UEFA Champions League action is almost back with the knockout stages set to get underway on Tuesday, February 14. The group stage threw up plenty of drama and some great goals, but the business end of the tournament is where things get serious and the money starts to be made.
The Champions League is the most lucrative club competition in the world and more and more money is earned the further a team goes. Here is a breakdown of what is up for grabs and how it will be divided in 2022/23.
There are many different factors to decide how much money a team earns from their participation in the Champions League. More money is earned from every single game that is won, meaning if you’re through to the knockouts with a game to go, it can still be worth winning that final game.
The total prize pot from UEFA for the Champions League this season is a whopping £1.72bn (€2.03bn/$1.98bn). That figure will be divided up between the participating teams as they tournament goes on.
In comparison, the prize pot for the UEFA Europa League is €465m, while for the UEFA Conference League it is €235m.
Last season’s champions Real Madrid earned €83.2m from their involvement in the Champions League after they beat Liverpool in the final in Paris. They didn’t stop there, getting another €4.5m from winning the UEFA Super Cup.
It was pre-determined what the maximum amount that one team could win is from the 2022/23 tournament, and the figure stands at €85.14m. That is if a team wins all of their group stage matches and then wins the tournament.
As you would expect, the majority of the money is handed out based on performance. There are two other ways in which the money is distributed though. 55% of it is based on performance, 30% is based on coefficient ranking, and the last 15% is broadcast revenues. The 55% is divided as follows:
Coefficients
UEFA have got their own coefficient algorithm which ranks each club’s European performance in the previous 10-year period. That pot of €600.6m is paid out to all 32 clubs in the group stage, as per their coefficient ranking.
Teams that have won European trophies in recent history will be higher up that ranking than those who are only just taking part in the tournament for the first time. The lowest-ranked team earns one share (€1.137m), while the top-ranked team earns 32 shares, or €36.38m.
Broadcast money
The final 15% of the money is based on broadcast revenues and then distributed accordingly. These figures are only final once all of the broadcast deals in each country have been decided upon.
The footballing governing body of each country that has a team in the Champions League that season gets a share of €300.3m and that share size is dependant on the proportional value of their TV market. It is then distributed to the clubs taking part from each country.
50% of the allocation that, for example, the FA receives, will be divided among the participating clubs based on fixed percentages determined by UEFA. The other 50% is paid out in propertion with the amount of matches that each club plays in the competition. Therefore the further your team goes, the more broadcast revenue they receive.
The first legs are being played on February 14, 15, 21 and 22, with the second legs played on March 7, 8, 14 and 15.
Credit: 90min.com
