The 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League final will take place on Saturday at Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey. The final will be contested between the current Premier League champions, Manchester City and the reigning Coppa Italia champions, Inter Milan. With this in mind, let's take a look at the prize money for the winner as it has been revealed.
How Much Will the UEFA Champions League Winning Club Take Home?
Last season, Real Madrid earned €83.2 million as a result of their Champions League win, as well as an additional €4.5 million for winning the UEFA Super Cup in August. This year, the winner of the competition as well as a perfect group stage win record will amass €85.14 million. Winning the final alone amounts to €20m, while the loser pockets €15.5m.
However, neither Manchester City or Inter Milan finished the group stage with %100 wins, this means they'll earn less of €85.14m
Here's the breakdown of the prize money from reaching the group stage to winning the UCL:
- Winners: €20 million
- Runners-up: €15.5 million
- Semifinalists: €12.5 million
- Quarterfinalists: €10.6 million
- Round of 16: €9.6 million
- Group Stage Wins: €2.8 million
- Group Stage Draws: €930 thousand
- Reaching Group Stage: €15.64 million
The above prize money breakdown shows that the more Champions League teams progress in the competition, the more money they get. It also shows how much clubs can earn by participating in the tournament, making qualification for most clubs a priority.
UCL Champions League vs CAF Champions League Prize Money
CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe announced earlier this year that a new prize money structure for the CAF Champions League has been approved.
In the announcement, prize money for CAF Champions League increased from US$ 2.5 million the previous year to US$ 4 million this year. This was to show Dr Motsepe’s desire to make African football self-sustaining and to be able to compete with the rest of the world favourably.
The winner of the CAF Champions League gets US$ 4 million, while the loser goes home with US$ 2 million. Let's take a look at the breakdown below:
CAF Champions League Prize Money List
- Winners: US$ 4 million
- Runners-up: US$ 2 million
- Seminalists (2): US$ 1.2 million
- Quarterfinalists (4): US$ 900 million
- 3rd in Group Stage (4): US$ 700 million
- 4th in Group Stage (4): US$ 700 million
The CAF Champions League final for 2023 is between Wydad AC of Morocco and Al-Ahly of Egypt.
SEE ALSO | Champions League Final Prediction: Can Inter Derail Pep’s Treble Dream?
In comparison, the UEFA Champions League winner gets €20 million ( US$ 21.54 million) while the CAF Champions League winner gets US$ 4 million. That's a whopping US$ 17.54 million difference.
African football is not there yet, but there has been some improvement in the last few years. With proper investment and sponsorship, African club football will get to the level where it'll be able to compete and win with the rest of the world.
This article was most recently revised and updated 5 months ago
