Arsenal are on course for a massive Champions League payday following their resounding 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night. Mikel Arteta’s squad put on a show at the Emirates Stadium, with Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli finding the back of the net in the second half, before Viktor Gyokeres scored twice in a span of three minutes.
They now sit third in the Champions League league phase standings with nine points from nine. Even before a ball was kicked, Arsenal pocketed a payment of €18.62million (£16.1m), simply by reaching the league phase. In addition to that, they have won all three of their matches so far, earning £5.4m to date, for a total of £21.5m overall – at this point.
UEFA awards clubs €2.1m (£1.8m) for each win, while a draw is worth €700,000 (£608,000). Performance-based prize money makes up 37.5 per cent (£805m) of the total prize fund – while the new ‘value pillar’ accounts for 35 per cent (£751m).
The value pillar, introduced in the 2024/25 season with the new format, rewards the biggest clubs because they attract far more viewers than smaller clubs. The remaining 27.5 per cent (£590m) of the prize pool comes from equal shares, known as a starting fee, which is split evenly among all 36 clubs in the league phase.
The league phase ranking bonus is divided into equal shares, each initially valued at €275,000 (£239,000). The team finishing 36th receives one share, the 35th place gets two shares, and this pattern continues up to the top team, which is awarded 36 shares.
Express Sport provide a detailed breakdown of the exact amounts awarded at each stage…
Winner – €25m (£21m)
Runner-up – €18.5 (£16m)
Semi-finalists – €15m (£13m)
Quarter-finalists – €12.5m (£11m)
Round of 16 – €11m (£10m)
Reaching knockout round play-off – €1m (£869k)
League phase win – €2.1m (£1.8m)
League phase draw – €700k (£608k)
Last year, Champions League winners’ Paris Saint-Germain bagged an impressive £70m from their victorious campaign – combining match prize money and their league phase ranking.
Next up for Arsenal, as they aim to increase their prize money, is a journey to the Czech Republic to face Slavia Praha.