CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MAKES RICH, INCLUDING ITALIAN TEAMS. HOW MUCH HAVE THEY EARNED SO FAR?

Over €2 billion are distributed to the participants of the UEFA Champions League, and the Italian teams have already earned €250 million.

In the 2018/2019 season, UEFA will generate approximately €3.25 billion from the Champions League and Europa League. Of this amount:

• €2.55 billion will go to the clubs: €2.04 billion for the Champions League participants, and “only” €510 million for the Europa League participants.
• €295 million will cover the organizational costs of the competitions.
• €227.5 million will be distributed as solidarity payments to leagues/federations and clubs that win their domestic championships but do not qualify for the Champions League/Europa League via the playoffs.

UEFA Champions League

Out of the 12 teams participating in the playoffs, the six eliminated teams each receive a fixed share of €5 million, while the winners will enter the distribution for participation in the group stage.

From the group stage onwards, clubs receive four types of payments:

• €488 million distributed as an initial participation fee, equivalent to €15.25 million per team.
• €585 million in match-based payments during the group stage: €2.7 million for a win and €0.9 million for a draw.
• €585 million according to a ranking based on the performance over the last 10 years.
• €292 million in variable shares based on the market pool.

Teams qualifying for the knockout stages receive the following:

• Qualification for the Round of 16: €9.5 million per team.
• Qualification for the Quarter-finals: €10.5 million per team.
• Qualification for the Semi-finals: €12 million per team.
• Qualification for the Final: €15 million per team.
• The winner of the UEFA Champions League receives an additional €4 million.
• The finalists of the 2018 Super Cup each receive €3.5 million, plus €1 million for the winner.

Ranking Based on Coefficients, €585 million

Based on the results and placements in European competitions over the last 10 years, participating teams are ranked in a special list, and the total amount of €585 million is distributed in “coefficient shares” worth €1.108 million each. The team at the bottom of the ranking receives one share (€1.108 million). For each position higher, an additional share is added: thus, the team at the top of the ranking receives 32 shares (€35.46 million).

Market Pool, €292 million

The available amount is distributed according to the proportional value of each country’s TV market represented by the clubs participating in the Champions League (from the group stage onwards). The amounts distributed to teams from each country depend mainly on:

• The amount paid by national broadcasters to UEFA for the Champions League TV rights.
• The number of clubs from each country participating in the Champions League.
• The final position of each club in the previous domestic championship.
• The performance of each club in the UEFA Champions League 2018/19.

Top Ten Teams by Earnings After the Group Stage:

CLUB	REVENUE (€ millions)
Porto	39.15
Barcellona	37.35
Bayern Monaco	37.35
Atletico Madrid	36.45
Borussia Dortmund	36.45
Manchester City	36.45
Real Madrid	35.55
Juventus	35.55
Ajax	35.55
Paris Saint-Germain	34.65

(Note: Excludes market pool and historical ranking.)

Earnings of Italian Teams in the Champions League

Referring to the historical ranking, Juventus, ranked 6th, receives around €30 million, Inter around €18 million, Napoli around €13 million, and Roma around €12 million.

Market Pool (€60 million) is assigned in two ways. The first half (€30 million) is based on the performance of the teams in the previous domestic season, with the following distribution:

• 40% to the Serie A champion: Juventus (€12 million).
• 30% to the second-place finisher: Napoli (€9 million).
• 20% to the third-place finisher: Roma (€6 million).
• 10% to the fourth-place finisher: Inter (€3 million).

The second half is distributed based on the number of matches played by each team relative to the total number of matches played by the four Italian teams. In other words, the more matches a team plays in the competition, the more revenue it generates from the market pool, reducing the revenue of other national teams.

This year, Napoli and Inter, eliminated in the group stage, each played 6 matches, while Roma and Juventus, who qualified for the Round of 16, will play at least 8 matches. In total, the Italian clubs have played a minimum of 28 matches: Roma and Juventus each represent 28.6% (8 out of 28) of the matches played by Italian teams, earning €8.6 million each, while Inter and Napoli, with 21.4%, will earn €6.4 million each.

This distribution would change in favor of Juventus and Roma if they progress past the Round of 16, thereby reducing the relative number of matches for Inter and Napoli.

Based on these numbers, the current distribution of earnings for Italian teams is as follows:

CLUB	RANKING	MKT POOL FIX	MKT POOL VAR.	GROUP STAGE	ROUND OF 16	MATCH BONUS ì	TOT
Juve	29.7	12	8.6	15.25	9.5	10.8*	85.85
Napoli	13.3	9	8.6	15.25	–	8.1**	54.25
Roma	122	6	6.4	15.25	9.5	8.1***	57.45
Inter	17.7	3	6.4	15.25	–	7.2****	49.55

* 4 wins| ** 2 wins and 3 draws| *** 3 wins | **** 2 wins e 2 draws

Distribution subject to changes if Juventus and/or Roma advance past the Round of 16, and if UEFA increases the amount distributed after the competition ends.

Finally, it’s important to note that these amounts do not include gate revenue from the home Champions League matches, which is another significant source of income that will grow as the teams progress in the competition.

Credits to Martino Bernocchi