With finance being so important to a club’s success, we look at what economic rewards are on offer from UEFA to those that reach the final four.
The UEFA Champions League is considered the most prestigious club competition in European soccer, and the greatest in the world, with clubs across the continent in a mad scramble to qualify each season for both on and off-field reasons. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Barcelona have already significantly boosted their coffers for their performances in this season’s tournament, and all teams can now see more rewards by reaching the final four.
Prestige and prize money the name of the UCL game
On the one hand, everyone wants to be in with a chance - realistic or not - of being crowed European champions, a relatively exclusive club given the number of teams that have tried and failed to do so.
On the other, the prize money on offer, which has steadily increased with time, is a huge draw. In recent years, the race to finish in the “top four” in leagues such as the Premier League, LaLiga and Serie A has garnered almost as much media attention as the battle for the title itself. Qualifying for the Champions League has become essential as competing clubs look to stay one step ahead of - or at least keep pace with - their rivals.
How much is qualification for the group stage worth?
Every club that qualifies for the group stage is handed €15.64 million ($16.77 million), while they have the chance to add to that figure once they get there. As well as three points, €2.8 million ($3 million) is the prize for winning a match in the group stage, with one point and €930,000 ($997,335) on offer for a draw.
The cash prize for reaching different knock rounds increases the deeper clubs go in the tournament. Those who reached the current round of this year’s tournament, the quarter-finals, bagged an additional €10.6 million ($11.37 million).
How much do teams get for reaching the Champions League semi-finals?
For some, that’s as much as they’ll get, while others will see their bank balances boosted further for getting to the semi-finals. Over the next two nights, eight teams (Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Borussia Dortmund) are playing to get their hands on another €12.5 million ($13.41 million), which Barça in particular could do with given their well-documented financial struggles.
2023-24 UEFA Champions League prize money and total purse
The total purse for the tournament is €2.03 billion ($2.18 billion), the same as last year. The maximum a team could earn from winning the competition is €85.14 million ($91.28 million), which would depend on them winning all six of their group stage games.
Last year’s winners, Manchester City, picked up around €80 million ($85.79 million), missing out on the top amount because of group-stage draws against Borussia Dortmund and Copenhagen. Pep Guardiola’s side and Real Madrid could both scoop the maximum prize this year after winning their respective groups with perfect records.