2018/19 UEFA club competitions revenue distribution system
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Article summary
UEFA announced the detailed financial distribution system for its club competitions for the 2018/19 season in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
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UEFA has released details of the distribution of revenue to clubs from the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League, the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League and the 2018 UEFA Super Cup as well as solidarity payments for the qualifying phases.
The gross commercial revenue from the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League, the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League and the 2018 UEFA Super Cup is estimated at around €3.25bn.
Of the estimated gross amount of €3.25bn, €295m will be deducted to cover organisational costs relating to the competitions, and 7% (€227.5m) will be set aside for solidarity payments. Of the resulting net revenue of €2.73bn, 6.5% will be reserved for European football and remain with UEFA, and the other 93.5% will be distributed to the participating clubs.
On the basis of the above revenue forecast and set allocations, the total amount available for distribution to participating clubs in 2018/19 is €2.55bn, of which €2.04bn will be distributed to clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup, and €510m will be distributed to clubs participating in the UEFA Europa League. Furthermore, additional contributions from UCL clubs' share will be made as follows:
• €50m to UEFA Europa League clubs' share
• €10m to subsidise solidarity payments to clubs eliminated in the qualifying phase of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
UEFA Champions League
Share for 12 clubs participating in UEFA Champions League play-offs
A total of €30m will be paid out to clubs involved in the UEFA Champions League play-offs: clubs that are eliminated will each receive a fixed payment of €5m. The winners of the play-offs will not receive any specific payment for this round but will get payments for participating in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Share for clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League (group stage onwards)
Forecast amounts (total €1.95bn)
The net revenue available to participating clubs will be divided into four different pillars:
• 25% will be allocated to the starting fees (€488m).
• 30% will be allocated to the performance-related fixed amounts (€585m).
• 30% will be distributed on the basis of ten-year performance-based coefficient rankings (€585m).
• 15% will be allocated to the variable amounts (market pool) (€292m).
Starting fees (€488m)
Each of the 32 clubs that qualify for the group stage can expect to receive a group stage allocation of €15.25m.
Fixed amounts (€585m)
Group stage performance bonuses will be paid for each match: €2.7m per win and €900,000 per draw. Undistributed amounts (€900,000 per draw) will be pooled and redistributed among the clubs playing in the group stage in amounts proportionate to their number of wins.
Clubs that qualify for the knockout stage can expect to receive the following amounts:
• qualification for the round of 16: €9.5m per club
• qualification for the quarter-finals: €10.5m per club
• qualification for the semi-finals: €12m per club
• qualification for the final: €15m per club
• The UEFA Champions League winners can expect to pick up an additional €4m.
• The two clubs that qualify for the 2018 UEFA Super Cup can each expect to receive €3.5m, with the winners collecting an additional €1m.
Coefficient ranking (€585m)
A new ranking has been introduced on the basis of performances over a ten-year period. In addition to coefficient points accumulated during this period, this ranking includes bonus points for winning the UEFA Champions League/European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup. On the basis of these parameters, a ranking has been established and the total amount of €585.05m has been divided into 'coefficient shares', with each share worth €1.108m. The lowest-ranked team will receive one share (€1.108m). One share will be added to every rank and so the highest-ranked team will receive 32 shares (€35.46m).
This ranking can be found on UEFA.com
Market pool (€292m)
The estimated available amount of €292m will be distributed in accordance with the proportional value of each TV market represented by clubs taking part in the UEFA Champions League (group stage onwards). The different market shares will be distributed to the participating clubs from each association.
Half of the amount representing the value of each market will be split among the clubs based on their performance in the previous domestic championship. The following split among the clubs from any given association will apply.
| 4 teams | 3 teams | 2 teams | 1 team | |
| Champions | 40% | 45% | 55% | 100% |
| Runners-up | 30% | 35% | 45% | |
| Third place | 20% | 20% | ||
| Fourth place | 10% |
• UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League title holders that do not qualify for the UEFA Champions League via their domestic championship will receive nothing from this first half of the market pool.
• UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League title holders that also qualify via their domestic championship for the UEFA Champions League will retain the percentage assigned to them based on the position they finish in their championship.
The other half of the amount representing the value of each market will be paid in proportion to the number of matches played by each club in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League.
Whenever a club of an association represented by one or more clubs in the UCL group stage is eliminated in any of the qualifying rounds, 10% of that association's market pool share will be deducted and allocated to the eliminated club.
The various amounts distributed from the market pool on a club-by-club basis can only be calculated once all the contracts have been finalised and not before the end of the competition, since the exact amount for each club depends on five factors:
1) the actual final amount in the market pool
2) the composition of the field of clubs participating in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League
3) the number of clubs from any given association competing in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League
4) the final position of each competing club in their previous season's domestic championship
5) the performance of each club in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
Share for the clubs participating in the UEFA Europa League (group stage onwards)
Forecast amounts (total €560m)
The net amount available to participating clubs will be split into four different pillars:
• 25% will be allocated to the starting fees (€140m).
• 30% will be allocated to the performance-related fixed amounts (€168m).
• 15% will be distributed on the basis of ten-year performance-based coefficient rankings (€84m).
• 30% will be allocated to variable amounts (market pool) (€168m).
Starting fees (€140m)
Each of the 48 clubs that qualify for the group stage can expect to receive a group stage allocation of €2.92m.
Fixed amounts (€168m)
Group stage performance bonuses will be paid for each match: €570,000 per win and €190,000 per draw. Undistributed amounts (€190,000 per draw) will be pooled and redistributed among the clubs playing in the group stage in amounts proportionate to their number of wins.
The group winners can expect to receive a qualification bonus of €1m each and the runners-up €500,000 each.
Clubs that qualify for the knockout stage can expect to receive the following amounts:
• qualification for the round of 32; €500,000 each
• qualification for the round of 16: €1.1m each
• qualification for the quarter-finals: €1.5m each
• qualification for the semi-finals: €2.4m each
• qualification for the final: €4.5m each
• The UEFA Europa League winners can expect to pick up an additional €4m.
The two clubs that qualify for the 2018 UEFA Super Cup can each expect to receive €3.5m, with the winners receiving an additional €1m.
Coefficient ranking (€84m)
On the basis of the new ten-year ranking, a ranking table has been established and the total amount of €84m has been divided into 'coefficient shares', each worth €71,430. The lowest-ranked team will receive one share (€71,430). One share will be added to every rank and so the highest-ranked team will receive 48 shares (€3.42m).
This ranking can be found on UEFA.com
Market pool (€168m)
The estimated available amount of €168m will be distributed according to the proportional value of each TV market represented by the clubs taking part in the UEFA Europa League (group stage onwards). The different market shares will be split among the clubs participating from a given association.
Half of the global market pool (€84m) will be split into as many shares as there are national associations represented by at least one club in the group stage. Each share, proportional to the value of the relevant media rights market, will be divided among the clubs based on their performance in the previous season's domestic competitions. The following split will apply among the clubs from any given association.
| 5 teams | 4 teams | 3 teams | 2 teams | 1 team | |
| Cup winners | 30% | 40% | 40% | 60% | 100% |
| Team 2 | 17.5% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 100% |
| Team 3 | 17.5% | 20% | 30% | ||
| Team 4 | 17.5% | 20% | |||
| Team 5 | 17.5% |
• If the domestic cup winner does not qualify for the UEFA Europa League group stage, the market pool distribution will be split equally among all the participating clubs from the relevant national association.
• Domestic cup winners eliminated in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds and moving to the UEFA Europa League will be considered as cup winners as far as the distribution plan is concerned.
The other half of the market pool (€84m) will be split into as many shares as there are rounds in the competition, as follows:
• group stage (40%) €33.6m
• round of 32 (20%) €16.8m
• round of 16 (16%) €13.4m
• quarter-finals (12%) €10.1m
• semi-finals (8%) €6.7m
• final (4%) €3.4m
Each of the above shares will be split into as many parts as there are national associations represented by at least one club in the round concerned, proportional to the value of the relevant media rights markets. Each national association share will be split equally among all the clubs participating in that round from a given national association.
The various amounts distributed from the market pool on a club-by-club basis can only be confirmed once all the contracts have been finalised and not before the end of the competition, since the exact amount for each club depends on five factors:
1) the actual final amount in the market pool
2) the composition of the field of clubs participating in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League
3) the number of clubs from any given association competing in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League
4) the results of each competing club in the previous season's domestic competitions
5) the performance of each club in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League
Solidarity payments
Solidarity payments for the qualifying phase of the UEFA club competitions
Under the new distribution system, the pot for payments to clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds will be equal to 3% of the overall gross revenue plus an additional €10m coming from UEFA Champions League clubs. Based on the forecast of €3.25bn in overall revenue, €107.5m will be distributed to the clubs as follows.
UEFA Champions League – champions and league paths
Each domestic champion club that does not qualify for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League group stage will receive €260,000 in addition to the amounts due for participation in each qualifying round.
Each club participating in the qualifying rounds that does not qualify for the UCL play-offs will receive the following amounts per round played:
• preliminary round – €230,000
• first qualifying round – €280,000
• second qualifying round – €380,000
• third qualifying round – €480,000 (only for clubs eliminated from the champions path, since clubs eliminated from the league path qualify directly for the UEFA Europa League group stage and therefore benefit from its distribution system)
• No solidarity payments will be paid in the play-offs as the clubs involved will benefit from the UEFA Champions League/UEFA Europa League centralised phase distribution.
UEFA Europa League – champions and main paths
Each club participating in the qualifying rounds will receive the following amounts per round played:
• preliminary round – €220,000
• first qualifying round – €240,000
• second qualifying round – €260,000
• third qualifying round – €280,000
• play-offs – €300,000 (eliminated clubs only). No solidarity payment will be made to the winners of this round. However, they will retain the payments received for the preliminary, first, second and third qualifying rounds, as applicable.
Solidarity payments to clubs that do not qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Europa League
The solidarity payments to non-participating clubs via their national associations and/or leagues will represent 4% of the overall gross revenues of the two competitions.
A forecast total of €130m will be distributed to national associations and/or leagues for their clubs.