Premier League clubs in the Champions League will be playing for £2m apiece this week as the group stages get underway across the continent.
Increased prize money offerings in the top flight of European football will this year pay out £2m for a group stage win, while there’s a touch over £600,000 on offer for teams that take a point away from their opening tie this week.
London duo Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur get their campaigns underway this evening, away to Athletic Club and home to Villarreal respectively.
Chelsea joins the party tomorrow, taking on Bayern Munich in Germany, while Liverpool host Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
Newcastle United and Manchester City are both at home on Thursday, in what is a three-day matchweek. The Magpies are taking on Barcelona in the north while City host former player Kevin De Bruyne’s Napoli at the Etihad.
Last year’s winners Paris Saint-Germain earned a monumental £70m from their successful campaign when match prize money and their group finishing position were combined. That figure does not include a value bonus, awarded to teams based on their popularity in the competition.
Champions League prize money
English clubs such as Manchester City and Liverpool could have already bagged £50m apiece based on guaranteed TV money figures.
Tottenham Hotspur, who beat Manchester United to the Europa League title to qualify for the Champions League, received a financial uplift of around £120m by just qualifying for the top flight competition.
And they added another £3m to that prize pot by turning up for their Super Cup defeat to PSG ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Premier League champions Liverpool are currently favourites to win this year’s Champions League title, ahead of Barcelona, PSG, Arsenal and Real Madrid.
All 36 participating teams will be ranked in one table, with the top 24 having the opportunity to progress through to the latter stages.