Celtic's Champions League campaign kicks off tonight with an opportunity to grab substantial earnings. The competition's combined prize pool is set at €2.467bn this season, offering sizeable financial rewards for clubs that perform well.
Just by participating in the revamped league phase, Celtic have already secured €18.62m (£15.7m). With a win against Slovan Bratislava in their opening fixture, they could add another €2.1m to their tally.
Clubs are rewarded with performance-related bonuses in the league phase: each win brings in €2.1m (£1.77m), while a draw earns €700k (£590k). Beyond individual match outcomes, UEFA also promises an additional payment of at least €275k (£232k), increasing by another €275k for every position higher than 36th in the table.
Here's a breakdown of Celtic's potential earnings in the Champions League:
- **League phase participation**: €18.62m (€17.87m down-payment and €750k balance)
- **Performance bonuses**: €2.1m per win, €700k per draw
- **League ranking bonus**: At least €275k, increasing by €275k per position above 36th
Additionally, clubs ranked 1-8 at the end of the league phase will receive an extra €2m, with those ranked 9th to 16th pocketing €1m. The further they progress, the bigger the bonuses:
- Qualification for knockout round play-offs: €1m per club
- Qualification for the round of 16: €11m per club
- Qualification for the quarter-finals: €12.5m per club
- Qualification for the semi-finals: €15m per club
- Qualification for the final: €18.5m per club
- Competition winners receive an extra €6.5m
Of course, this isn't to mention the gate receipts. At a minimum of £60 a ticket, a packed Celtic Park can expect to generate about £3.6m a home game. With the extra home game making four, that means about £14m+ in gate receipts.
