Newcastle United latest news: UEFA’s 2024/25 financial results hint at the staggering Champions League prize money on offer to Newcastle United this season.
Newcastle United have learned about the eye-watering sums of money they could expect to receive from UEFA for their participation in this season’s Champions League.
Eddie Howe’s side finished 12th in the league phase of this season’s Champions League and will take on Azerbaijani side Qarabag in a two-legged play-off game this month for a spot in the Round of 16. If Newcastle United can overcome Qarabag, then they will face either Chelsea or Barcelona in the last-16 of the competition.
They will find out their exact opponents in the days following the second-leg of that tie with Qarabag at the end of the month. Howe’s side travel to Baku for the first-leg next week, with that game set to kick-off at 5:45pm (UK time) on Wednesday 18 February.
Whilst this is Newcastle United’s second Champions League campaign in the last three years, it is their first in the new ‘Swiss style model’ format - one that offers clubs access to much greater prize money for competing in and being successful in, compared to the old format.
Newcastle United have already guaranteed themselves over £20m in prize money due to their participation in the league stage and their four wins, against Union Saint-Gilloise, Benfica, Athletic Club and PSV Eindhoven, and two draws, against Bayer Leverkusen and PSG, during the league phase. However, new data published by UEFA has revealed the staggering sums of money that could be on offer to the Magpies if they are able to progress further in the competition.
UEFA reveal Champions League prize money
Among UEFA’s published 2024/25 financial results is a breakdown of what each club participating in last season’s Champions League were awarded in their final prize money breakdown. PSG, the eventual winners of the competition, earned €144.415m (£125.73m) in total with runners-up Inter Milan receiving €136.625m (£118.95m).
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Newcastle United, of course, will have dreams of reaching this year’s final but a more realistic ambition would be to progress to the Round of 16 with hopes of sneaking through that round and into the last eight. As an example of the ballpark prize money that Newcastle United could expect this season, Manchester City, who were eliminated in the play-off round last year by Real Madrid, earned £66.36m in prize money from UEFA.
French club Lille, meanwhile, went one step further than the Citizens before falling in the last-16 at the hands of Borussia Dortmund. They earned £68.53m from their Champions League campaign.
Aston Villa, probably the best club to compare Newcastle United to both on and off the field in recent years, earned £72.86m for reaching the quarter-finals. That kind of prize money would help the Magpies turbocharge their spending power.
However, their league form means a return to the Champions League next season is unlikely and so an extra focus must be placed on their Champions League journey this season in order to maximise every penny they can from this season’s competition.
For reference, Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur were given £36.01m in prize money last season. Less than half of what Villa earned for their run to the quarter final of the Champions League. Chelsea, meanwhile, won just £19m for their Conference League triumph.
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