Newcastle 2025/26 Champions League squad list confirmed – four players miss out
The excitement is building on Tyneside as Newcastle United prepare for their return to the grandest stage in European football.
The UEFA Champions League anthem will soon be ringing around a packed St. James’ Park, with Barcelona the illustrious visitors for the opening group match.
Behind the scenes, the club’s administrators have been working through the necessary paperwork, finalizing and submitting the official squad list to UEFA for the tournament’s group phase.
This is always a strategic process, governed by a complex set of rules, and this year, those rules have forced manager Eddie Howe into making some very difficult decisions about which players to include and which to leave out.
The core of the squad submission is what is known as ‘List A’. This is the primary list of up to 25 players who are eligible to play in the group stage matches.
However, filling all 25 spots is a privilege, not a right, and it comes with a specific condition. UEFA regulations require that eight of those spots are reserved for what are called ‘locally trained players’.
This category is further split into two groups: four players must be ‘club-trained’ and four must be ‘association-trained’.
A ‘club-trained’ player is defined as someone who was on Newcastle’s books for any three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21.
This is where the Magpies have encountered a significant and punishing problem. The sales of local academy products like Elliot Anderson and, most notably, Sean Longstaff over the past two summers have left the senior squad with a major shortage in this specific area.
The only recognised first-team player who qualifies as ‘club-trained’ is the talented 19-year-old Lewis Miley.
Because UEFA’s rules are so strict, this shortage has a direct mathematical consequence. Since Newcastle cannot name the required four ‘club-trained’ players, they are not allowed to name a full 25-man ‘List A’ squad. Instead, they are restricted to a smaller squad of just 21 senior players.
This penalty immediately reduces the team’s options and depth for a long and demanding campaign, putting a premium on fitness and avoiding suspensions.
There is a small silver lining, however, in the form of ‘List B’. This is a separate list that clubs can submit for players who are born on or after January 1, 2004, and who have been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of at least two years.
The great advantage of ‘List B’ is that it is effectively unlimited and players can be added up until the day before a match.
This means that exciting youngsters like Lewis Miley and Lewis Hall do not need to take up one of the precious 21 spots on ‘List A’, freeing those slots for more experienced players and effectively increasing the overall pool of available talent for Eddie Howe.
Even with Miley and Hall on ‘List B’, whittling the senior squad down to just 21 names was a challenging task. The club has a larger group of players than that, meaning several senior professionals were always going to be disappointed.
The decision on who to omit likely involved considering playing time, tactical needs, and potential emergency cover.
In the end, the choices fell on two experienced heads. Goalkeeper John Ruddy, who arrived as a dependable third-choice option, and club captain Jamaal Lascelles have been left out of the final 21-man selection.
Lascelles’ omission is particularly notable, highlighting the intense competition at centre-back following the arrival of Malick Thiaw and the return to fitness of Sven Botman.
| Newcastle United Champions League ‘List A’ | |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |
| Nick Pope | |
| Aaron Ramsdale | |
| Defenders | |
| Kieran Trippier | |
| Tino Livramento | |
| Emil Krafth | |
| Dan Burn | |
| Malick Thiaw | |
| Fabian Schar | |
| Sven Botman | |
| Midfielders | |
| Joelinton | |
| Sandro Tonali | |
| Bruno Guimaraes | |
| Jacob Ramsey | |
| Joe Willock | |
| Jacob Murphy | |
| Anthony Elanga | |
| Harvey Barnes | |
| Anthony Gordon | |
| Forwards | |
| Yoane Wissa | |
| Nick Woltemade | |
| William Osula |
For Ruddy, the presence of two elite goalkeepers in Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale, coupled with the ability to name a young goalkeeper on ‘List B’, made his inclusion less of a necessity.
The final list is a blend of established stars, new signings, and homegrown talent. It is a squad built to compete, but its size is a direct result of the club’s recent transfer strategy.
The sales of local players for significant profit have provided funds for new arrivals but have come at a cost in Europe. The challenge for Eddie Howe and his group of 21 is now to overcome that numerical disadvantage and ensure Newcastle United’s Champions League journey is a long and memorable one.