from September through to December. If Newcastle should progress to the knockout or the playoff phase, ties will be held from February next year onwards, with the final set for April 22.
The UEFA Youth League will mark a new challenge for Ben Dawson's under-21 side following a difficult season. The young Magpies finished the campaign with two victories, but finished eighth in the Premier League 2 Division 2 table and missed out on a playoff spot.
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