Europa League Prize Money Breakdown (2025/2026)

The Champions League understandably bears the crown for being Europe’s most prestigious competition, but that is not to say that the continent lacks incredible tournaments outside of that. The Europa League is a brilliant example. While considered second-best behind the Champions League, it still offers spectators some exceptional matches across a season.

Just as the Champions League did last season, the Europa League was given a major overhaul ahead of the campaign, with traditional group stages having been abandoned, and creating some added excitement during those early games.

European competition, of any level, has long been the goal for most top flight sides, with performances on the continent offering large amounts of compensation to any teams for their participation. Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester United in an all-Premier League affair in the final and took home a big payday.

As the 2025/2026 Europa League campaign gets underway, here’s a look at exactly the amount of prize money that will be on offer for each team all the way up until the showpiece finale. Fans of Premier League sides Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, as well as Scottish top-flight outfits Celtic and Rangers will want to read on and find out what their club stands to earn if they make it all the way.

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Prize Money for Every Round of the 2025/2026 Europa League

As could be expected, the amount won by each team competing in this season’s Europa League is entirely dependent on how far they go in the competition. From qualifying for the league stage to winning the entire competition, there are seven distinct brackets for sides in the Europa League, as outlined on the official UEFA website.

League stage qualification

36 sides qualified for the new-look Europa League, with some sides having received a place automatically due to the position they placed within their domestic league last season. Others played a series of qualifying games in order to reach the competition proper. Regardless of their path, each team in the Europa League are guaranteed £3.7 million solely for being there.

In the following league stage, teams were given an additional £389,000 for each win they record along with £130,000 for every draw. Teams that automatically qualified for the next stage of the competition were given about £519,000 for doing so, while any side that finished between ninth and 16th were gifted £260,000.

Play-off round and round of 16 qualification

As briefly aforementioned, 24 of the 36 qualified teams will advance to the knockout stages, with 16 of those sides competing in eight play-off matches to determine the final half of the last 16. Regardless of the result, any team to reach that stage of the competition wins just over £260,000.

For the teams that are victorious, not only do they reach the Europa League round of 16, but they did will also bank a further £1.5 million for their efforts.

Quarter-finals qualification

The quarter-finals of this season’s Europa League are set to be played in the middle of April. The eight teams that successfully qualify will naturally have at least one eye on a potential run to the final, given they would be within touching distance of the trophy.

For the clubs that reach the last eight, regardless of whether they win their eventual tie or not, they will take home a tidy sum of £2.2 million.

Semi-finals and final qualification

Understandably, finances receive something of a boost for teams that reach the semi-finals of this season’s Europa League, with it representing the penultimate round of fixtures before the final, the game that all teams hope to compete in.

For reaching the semi-finals, teams will be given £3.9 million. The two sides that emerge victorious and reach the final will receive just under £6.1 million and that is only for being part of the match. By the Europa League’s conclusion, the eventual winner of the competition will receive an additional £5.2 million for lifting the trophy.

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How Do Funds Compare to Previous Seasons?

The 2023/24 season was the last to include traditional group stage matches in the Europa League. In that campaign, teams were given slightly more for every win and draw they notched and of the two sides that progressed, they won at least £460,000 for doing so.

On paper, it appears that there is less money in the modern Europa League, but as there are more matches to be played, the funds are simply distributed over those games. With regard to the knock-out stages, there are further noticeable differences.

For round of 16 qualification, there is an increase of around £500,000 this year compared to last. It is a trend found in further knock-out rounds, with teams this season getting £600,000 more for getting to the quarter-finals, about £1.2 million more for the semis and just over £2 million more for getting to the Europa League final.

Meanwhile, below is a look at how much was on offer in the Europa League last season.

(All figures are from the official UEFA website and are correct as of 18/09/2025)