UEFA Champions League Prize Money: How Winners Can Earn €69.8m Explained
The UEFA Champions League is the most lucrative club soccer tournament in the world.
Champions League prize money is one of the main reasons that the Premier League's top four places have become so coveted in recent seasons.
Simply reaching the group stage will earn a club €15.64 million, but that is just the beginning.
Each victory in the group stage is worth €2.8m, meaning there is a total of €16.8m to play for across the six games.
Then add in a prize of €9.9m for any team who finishes in the top two places in their group of four to reach the last 16.
Prize money is accumulated in each round. For example, the €9.9m a team earns for reaching the last 16 is not replaced by the €10.6m they get for making the quarter-finals. They are added together.
As such, were a team to start their campaign in the group stage, they could take home €69.8m if they won every group game and then went on to lift the trophy.
The figures below break down the Champions League prize money for each round reached.
Round | Prize money |
---|---|
Reaching 1st qualifying round | €300,000 |
Reaching 2nd qualifying round | €400,000 |
Reaching 3rd qualifying round | €500,000 |
Reaching group stage | €15.64m |
Winning a group stage game | €2.8m |
Drawing a group stage game | €930,000 |
Reaching last 16 | €9.9m |
Reaching quarter-finals | €10.6m |
Reaching semi-finals | €12.5m |
Losing in final | €15.5m |
Winning in final | €20m |
In addition to these figures, clubs earn extra revenue from television deals based on how far their progress in the tournament.
Combining TV fees and prize money, the winner of the Champions League can expect to earn more than €85m.