Mikel Arteta's Arsenal secured a 2-0 win away to Athletic Club in their opening Champions League fixture as they look to improve on last season's run to the semi-finals
Gabriel Martinelli scoring against Athletic Club
Gabriel Martinelli helped Arsenal make a winning start in the Champions League
(Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal spent plenty of money over the summer as they looked to put themselves in a position to compete on multiple fronts this season. Things have started well, with nine points from 12 in the league and a victory in Bilbao in the first league phase game in the Champions League.
New arrivals Christian Norgaard and Piero Hincapie made their competitive debuts from the bench for the Gunners on Tuesday in Bilbao as Mikel Arteta's side won 2-0 against Athletic Club. Arteta made use of his whole squad for the game, with substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard scoring second half goals to clinch victory.
The victory earned the London side a cool £1.8million - a sum which gets awarded to any team which picks up three points in a league phase game. Maximum points from the eight fixtures would therefore mean a £14.4m in combined prize money - not to mention top seeding for the round of 16.
That top seeding isn't always a guarantee of progress, as Liverpool learned last season. The Reds were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 after the Parisians' slow start left them needing a knockout play-off against Brest, with Luis Enrique's side triumphing on penalties at Anfield before going on to win the whole competition.
There's no arguing with the prize money, though, with those extra millions boosting teams' coffers heading into the January transfer window. Arsenal didn't spend any money in last season's winter windows despite injury concerns over key players, and it remains to be seen whether things will be different in 2026.
The prize money is the same as in the 2024/25 season, and will remain the same next season. Per UEFA documentation, that means €2.1m (a little over £1.8m) per league phase win and €700,000 (£607,000) for each draw.
Teams are also given a share of a wider prize pool based on their ranking in the league phase. The team finishing last out of the 36 teams is entitled to €275,000 (just under £240,000) with €9.9m (£8.6m) for the team in first.
Maximum points would almost certainly secure top spot and qualification directly to the round of 16. The per-win prize money and the share of the group stage pot, coupled with €11m (£9.5m) per club that reaches the round of 16, would bring a total of a whopping £32.5m on top of the €18.62m (£16.1m) guaranteed to all league phase qualifiers.
Arsenal players celebrating against Real Madrid
Arsenal beat Real Madrid during a run to the semi-finals last season
(Image: Getty Images)
There's even more money in store the further a team gets, so Arsenal could be in line for a bigger payday if they can repeat last season's semi-final run. Quarter-finalists will get €12.5m on top of what comes before, while it's €15m for the semis, €18.5m for reaching the final and an extra €6.5m on top of that for the champions.
Arsenal boss Arteta was delighted with his team's opening win in Bilbao. He invoked England women's manager Sarina Wiegman in referring to his "finishers" - those who came off the bench to help break the Basque opposition's resistance.
Leandro Trossard celebrating his goal for Arsenal in Bilbao
Leandro Trossard celebrating his goal in Bilbao(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
“Something that we always discuss is that the finishers have to impact the game, and Gabi and Leo came on to make the difference for the team,” Arteta said. “They was outstanding and the rest of the team as well. In many moments, they were at a very good level.
“When someone is able to win the game in those actions and be so clinical, it's exactly what we need because the threat can come from different ways and different players. I'm very pleased with that."
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