Champions League Predictions
Champions League Prize Money Breakdown
Saturday’s Champions League final is not just a battle for Europe’s biggest prize on the pitch – it is also worth a huge amount off it, and William Hill News covers the figures below.
The final itself carries a major cash reward, and William Hill’s market currently makes PSG 4/6 favourites, with Arsenal 6/5 to win the club’s first European Cup.
Beyond prestige, the key headline is simple: the winners of the 2025/26 Champions League final will receive €25 million from UEFA, while the runners-up will take home €18.5 million.
That means there is a €6.5 million swing on the result of the final alone, before broader competition earnings are taken into account.
Final prize money
The final itself brings a substantial payday for both clubs. Each finalist is already guaranteed €18.5 million for reaching the showpiece, and the eventual winners then collect an extra €6.5 million on top, taking their final-stage payout to €25 million.
So in very simple terms:
- Champions League winners: €25m
- Champions League runners-up: €18.5m
That is only the final-stage money, not the total amount each club will bank across the season. Both Arsenal and PSG will already have earned millions more from their league-phase participation, wins and progression through the knockout rounds.
How the money builds up
UEFA’s new-format Champions League spreads prize money across several layers rather than just rewarding knockout progress.
Each club that reached the league phase received a starting fee of around €18.62 million, with further payments for league-phase wins, draws and finishing position.
From there, the knockout rounds add significant extra sums: the round of 16 is worth €11 million, the quarter-finals €12.5 million, the semi-finals €15 million, and then the final brings the €18.5 million runner-up payment plus the additional €6.5 million for the winners.
That is why a run all the way to the final can push overall UEFA earnings into very serious territory.
What it means for Arsenal and PSG
For Arsenal, lifting the trophy would mean not only ending their long wait for a European crown, but also maximising the financial reward from a campaign that has already gone deep into the new-format competition.
For PSG, it would be another huge financial boost on top of what has reportedly become one of the richest Champions League eras yet under UEFA’s expanded model.
The difference between winner and runner-up in the final itself may be €6.5 million, but the wider commercial and reputational benefits of becoming champions are obviously far greater. E
ven so, from a pure UEFA prize-money perspective, both clubs are already banking a major return simply for reaching Saturday’s final.
Trophy market
William Hill’s outright market suggests PSG are the more likely team to cash the bigger cheque.
The French champions are 4/6 to lift the trophy, while Arsenal are 6/5. Those odds imply PSG are slight but clear favourites to turn finalist money into winners’ money on the night.
With €25 million for the champions and €18.5 million for the runners-up, there is plenty on the line before a ball is even kicked.
Add in the fact that both clubs have already built up large sums throughout the competition, and this final is as meaningful financially as it is historically.
