The 2026 chapter of the Champions League is finally over after PSG beat Arsenal on Saturday night, but just how much did Chelsea make from the competition – and how much more did Arsenal earn?
Typically, the side that knocked Chelsea out of the last 16 reached the final to take on Arsenal, with PSG and the Gunners going to penalties. Gabriel’s blazed his effort over the bar, and Arsenal went on to lose.
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Yet financially, it can hardly be seen as a defeat. In an environment where clubs are struggling to abide by Financial Fair Play rules and forced into selling academy products, external prize money becomes crucial.
While Arsenal reached the final, Chelsea could only manage a place in the last 16 of the competition. Liam Rosenior showed promise with a key win against Napoli before coming up against the French champions.
Chelsea earned a whopping £44.5m less than Arsenal
There was hope Rosenior might get the better of PSG and pull off a repeat of the Club World Cup final result across the pond. Rosenior had beaten PSG during his time as Strasbourg boss before joining.
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But Chelsea were haplessly beaten 8-2 on aggregate by the French giants. The Blues exited at the last 16 stage while Arsenal progressed to the final, where they faced PSG in Budapest on Saturday evening.
They might have lost, but according to the Athletic, Arsenal earned a whopping £124.7m thanks to their exploits in the Champions League. Meanwhile, Chelsea earned £80.2m, north of £44m less than Arsenal.
Only six teams have won the Champions League from England
The inability to win the Champions League on Saturday night saw Arsenal unable to become the seventh English team to win either the Champions League or the European Cup. Chelsea are one of those six.
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Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Man United, Man City and Liverpool have also held the famous trophy aloft. The £80m fee Chelsea earned will have been welcomed by BlueCo, but it will vanish next season.
It highlights the need for Chelsea to cash in on a big player or two this summer. Joe Cole thinks that Chelsea will have to sell one big player, possibly a Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo or Joao Pedro.
Nevertheless, Arsenal may have lost out to PSG on the pitch last night, but off it, they have earned £45m more than Chelsea did in the same calendar year. That will sting Boehly and Chelsea the most.
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