Chelsea are nearly a third of the way through the Premier League season and their chances of qualifying for the Champions League look promising.
Under the Swiss model, Chelsea would have been guaranteed four home games against high-quality opposition,” Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert and co-host of the Price of Football podcast, tells The Athletic. “We have seen how Aston Villa have approached that in terms of the prices they are selling match tickets.
“There is no reason why Chelsea, even though they have a limited capacity at Stamford Bridge, can’t be averaging £60 to £70 a ticket. That is £3million a match from matchday alone. You would then have your sponsorship bonuses thrown in on top.”
“It is very beneficial to a club. Finishing in the top four is more important than winning the Premier League.”
When their latest set of accounts become available, the price of not playing European football in 2023-24 should be laid bare.
“It is still noticeable that they have not yet signed a front-of-shirt deal this season, and part of the reason for that is nobody cares about Thursday night football — especially the Conference League,” notes Maguire. “Having a Champions League participation to sell next season will assist them significantly.”
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