How much prize money Chelsea got for winning Conference League compared to Arsenal in the Champions League says it all

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The 2024/25 season has come to a close, and for Arsenal, it has been one they would much rather forget in almost every aspect.

While the Gunners had aspirations of winning silverware this campaign, they fell painfully short in almost every competition.

The Premier League title was the main goal, one they missed out on to rivals Liverpool, while exits in the semi-final of both the Champions League and Carabao Cup only compounded the misery of an early dumping out of the FA Cup.

Arsenal fans have been left even more frustrated when looking at their rivals, with plenty of cup competitions going their way.

Tottenham’s Europa League triumph rubbed salt in the wounds, as the Lilywhites ended their trophy drought.

Then came Chelsea, who managed to secure the Conference League with a win over La Liga outfit Real Betis.

While some may question who had a better season as a result, the finances actually reveal quite a lot about the difference between Arsenal and their rivals this campaign.

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Chelsea’s prize money after winning the Conference League compared to Arsenal’s after Champions League exit

While comparisons will be made between Arsenal and Chelsea as to who had the better season, the finances tell something of a different story.

The Blues, having made it all the way to the Conference League final with a win, managed to bag themselves £7 million in prize money.

It’s a rather minimal fee in comparison to Arsenal, who landed £13 million just for their exit in the semi-final alone.

Overall, Arsenal earned £97 million from Champions League prize money this season, which is a huge boost to their budget.

There’s a seismic difference between the two teams, with the Gunners now enjoying the cumulative impact of qualifying for the competition for consecutive years.

That may well give them the edge in the summer transfer window, with some of their rivals playing catch-up to reach the same level.

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Arsenal face tougher competition for next season’s Champions League

While Arsenal did well to reach the semi-final of the Champions League, there was still plenty of disappointment that they didn’t get all the way.

With next season offering another chance to land the trophy, there could be a tougher challenge coming up.

There will be more Premier League teams in the competition, with Tottenham’s Europa League win qualifying them for the contest, along with a fifth league place because of the coefficient in UEFA.

• Arsenal
• Liverpool
• Man City
• Chelsea
• Newcastle
• Tottenham

It means Arsenal will be one of six English teams there, with the new Champions League format making it so that facing one of them in the knockout rounds is a real possibility.