This is how much Scottish Premiership teams are expected to earn for qualifying for the 2025/26 Conference League.
Chelsea will hope to end their three year wait for a trophy this week as they face Real Betis in the final of the Conference League in Wroclaw, Poland on Wednesday.
One of Europe’s most prestigious clubs, Enzo Maresca’s side have already confirmed their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League after an impressive fourth-placed finish in the English Premier League, but will now look to rediscover their tradition of winning silverware by defeating La Liga outfit Real Betis at Stadion Wrocław.
Scotland’s only 2024/25 Conference League participants, Hearts, found it tough going in this season’s competition, missing out on the last 16 playoffs by the narrowest of margins, as they fell behind FK TSC Bačka Topola on goal difference on the final.
However, two Scottish Premiership clubs could take part in next season’s Conference League, with Dundee United, and possibly Aberdeen, both taking part in next season’s competition, we look at what each club is set to earn in the 2025/26 Conference League, while also assessing how much this season’s winners will be rewarded:
Dundee United's Glenn Middleton is out of contract at the end of the season. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)Dundee United's Glenn Middleton is out of contract at the end of the season. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)
Dundee United's Glenn Middleton is out of contract at the end of the season. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group) | SNS Group
Conference League prize money
To reveal how much Chelsea will earn if they win the Conference League on Wednesday night, we must first go back to the beginning of the competition in August.
Chelsea were awarded €146,000 (£123,000) for competing in the qualifying play-off round, while each club received a fixed payment of €3.04million (£2.6million) for qualifying for the League Phase of the competition. Participating teams were then rewarded with a ‘performance related bonus’ based on the outcome of each of their six league games. These payments were as follows:
Base participation fee: €3.04 million (£2.6 million) for reaching the league phase.
Performance bonuses: €400,000 (£336,000) per win and €133,000 (£112,000) per draw in the league phase.
In total, Chelsea won all six of their League Phase games, meaning they earned a total of €2.4million (£2.004million) in bonuses.
However, as they also finished in the top eight, they were also granted an additional €400,000 (£334,000) bonus for securing automatic qualification to the round of 16. They then received a further bonus for finishing top of the League Phase table, which tallied €27,000 (£23,000) per position, with Chelsea securing first place (exact position bonus varies, but estimated at €324,000 or £275,000 for first).
This means Chelsea received a total of around €3.570million (approximately £3,034,500) for their performance during the League Phase.
Round of 16: €800,000 (£675,000)
Quarter-finals: €1.2million (£1million)
Semi-finals: €2.9million (£2.5million)
This means Chelsea, for example, have earned a total of €8,470,000million (approximately £7,097,648) for their Conference League run so far. They will receive an additional amount of either €4.6 million (£3.9 million) if they lose to Real Betis on Wednesday, or an additional amount of €8.1million (£6.9million) if they win.
How much will the winners of the Conference League earn?
The winners of the Conference League will be paid a total of €8.1million (£6.9million), whereas the runners-up on the night will be awarded €4.6million (£3.9million).
How much will Scottish Premiership clubs earn for qualification for the Conference League?
Currently, there are two Scottish Premiership clubs that will take part in the 2025/26 Conference League qualifiers next season, with both Dundee United entering at the second qualifying round. Aberdeen’s Scottish Cup victory over Celtic will place them in the Europa League qualifiers instead, though they will also drop down into the Conference League in the event of them being knocked out.
The prize money for the 2025/26 Conference League season will follow a similar payment structure to that of the current season, with no significant changes announced for next season as it stands. The following estimated amounts are set to paid to qualifying teams in the 2025/26 campaign:
Second Qualifying Round (eliminated teams): €350,000 (£297,500)
Third Qualifying Round (eliminated teams): €550,000 (£467,500)
Play-off Round (eliminated teams): €750,000 (£637,500)
Play-off Round Participation (for teams advancing to the League Phase): €146,000 (£124,100).
This mean Dundee United, for example, will receive at least €350,000 (£297,500) for qualifying for the Conference League qualifying rounds.