Champions League Prize Money - How Much is UCL Final Worth?

Champions League prize money

When Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund face off at London’s Wembley Stadium in the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, there will be more than glory at stake.

There is also a significant amount of Champions League prize money to be decided.

The overall pool of UCL prize money for the 2023-24 season totaled nearly $2.2 billion. But how much of that will the winning team take home? And what about the runner-up?

Millions of dollars in Champions League prize money has already been distributed between the participating teams. Let’s look at how it breaks down.

Champions League Prize Money Breakdown

As you will see in the list below, millions are on the line when the two teams take to the field on Saturday, and not just in Champions League betting markets.

Either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund will leave Wembley some $21.7 million richer just for winning the UCL final. That’s the Champions League winner’s prize money.

But there’s more.

Every club that began in the group stage way back in September 2023 earned nearly $17 million. A win in the group is worth just over $3million, and a draw pays $1million. The further a team goes, the more UCL prize money they pick up.

Then there are other Champions League prize money factors to add in, which we’ll discuss below. Ultimately, the winners – if they win all their group games, as Real Madrid did – could walk away with about $90 million.

UCL prize money by stage

Winner $21.7 million
Runner-up $16.8 million
Semi-finals $13.6 million
Quarter-finals $11.5 million
Round of 16 $10.4 million
Each group-stage win $3 million
Each group-stage draw $1 million
Reaching group stage $16.9 million

Other Prize Money Factors

Incredibly, the huge amount Champions League prize money in the list above covers only 55 per cent of the total distributed between the 32 clubs that make the group stage of the tournament.

The other 45 per cent is shared out according to two further sets of calculations:

1. Coefficient Payout

Coefficient Payout

This accounts for 30 per cent of the prize pool, about $650 million this season, and rewards participating clubs based on their performance in the UEFA Champions League over the last 10 years.

The teams’ records are calculated to rank them from 1 to 32, and the money is then shared according to their rank. The club in 32nd place gets one share, worth about $1.23 million, while the top-rated club gets 32 shares, about $39.5 million.

That’s how a club like Real Madrid, with its stellar record in the competition and its perfect run to the 2024 final, could bolster its total Champions League prize money for this season beyond the $90 million mark.

2. Broadcast Payout

Broadcast Payout

The final 15 per cent of the total pot, about $325 million, is a distribution of the Champions League TV money that helps to make this such a lucrative tournament.

Each participating country’s FA (Football Association) gets a share of the money based on the value of its TV market. That share is then divided among the teams from that country who played in the tournament, with the proportions decided in part by the number of matches they play.

Other Valuable Competitions

Although the UEFA Champions League is the most lucrative international club competition in the soccer world, there are several other tournaments that offer serious prize money to their participants.

Europa League & Europa Conference League

Winning the 2024 Europa League, for instance, was worth $9.3million to Italian club Atalanta – but we should also take into account the $3.9 million they earned simply for reaching the group stage, and the extra bonuses for winning and drawing games at that stage.

Similarly, the winners of the Europa Conference, the third-tier continental club competition, will earn at least $8.8 million.

English Premier League

Those numbers are, however, dwarfed by the riches on offer in the English Premier League (EPL), the richest soccer league in the world.

It pays out more to its teams than any other soccer league in the world and generates the most handle at the best online sportsbooks by a huge margin (around $73 billion globally).

Every club in the EPL in 2024-24 – even Sheffield United, who finished in last place – earned more than $125 million in prize money simply for taking part. Teams at the top, like champions Manchester City and runners-up Arsenal, collected more than $220 million.

Small wonder that England’s EFL Championship play-off final, which decides the final place in the following season’s EPL, is often referred to as the most valuable game in the world. Promotion for the victors in that single game could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars over the following three years.

Conclusion

It’s not hard to see why the UEFA Champions League exerts such a strong fascination for soccer fans and clubs across Europe.

Current Champions League final odds make Real Madrid heavy favorites to win the trophy for the 15th time. You’d think it would lose it importance after that many victories but no, it remains the pinnacle for that club and all others in Europe.

The Champions League prize money on offer is also a compelling incentive for the clubs taking part, and those aspiring to join the continental elite.

With tens of millions of dollars available simply for making the 32-club group stage, clubs across Europe strive desperately to be part of this lucrative annual party.

There is no sign of the rewards on offer decreasing. Indeed, the 2024-25 season will see the number of teams involved rise to 36 – and the amount of money available is expected to swell too.

The quest for Champions League prize money is sure to be as intense as ever for the foreseeable future.