How Much Referees Get Paid in the Champions League

Summary

The Champions League is, without question, the highest calibre of football that Europe has to offer.
Especially in the 21st century, there have been significant amounts of money put into the game, with the Champions League being no exception.
Referees can consistently earn four-figure wages per game in the competition.

The Champions League is, without question, the most prevalent competition within European football and easily one of the best in the world. As the European Cup, it was established in 1955 and over its seven decades of history, numerous teams have emerged, at one point or another, as the best side on the continent.

In the 21st century, with the high amounts of money that have been put into football, the Champions League has become increasingly valuable with each passing year. It is no coincidence that teams competing in the Champions League attract the best players as, while they are more often than not some of the best teams in the world, they are also able to offer massive salaries as contracts to players.

Focus in the Champions League is, understandably, on the players, but for a game to be played, it needs a referee. In theory, the best competition on the continent also has the best officials, with an array of referees from across Europe being chosen to officiate in the tournament. How much, then, are these referees paid for working in the Champions League and how much do they earn if they were given the honour of officiating the final?

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How Much Champions League Referees are Paid

According to a beIN SPORTS report from the middle of last year, referees are paid varying amounts in the Champions League depending on which stage of the competition they are officiating in.

League stage

The new format of what was formerly the group stages of the Champions League means that, rather than a team playing three other sides twice, once at home and once away, there is a far broader array of opponents that they could potentially face. Not only that, but the increase in teams to 36 means that each club will play eight games in the competition’s opening stage, rather than six.

There are varied debates around this topic, which is understandable. For referees, though, it is nothing if not a chance for them to make more money, given that there are more games to officiate. For each match in this stage of the competition, referees will reportedly earn around £5,300 per game.

Round of 16

The round of 16 for this year’s Champions League will be determined through a play-off system after the league stage is concluded. The top eight teams will progress automatically, while the teams placed between 9th and 24th will compete in a play-off round to determine the final eight sides to play in the round of 16. Any team below 24th will be eliminated immediately.

While there is no conclusive figure as to what referees are paid in this stage of the competition, it seems fair to assume that it will be the same, if not slightly more, than the £5,300 they receive for matches in the opening stage of the competition.

Quarter-finals and semi-finals

From 16 teams, to eight, to four. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are always an invigorating watch as, in theory, the teams remaining are some of the best and most exciting to watch on the entire continent.

Of course, the money received by referees for officiating a match at this stage of the competition is more than their rate for the league stage. Referees reportedly stand to earn just shy of £6,700 for every game that they officiate at either stage, as there is no difference in prices between the quarter and semi-finals.

Final

Last season, Borussia Dortmund were unable to complete what would have been a fairytale Champions League campaign. Despite a relatively underwhelming league campaign, Dortmund pushed through to the Champions League final, but could not stop Real Madrid winning their 15th trophy in the competition.

Slavko Vincic was the referee chosen to officiate the game, the highest honour a referee based in Europe could achieve at club level. Though it pales somewhat in comparison to the apparent seven-figure bonus received by players for winning the trophy, Vincic reportedly took home just shy of £9,000 for refereeing the final, which is certainly not too bad for a day’s work.