Newcastle United chief announces major St James’ Park news - will take place this month

St James’ Park will host the inaugural Sela Cup as part of Newcastle United’s final preparations for the 2023-24 Premier League campaign.

The tournament, in association VisitMalta, will see Newcastle, Fiorentina, Nice and Villarreal play matches on Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 6.

Eddie Howe’s face Serie A side Fiorentina on Saturday in a 3:30pm kick-off before taking on La Liga outfit Villarreal just over 24 hours later at 4pm.

In addition, Newcastle United Women go up against West Bromwich Albion Women in the 6pm kick-off on Saturday.

The winners of the Sela Cup will be decided on a points-scoring system. Teams are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw, though will gain an extra point for every goal they score.

Speaking about the tournament, Newcastle CEO Darren Eales said: “There is huge excitement going into the 2023/24 season, so to be able to give our supporters two days of football involving both our men’s and women’s teams is something that everybody is looking forward to.

“To be able to attract elite clubs from three of Europe’s top leagues shows our ambition to grow as a club and the growing attraction of Newcastle United.

“I would like to sincerely thank our partners, Sela and VisitMalta, for making this possible. Having them on board to offer their expertise in delivering top class events and activations will ensure the tournament is a great weekend for everyone coming to St. James’ Park.”

The Sela Cup comes after Newcastle signed a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with the Saudi Arabian events company, worth a reported £25million.

Ibrahim Mohtaseb, senior vice president at Sela, added: “Since we announced our partnership with Newcastle United, we have seen fantastic support and interest in Sela, both in the UK and in the Middle East.

“To be able to further strengthen our connection with Newcastle’s passionate fanbase is truly exciting and we are sure that the Sela Cup will be popular with supporters, at a very exciting time ahead of the new season.

“Sela prides itself on creating world class experiences, so for us to bring our resources and expertise to Newcastle is something that we are all very proud to play a key role in and we hope that everybody enjoys what promises to be a great weekend of football.”

Tickets are priced at £30 for adults and £15 for concessions per day while a two-day ticket can be purchased for £55 for adults and £25 for concessions.

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Howe’s squad return for pre-season today and face National League side Gateshead in their opener on Saturday.

Newcastle then face Rangers at Ibrox on the following Tuesday before flying to the USA to compete in the Premier League Summer Series against Aston Villa, Chelsea and Brighton.

Upon their return to England, United will take part in the Sela Cup. Aston Villa are the visitors to St James’ Park a week later for the opening Premier League match of the campaign.