When the balls are circling in the Champions League draw in Istanbul today, it is of course somehow about football – but in any case it is also about an incredible amount of money for 32 clubs.
Two billion euros (that’s a two followed by nine zeros) is the magical sum that will be divided among all 32 teams from the group stage. In the crowd at the meat pots, however, the top dogs in particular benefit. Of course, the five (!) German starters Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt, who qualified as Europa League winners, also expect a warm shower of money.
“This unity has potential”
They all long to get as far as possible in the premier class, which is why when the groups are divided on Thursday (25.08.2022, today from 6 p.m. in the live ticker at sportschau.de) it is hoped that opponents will be as feasible as possible. The premier class is a gift, especially for Frankfurt. “This unity has potential”, President Peter Fischer rejoiced after winning the European Cup. But that’s enough “Certainly not to win the Champions League. But that’s not the goal either”.
Rather, the team seeded in pot one will go there “take it up with fun”. According to CEO Axel Hellmann, the economic issues are the most important “Interesting”, additional income of around 30 million euros. For qualifying for the group stage alone, each starter will receive 15.64 million euros from UEFA’s 500.5 million pot.
Each point brings almost a million
There is 2.8 million euros for every win in the preliminary round and 930,000 euros for every draw. 600.6 million in fixed UEFA funds are distributed in this way. If a club marches, Bayern will try after their quarter-finals in 2021/2022, with six wins through the group phase and even win the final on June 10 in Istanbul, 84.27 million can be expected.
In addition, the clubs are rewarded for their performance in the European Cup over the past ten years via a performance-related coefficient. Of the 600.6 million euros also available via this key, Bayern, as second in the ranking, should receive around 35.25 million.
| pot 1 | pot 2 | pot 3 | pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| real Madrid | Liverpool FC | Borussia Dortmund | Glasgow Rangers |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | Chelsea FC | RB Salzburg | Dinamo Zagreb |
| Manchester City | Barcelona FC | Shakhtar Donetsk | Olympique Marseille |
| AC Milan | Juventus | Inter Milan | FC Copenhagen |
| FC Bayern Munich | Atlético Madrid | SSC Naples | Club Brugge |
| Paris Saint Germain | FC Seville | Benfica Lisbon | Celtic Glasgow |
| FC Porto | RB Leipzig | Sporting Lisbon | Victoria Pilsen |
| Ajax Amsterdam | Tottenham Hotspur | Bayer Leverkusen | Maccabi Haifa |
Bayern, City or Real have an advantage
Of course, this mode particularly favors the top European clubs such as Bayern, Manchester City or Real Madrid, who go far in the Champions League year after year. Just like the payouts via the market pool, which is estimated at a total of 300.3 million euros and which includes the television money.
There, UEFA splits half of the TV revenue in line with the performance in the league. Bayern get 40 percent as Bundesliga champions, Dortmund as runners-up 30 percent, third-placed Leverkusen 20 percent and fourth-placed Leipzig 10 percent. Frankfurt, not qualified through the league, gets nothing here.
New deal with Paramount
However, since the allocation of the second half of the market pool depends on the games played in the Champions League, the Frankfurters can scoop millions more in a surprise run in the knockout stages. The financial attractiveness of the Champions League remains unbroken even after the failed attempt to introduce the Super League last year.
UEFA has just signed a new contract with the US media group Paramount, which broadcasts the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League in the USA until the 2029/30 season. Noisy “The Athletic” The deal valid from the 2024/2025 season should bring UEFA 250 million euros per season. The gold vein of football does not seem to be drying up.