Unexpected No. 1: Revealing the top 10 teams in the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 who earned the highest prize money after the league phase.
On 30 January 2026 GMT+7, Football365 revealed the latest prize money each team received after the completion of the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 league phase, featuring all 36 teams. This includes the 8 teams that automatically qualified for the round of 16 and the 16 teams that advanced to the playoffs as follows.
1. Arsenal 2. Bayern Munich 3. Liverpool 4. Tottenham Hotspur 5. Barcelona 6. Chelsea 7. Sporting Lisbon 8. Manchester City
9. Real Madrid 10. Inter Milan 11. Paris Saint-Germain 12. Newcastle United 13. Juventus 14. Atlético Madrid 15. Atalanta 16. Bayer Leverkusen
17. Borussia Dortmund 18. Olympiacos 19. Club Brugge 20. Galatasaray 21. Monaco 22. Qarabağ 23. Bodø/Glimt 24. Benfica
The UEFA Champions League prize money for the 36-team league phase is divided into three parts as follows.
– Every team is guaranteed an equal amount of £16.2 million.
- Win: £1.8 million per match
- Draw: £608,000 per match
- Ranking difference: £238,000 per position (Rank 36 receives £238,000; Rank 1 receives £8.57 million)
– This amount is paid based on club coefficient rankings and the share from TV broadcasting rights.
When combining all three parts, Bayern Munich, which finished second in the league phase with a record of seven wins and one loss, became the team receiving the highest prize money, despite trailing Arsenal, the unbeaten group leader with eight wins.
1. Bayern Munich – £85.76 million
2. Manchester City – £83.41 million
3. Liverpool – £83.28 million
4. Arsenal – £82.59 million
5. Chelsea – £78.91 million
6. Barcelona – £76.23 million
7. Tottenham Hotspur – £71.86 million
8. Paris Saint-Germain – £70.83 million
9. Real Madrid – £69.55 million
10. Borussia Dortmund – £60.39 million
