*Winning games in the crown jewel of UEFA’s club competitions is a lucrative business
Champions League financial rewards form a major part of the season-to-season plans of the biggest clubs in the world.
Simply reaching the group stage of UEFA’s premier club competition is worth millions and can change the fortunes of a smaller club overnight, Valuechain quotes agency reports as saying.
The overall prize handed out depends, of course, on how many games a team wins and how far they manage to get.
So, how much prize money will the winners and runners-up of the 2020-21 competition win? We bring to you everything you need to know.
Winners of the Champions League final on Saturday €19 million (£16m/$23m) and, while losing the final may sting, the runner-up receives €15 million (£13m/$18m) to soften the blow.
The overall prize money given to the winner is much more than that, however, as rewards are accumulated each round depending on performance.
| Position | Prize money |
|---|---|
| Winner | €19 million |
| Runner-up | €15 million |
| Semi-finalist | €12 million |
| Quarter-finalist | €10.5 million |
| Last 16 | €9.5 million |
| Group-stage win | €2.7 million |
| Group-stage draw | €900,000 |
| Qualifying for group stage | €15.25 million |
| Third qualifying round | €480,000 |
| Second qualifying round | €380,000 |
| First qualifying round | €280,000 |
| Preliminary round | €230,000 |
Based on the most recent figures, a single victory in the group stage is worth €2.7 million (£2.3m/$3m) and a draw is worth €900,000 (£780k/$1m).
If a team competes from the group stage on and wins every match in the group stage then proceeds to win the entire competition, then they’ll earn a total of €82.45 million (£71m/$100m) in prize money.
Manchester City won five group stage games and drew one, meaning they have already earned just over €60 million, while Chelsea won four group matches, drawing two, meaning they’ve earned just under €60 million.
That figure is based on performance alone, but UEFA distributes more money to clubs based on the broadcast ‘market pool’ concept, which sees revenue allocated based on the size of a television market.
The prize money available to Champions League clubs is far greater than that given to clubs competing in the Europa League.
The impact of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic – which has affected two consecutive tournaments – has not yet become clear, but there have been reports that prize money could be cut in future.
Valuechain reports that in October 2020, for example, The Times reported that UEFA prize money would be cut for five years following the pandemic. However, a 2021 report in L’Equipe suggested that prize money would increase slightly.