The Champions League and its riches have offered Arsenal an incredible boost when it comes to their finances this year.
The top European competition is known for having some of the best players on display, but also for offering a cumulative impact on finances once qualified for multiple occasions.
This season is just the second that Arsenal have managed to qualify for in recent years, but the impact of smart decisions is clear.
The Gunners have made it to the Champions League semi-final, standing just three matches away from immortality alongside Mikel Arteta.
While the impact of that is clear on building Arsenal as an attractive prospect for players, there is also the obvious financial rewards.
The north London club are already estimated to have bagged an 11-figure fee from the Champions League, with potentially more to come.
It all harks back to Stan Kroenke’s masterplan, which has led to this UEFA payout.
How much have Arsenal earned from the Champions League this season? TV and prize money explained
This season, Arsenal have made it to the Champions League semi-final for just the third time in the club’s history.
The Gunners will be hoping to take the next step and make even more history, but they have already done pretty well for themselves.
While estimates at this stage, Arsenal have earned somewhere in the region of £110million from the Champions League so far.
This comes from several revenue streams in UEFA competitions, the first of which is the prize money for reaching different stages of the competition.
Arsenal’s Champions League prize money so far
As it stands, this is the current prize money earned from Arsenal for each stage:
- Participation: £16million
- Round of 16: £9million
- Quarter-finals: £11million
- Semi-finals: £13million
That’s not all, though, as the Champions League also has other performance payouts, such as bonuses for winning or drawing matches and those for qualification and league finish.
That totals somewhere in the region of £31million, before Arsenal take on PSG in the Champions League semi-final.
Arsenal Insider spoke to finance expert Adam Williams on the prize money earned so far, with him claiming: “It’s relatively straightforward to work out how much Arsenal have earned so far.
“UEFA pay prize money in euros, so if there is a big swing in the currency market, then that could alter the amount Arsenal get in total.”
Champions League TV money for Arsenal so far
Then there’s the TV money on offer, which comes under the UEFA value pillar, a mixture of the market pool and coefficient to land on a payout.
That is estimated to be roughly £30million for Arsenal, however, it’s not quite as simple to estimate the new value pillar.
Williams added: “The value pillar is also a little bit trickier to work out because it’s partly based on the TV deals between UEFA and the UK broadcasters of the Champions League.”
It all adds up to a big fee with the prize money and TV revenue combined, coming into the region of £110million in total.
How much money would Arsenal get from winning the Champions League final?
With roughly £110million already banked from the Champions League this season, Arsenal are looking to make even more.
Making the final itself would land the Gunners a guaranteed £16million, while winning the whole tournament results in £21million in prize money.
As a whole, that could help Arsenal make as much as £131million in prize and TV money alone from this season’s Champions League.
Add in an estimated £35million in matchday revenue, as a low estimate, and it could see the north London outfit make £166million from the competition in just three revenue streams – not including the sponsorship deals and more to come from it.
Stan Kroenke’s masterplan in new Champions League format
The new Champions League format is still finding its feet, but with two extra games in the league phase and one extra knockout round, the competition is set up to make more money across the board than its previous edition.
That, in part, could come down to the impact of the European Super League’s formation back in 2021, with pressure put on UEFA to find a solution that works for all clubs.
The new format, along with its embarrassment of riches, has come down to that masterplan from the Arsenal owners, Stan Kroenke and co.
Williams explained, as he stated on the situation: “The new format has been a huge success as far as clubs and UEFA themselves are concerned.
“I think there is a risk of too many dead-rubbers in the future with the new league phase, which could potentially impact the value of the broadcast deals. In turn, that could impact the prize money that Arsenal and their peers receive in the future – but we’re speaking in theoretical terms there, really.
“It’s significant that the new format was introduced to placate the European Super League defectors, of which Arsenal were one. Club owners have lobbied for more matches – and more revenue as a result – to stop them from attempting another breakaway.
“So in that sense, Arsenal’s outsized prize money this year can be attributed to Stan Kroenke and the lobbying Arsenal and others have done behind the scenes at the European Club Association. If you’re an Arsenal fan, that’s at least one thing you can trace back to the shameful Super League plot.”
Club World Cup qualification could land Arsenal another big windfall
Winning the Champions League would not only land a memorable trophy for Arsenal, along with plenty of money, but it would also result in yet more cash.
That would be in the form of qualification for the Club World Cup, with the winner of this year’s competition making it into the 2029 edition.
That has opened up the chance for yet more money, as recent reports have stated that as much as £100million could be up for grabs in the 2025 version of the competition.
On that possibility, Williams added: “If Arsenal do win the Champions League, then they’ll qualify for the next edition of the expanded Club World Cup.
“This summer, FIFA say that’s going to be worth £30m just for showing up – and potentially as much as £100m for the team that wins it.
“Whether they can justify those figures for the 2029 edition remains to be seen. I think they will struggle, personally, but it depends on the success of this summer’s tournament in the US. But either way, Arsenal will benefit financially.”
Success breeds success and the closer Arsenal get to achieving their Champions League dream, the closer they are to building yet more success.
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