UEFA hand Real Madrid $150 million while Barcelona get just 1% of revenue
UEFA has released all revenue from European competitions for the 2023-2024 season.
Real Madrid pocketed a staggering €138.79 million in the 2023–2024 season—an enormous contrast to the mere €1.38 million earned by the Barcelona women’s team for winning the Champions League title. The official prize money figures, published in UEFA’s Financial Report, highlight the stark inequality in earnings between the men’s and women’s competitions.
In addition to Real Madrid’s prize for clinching their 15th Champions League title, they also received €36.38 million based on their coefficient over recent years and another €14.31 million from the market pool (now known as the “pillar value”). No club earned more in Europe last season.
Barcelona’s men’s team brought in €98.38 million, boosted by a substantial €15.21 million from the market pool—more than what Madrid received from that category. Atlético de Madrid followed closely with €92.96 million. Sevilla earned €50.77 million, while Real Sociedad took home a similar figure: €50.1 million.
Real Madrid led the earnings chart across Europe, trailed by PSG (€122.44 million, including €34 million from the market pool), Champions League runner-up Borussia Dortmund (€120.75 million), Bayern Munich (€120.40 million), and Manchester City (€110.45 million). These five were the only clubs to exceed €100 million in earnings.
In the Europa League, Bayer Leverkusen topped the earnings list with €41.23 million as tournament runners-up—still far behind Champions League levels. Winners Atalanta took home €33.94 million, less than both Sevilla and Real Sociedad, despite those two not progressing beyond the Champions League group stage and round of 16, respectively.
Spain was the most profitable league by a clear margin. The seven Spanish clubs in European competition (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Betis, and Villarreal) collectively earned €465 million through sporting merit, market pool, and coefficient rewards. In comparison, Premier League clubs made around €383 million, German clubs earned €411 million (helped by Dortmund and Leverkusen reaching their respective finals), and Italian teams brought in €330 million.
Abysmal Gap in Women’s Football Earnings
Despite Barcelona’s women’s team winning their third Champions League title in 2024, the prize money remains miles behind the men’s competition. Their reward? Just €1.38 million—a difference of €137.41 million compared to Real Madrid’s earnings.
UEFA has acknowledged this gap and is taking steps to increase prize money in the women’s game. From 2025 to 2027, clubs participating in the Women’s Champions League (starting from the league phase) will share €18.2 million. This figure is set to rise to €24.1 million between 2027 and 2030.
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It’s part of UEFA’s broader effort to gradually close the prize money gap between the men’s and women’s tournaments—though there’s still a long road ahead.
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