Manchester United have not secured a major financial boost following their Europa League loss against Tottenham Hotspur. They could have raked in millions through prize money and associated revenue.
What a terrible night to be a Red Devils fan. Ruben Amorim’s side were defeated by Ange Postecoglou’s team in the Europa League final, and more importantly, did not secure Champions League football for next season.
This will drastically hinder Manchester United’s summer transfer window. With the allure of Europe’s best competition not in the frame, United may not be able to pull in players of high calibre in the coming months.
Plus, United now do not have as much money to spend on said players, courtesy of losing the Europa League final.
Photo by Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Europa League prize money explained
The share for clubs throughout the competition amounts to €565 million (£472.5m) and is distributed according to UEFA.
Each of the 36 clubs that qualified for the league phase is expected to receive a league phase allocation of €4.31 million (£3.6 million).
This amount was divided into:
A down payment of €4.14 million (£3.36 million)
A balance of €170,000 (£142,185)
Then you have performance-related add-ons:
Winner: €13m (£10.95m)
Runner-up: €7m (£5.90m)
Semi-finalists: €4.2m (£3.54m)
Quarter-finalists: €2.5m (£2.11m)
Round of 16: €1.75m (£1.47m)
1 – 8 finish bonus: €600k (£502,281)
Reaching knockout round play-off: €300,000 (£252,800)
9 – 16 finish bonus: €300k (£252,800)
League-phase wins: €450,000 (£379,201)
League-phase draws: €150,000 (£126,400)
But with United losing in Bilbao — how much could the Red Devils have made throughout the competition, and with the Champions League injection?
How much Manchester United could have earned from winning the Europa League
United have already earned £26.6 million from their success in the Europa League. If they had won on Wednesday, the Red Devils would have been granted an additional £27.8m. Altogether — Europa League winnings would have equated to £54.4m.
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Manchester United would have been guaranteed around £21 million in prize money, which includes rewards for reaching the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League and for winning the competition.
Additional amounts would have been awarded based on their position, as well as for any victories and draws in the Champions League league phase.
Photo by Alex Pantling - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Alex Pantling – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
However, the real cash would have come from the tickets, broadcast money, and sponsor bonuses which come with Champions League football. This could mean the figure would have risen to well over £100m.
The Europa League final was massive. United lost in arguably their biggest game in recent history, both financially and for on-the-pitch reasons. It’s going to be a long summer ahead.