UCL SEEDING CHAOS: WHY PSG FINISHING 11TH AND NEWCASTLE 12TH CHANGES THE ENTIRE BRACKET
PSG and Newcastle are forced into the playoffs after a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes proves useless for both sides.
UEFA didn’t really earn it, but the last night of the Champions League group stage still delivered chaos—mostly because of those annoying safety nets.
On one side, you had Jose Mourinho’s Benfica knocking out Real Madrid 4-2. Their goalkeeper scored in the 98th minute, stealing the last playoff spot and leaving Marseille heartbroken. Meanwhile, PSG and Newcastle were locked in a wild back-and-forth. Both teams hovered right around the cutoff zone for automatic qualification—the top eight.
In the end, both missed out. Sporting and Chelsea scored late winners somewhere else, shuffling the table and leaving PSG and Newcastle on the outside looking in.
For a good chunk of the second half, though, it looked like PSG’s 1-1 draw would be enough. They clung to eighth place, just barely edging out Newcastle thanks to a tiebreaker.
That shaped the entire second half. Newcastle played with urgency, knowing only a win would save them. PSG, not sure whether to go for it or play it safe, ended up stuck in the middle—never fully committing to either.
It didn’t start that way. Early on, Newcastle fans probably felt a familiar sinking feeling. VAR ruled Lewis Miley handled the ball in the box. It looked like ball-to-hand, honestly, and even more cruel since it bounced off Bradley Barcola’s arm first.
Didn’t matter, though—Nick Pope guessed right and saved Ousmane Dembele’s penalty. Relief, but only for a few minutes. Vitinha, who’s made a habit of tormenting English teams, smashed one in soon after.
At that point, it looked like PSG would just steamroll Newcastle and lock up their top-eight spot.
But Newcastle hung in there. They survived those early blows and started to grow into the match. PSG slowed things down, maybe too much, and Newcastle found their rhythm. The equaliser came right before halftime: PSG’s defence couldn’t handle Dan Burn (and his somehow memorable eyebrows) or Joe Willock, who nodded in the header to make it 1-1.
Later on, Eddie Howe rolled the dice. Sometimes it’s actually simpler when you know you have to win—no second-guessing if a draw is good enough.
By the time PSG realised they needed a goal, the switch was stuck. Newcastle smelt blood. Anthony Gordon came off the bench and absolutely tormented Marquinhos, sprinting down the wing again and again.
Harvey Barnes had the golden chance that Gordon created, sliced it wide, and got flagged offside. But replays showed if he’d scored, VAR would’ve given the goal.
It was entertaining, no doubt. But results elsewhere meant a draw was useless for both teams.
So PSG finish 11th, and Newcastle 12th. They end up in the same playoff section, both set to face either Monaco or Qarabag for a shot at Chelsea or Barcelona in the last 16.
The play-off draw happens in Nyon on Friday.
ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION
Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.
Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.
Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.
From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.
That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.
By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.
They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.
Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.
It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.
Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.
PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.
Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.
JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL
Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.
Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.
Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”
On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”
Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”
At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a
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