How much do clubs get for winning matches in the Champions League?

The UEFA Champions League returns on Tuesday with Europe’s elite clubs set to fight it out not just for points on the field, but also for money in the bank off it.

The Champions League has, of course, become club football’s most prestigious competition, with qualification for the group stages of the tournament having become more of a priority than winning actual silverware for some clubs across the continent.

And when you look at the finances related to qualifying for the group stages of the competition, it’s possible to understand why:

- The 32 teams who feature each get a starting fee of €15.64m ($15.44m); being knocked out of qualifying at the play-off stage – the final hurdle – earns clubs just €5m ($4.94m)

- Coefficient shares are awarded to each of the 32 clubs, with a total of €600.6m ($593.1m) divided up according to each club’s performance in European competitions over the previous 10 years. The club ranked 32nd earns one share of €1.137m ($1.12m), while the club ranked 1st earns 32 shares, which equates to €36.38m ($35.39m)

- UEFA’s market pool, essentially broadcasting money, totals €300.3m ($296.55m) and is also split amongst the participants. 50% is based on the clubs’ performances in domestic competition during the previous season and the other 50% depends on the number of matches each club plays in the Champions League in 2022-23

Additionally, clubs receive the following prize money for reaching different stages of the competition:

- Round of 16 - €9.6m ($9.48m)

- Quarter-finals – €10.6m ($10.47m)

- Semi-finals – €12.5m ($12.34m)

- Final - €15.5m ($15.31m)

- Winners - €20.5m ($20.24m)

But there is also plenty of money to play for in each and every match, with group stage games also offering plenty of financial incentive, particularly for clubs from smaller countries and less wealthy leagues.

Group stage wins are worth €2.8m ($2.77m) each, while clubs pick up €930,000 ($918,394) for a draw. That means that should the eventual Champions League winners win every game in the group stages – Napoli, Club Brugge, Bayern Munich, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain could achieve this feat this term – they will earn a total of €68.34m ($67.49m) in prize money before coefficient shares and market pool money are taken into account.

This season, two late winning goals have been scored in the competition – Antoine Griezmann’s dramatic 101st-minute strike for Atlético Madrid to defeat Porto and an 89th-minute header from Josep Matip for Liverpool against Ajax. These goals earned the two clubs €1.87m ($1.85m) each. While these particular clubs would probably have only been concerned by the points, some of the competition’s less well-off participants have a little extra motivation in each and every match.