Newcastle United

Lore & Background

Newcastle have been a member of the Premier League for all but three years of the competition's history, spending 94 seasons in the top flight as of May 2026, and have never dropped below English football's second tier since joining the Football League in 1893. Newcastle have won four League titles, six FA Cups, one League Cup and an FA Charity Shield, as well as the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the ninth-highest total of trophies won by an English club. The club's most successful period was between 1904 and 1910, when they won an FA Cup and three of their four League titles. More recently, the club were League or FA Cup runners-up on four occasions in the 1990s. Newcastle were relegated in 2009, and again in 2016. The club won promotion at the first time of asking each time, returning to the Premier League, as Championship winners, in 2010 and 2017. In October 2021, a consortium led by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, became majority owners of Newcastle United. In 2025, the club won the 2024–25 EFL Cup, the club's first trophy in nearly 56 years, and their first domestic trophy since 1955.

In Their Own Story

On 18 June, the Premier League fixtures were released, with Newcastle away to Aston Villa on the opening weekend. The season saw Newcastle compete across four competitions. In the FA Cup, they faced Bournemouth at home in the third round, then travelled to Aston Villa for the fourth round, and hosted Manchester City in the fifth round. The EFL Cup run began with a home tie against Bradford City in the third round, followed by home matches against Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round and Fulham in the quarter-finals. The semi-finals were a two-legged affair against Manchester City, with the first leg at St James' Park and the second leg away. In the Champions League, the league phase included home matches against Barcelona, Benfica, Athletic Bilbao and PSV Eindhoven, and away matches against Union Saint-Gilloise, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen and Paris Saint-Germain. The knockout phase play-offs paired Newcastle with Qarabağ, starting away before the return leg at home, and the round of 16 saw them face Barcelona at home first.

Reader's Guide

Newcastle share a long-standing rivalry with nearby Sunderland, with whom the Tyne–Wear derby is contested. The club's traditional kit colours are black-and-white striped shirts, black shorts and black or white socks. Their crest has elements of the city coat of arms, which features two grey hippocamps. Before each home game, the team enters the pitch to 'Going Home'.

Did You Know?

• The club was originally formed in 1881 as Stanley F.C. before becoming Newcastle East End F.C. in 1882.
• Newcastle United adopted its current name on 9 December 1892 to signify the unification of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End.
• The club's first competitive match in the Football League Second Division was a 2–2 draw against Woolwich Arsenal in September 1893.
• Newcastle won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969, beating Hungary's Újpest 6–2 on aggregate.
• The club's most recent trophy before the 2025 EFL Cup was the 1955 FA Cup.