The Champions League understandably bears the crown for being Europe’s most prestigious competition, but that is not to say that the continent lacks incredible tournaments outside of that. The Europa League is a brilliant example. While considered second-best behind the Champions League, it still offers spectators some exceptional matches across a season.
Just as the Champions League did this season, the Europa League was given a major overhaul ahead of the campaign, with traditional group stages having been abandoned. Instead, a league stage was introduced, with an increased number of 36 sides competing to reach the knock-out rounds.
Teams placed between first and eighth in the table progressed to the last 16 automatically, with those that finished anywhere between ninth and 24th entering a play-off round to progress to the next stage.
European competition, of any level, has long been the goal for most top flight sides, with performances on the continent offering large amounts of compensation to any teams for their participation. Just how much prize money, though, will teams receive for competing in the 2024/25 Europa League?
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Prize Money for Every Round of the 2024/2025 Europa League
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2024/25 Europa League Prize Money Breakdown
Stage
League stage qualification
Knock-out play-offs round
Round of 16 qualification
Quarter-finals qualification
Semi-finals qualification
Reaching the Europa League final
Winning the Europa League
Figures have been converted from Euros to Pounds at current exchange rates.
As could be expected, the amount won by each team competing in this season's Europa League is entirely dependent on how far they go in the competition. From qualifying for the league stage to winning the entire competition, there are seven distinct brackets for sides in the Europa League, as outlined on the official UEFA website.
League stage qualification
36 sides qualified for the new-look Europa League, with some sides having received a place automatically due to the position they placed within their domestic league last season. Others played a series of qualifying games in order to reach the competition proper. Regardless of their path, each team in the Europa League were guaranteed £3.6 million solely for being there.
In the following league stage, teams were given an additional £378,000 for each win they recorded along with £126,000 for every draw. Teams that automatically qualified for the next stage of the competition were given about £505,000 for doing so, while any side that finished between ninth and 16th were gifted £252,000.
Play-off round and round of 16 qualification
As briefly aforementioned, 24 of the 36 qualified teams advanced to the knockout stages, with 16 of those sides competing in eight play-off matches to determine the final half of the last 16. Regardless of the result, any team to reach that stage of the competition wins just over £250,000.
For the teams that were victorious, not only did they reach the Europa League round of 16, but did so having banked a further £1.5 million for their efforts.
Quarter-finals qualification
The quarter-finals of this season's Europa League are set to be played in the middle of April. The eight teams that successfully qualify will naturally have at least one eye on a potential run to the final, given they would be within touching distance of the trophy.
For the clubs that reach the last eight, regardless of whether they win their eventual tie or not, they will take home a tidy sum of £2.1 million.
Semi-finals and final qualification
Understandably, finances receive something of a boost for teams that reach the semi-finals of this season's Europa League, with it representing the penultimate round of fixtures before the final, the game that all teams hope to compete in.
For reaching the semi-finals, teams will be given £3.5 million. The two sides that emerge victorious and reach the final will receive just under £6 million and that is only for being part of the match. By the Europa League's conclusion, at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, the eventual winner of the competition will receive an additional £5 million for lifting the trophy.
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How Do Funds Compare to Previous Seasons?
Unai Emery lifts the Europa League trophy.
The 2023/24 season was the last to include traditional group stage matches in the Europa League. In that campaign, teams were given slightly more for every win and draw they notched and of the two sides that progressed, they won at least £460,000 for doing so.
On paper, it appears that there is less money in the modern Europa League, but as there are more matches to be played, the funds are simply distributed over those games. With regard to the knock-out stages, there are further noticeable differences.
For round of 16 qualification, there is an increase of around £500,000 this year compared to last. It is a trend found in further knock-out rounds, with teams this season getting £600,000 more for getting to the quarter-finals, about £1.2 million more for the semis and just over £2 million more for getting to the Europa League final.
(All figures are from the official UEFA website and are correct as of 07/03/2025 )