CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
UEFA Champions League play-off round: how much do teams earn for reaching the group stage?
This midweek and next will determine which six teams join Real Madrid, Barcelona and Co in the first round proper.
We already know 26 of the 32 participants in the group stage of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, with the remaining six to be decided over the next couple of midweeks. Most of the usual suspects, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are, of course, already safely in the draw, but some fairly regular participants, such as PSV Eindhoven, Galatasaray and Rangers, still face a fight to make it to the promised land.
2023-24 UEFA Champions League play-off round draw
The play-off round is the final qualifying round before the group stage, with the winners of the six two-legged ties below progressing to the first round proper.
The first legs were scheduled for Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 August, with the returns being played on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 August.
- Maccabi Haifa (Israel) vs Young Boys (Switzerland)
- Antwerp (Belgium) vs AEK Athens (Greece)
- Raków Częstochowa (Poland) vs FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
- Molde (Norway) vs Galatasaray (Turkey)
- Rangers (Scotland) vs PSV (Netherlands)
- Braga (Portugal) vs Panathinaikos (Greece)
When is the draw for the 2023-24 Champions League group stage?
The draw for the group stage will take place on Thursday 31 August, the day after the last of the play-off round second legs are played. We will bring you live coverage of the draw right here on AS USA.
Which teams have already qualified for the 2023-24 Champions League group stage?
Plenty of familiar faces will again be playing Champions League soccer this season, although the likes of Newcastle United and Lens will be returning after long absences, while Union Berlin will participate for the first time ever.
- England: Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United
- Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla
- Italy: Napoli, Lazio, Inter, Milan
- Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Union Berlin
- France: Paris Saint-Germain, Lens
- Portugal: Benfica, Porto
- Netherlands: Feyenoord
- Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk
- Austria: FC Salzburg
- Scotland: Celtic
- Serbia: Red Star Belgrade
Prize money for qualifying for the Champions League group stage
UEFA haven’t stated how much prize money is on offer for the 2023-24 edition of the tournament specifically, although it is expected to be the same as in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Things will change drastically from 2024-25 onwards when the tournament switches to a new format, with 36 teams taking part instead of 32.
Playing in the group stage of the Champions League has become hugely important for a number of clubs around Europe whose budget assumes they will qualify year after year. Finishing in the top four of the Premier League, for instance, has become seen as a much bigger achievement for many than winning actually silverware in the FA Cup or EFL Cup.
And there is, of course, one simple reason for that. Qualification for the Champions League group stage earns each team €15.64 million ($16.9 million) and offers them the possibility of picking up plenty more in terms of performance bonuses (victories or draws) and from qualifying for the knockout rounds.
UEFA Champions League prize money
| Round reached /performance bonus | Prize money |
|---|---|
| Play-off round | €5 million ($5.4 million) |
| Group stage participation | €15.64 million ($16.9 million) |
| Group stage victory | €2.8 million ($3.03 million) |
| Group stage draw | €930,000 ($1.005 million) |
| Round of 16 | €9.6 million ($10.37 million) |
| Quarter-finals | €10.6 million ($11.45 million) |
| Semi-finals | €12.5 million ($13.51 million) |
| Runners-up | €15.5 million ($16.75 million) |
| Winners | €20 million ($21.61 million) |