Champions League
How much prize money do teams get for winning games in the Champions League league phase?
There are many different ways for clubs to earn money in the UCL, with financial rewards in every single game.
As a consequence of the vast sums of money on offer, the Champions League has become club soccer’s most prestigious competition. Qualification for the group stages of the tournament has become more of a priority than winning actual silverware for some clubs across the continent.
When you look at the finances related to qualifying for the competition proper, it’s possible to understand why:
The 36 teams who feature in the new group phase each get a starting fee of €18.6 million ($19.56 million) just for participating, a figure which rises to €20.3 million ($21.34 million) when additional automatic payments are taken into account.
From there, they have the opportunity to add to their earnings for their achievements on the field, including on a game-by-game basis.
The price of a Champions League victory
Clubs are awarded €2.1 million ($2.21 million) for winning a single fixture in the league phase, while a draw nets them €700,000 (just under $736,000). Those numbers are actually slightly down from previous seasons, although the fact there are more games makes up for it (provided you don’t lose).
As a result of the new league phase, teams will earn a bonus at the end of the phase based on their position in the table. The bonus is split into 666 shares of €275,000 ($289,3000), with the top club given 36 shares, the second handed 35, and so on. That goes all the way down to the 36th-placed team, who receive only one share.
Champions League prize money per round
Additionally, clubs receive the following prize money for reaching different stages of the competition:
Knockout phase playoff - €1m ($1.1m)
Round of 16 - €11m ($12.2)
Quarter-finals – €12.5m ($13.9)
Semi-finals – €15m ($16.6m)
Final - €18.5m ($20.5m)
Winners - €25m ($27.8m)
From this season onwards, performance-based prize money represents 37.5% of the total prize purse, with the rest made up by the aforementioned starting fee (27.5%) and the newly-created value pillar (35%), which is based on the UEFA club ranking for the last 10 years and the broadcast market pool.
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