A shower of millions for Real Madrid

Real Madrid, after winning their 16th Champions League title in history, pocketed a massive sum of 138.79 million euros.

Accordingly, there is a huge gap between the amount of money Real Madrid earns compared to the Barcelona women's team. Although both teams won the Champions League, the rewards they received differed significantly.

Real Madrid, after winning their 16th Champions League title in history, pocketed a colossal sum of €138.79 million. This was the result of an impressive season, with outstanding performance and the enormous rewards from UEFA's coefficient over the years.

In addition, Carlo Ancelotti's team also earned an extra €36.38 million from UEFA coefficients and €14.31 million from market revenue sharing (formerly known as the "market pool," now replaced by "pillar value"). This helped Real Madrid maintain their leading position in European revenue last season.

Although not matching the amount earned by Real Madrid, Barcelona still had a financially successful season. The Catalan club earned 98.38 million euros, thanks to "pillar value" bonuses totaling 15.21 million euros – even higher than Real Madrid.

However, this is still a modest amount compared to the enormous sums that the Spanish royal club has earned. Nevertheless, Barcelona is not the only Spanish team to make a significant financial impact.

In addition, Carlo Ancelotti's team also earned an extra €36.38 million from UEFA coefficients and €14.31 million from market revenue sharing.

Atletico Madrid continued to demonstrate their financial strength by raking in €92.96 million, placing them among the highest-earning teams from the Champions League. Sevilla and Real Sociedad were equally impressive, earning €50.77 million and €50.1 million respectively. These figures show that Spanish football is dominating in attracting prize money from European competitions.

The list of teams with the highest revenue from the 2023/24 Champions League season, besides Real Madrid, also includes prominent names such as: PSG - €122.44 million (€34 million from "pillar value"), Borussia Dortmund - €120.75 million, Bayern Munich - €120.40 million, Manchester City - €110.45 million. These teams not only dominate on the pitch but also in the revenue rankings, demonstrating the financial dominance of Europe's biggest clubs.

In total, the seven Spanish teams participating in European competitions in the 2023/24 season (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Betis, and Villarreal) earned a combined €465 million from competition results and UEFA prize money. Compared to other countries, Spain is clearly the leader in revenue from European competitions, while English teams only earned around €383 million, German teams €411 million, and Italian clubs €330 million.

It's noteworthy that even though the Barcelona women's team won the Women's Champions League in 2024, their prize money was a modest €1.38 million – significantly less than what Real Madrid earned from the men's competition. This difference amounts to €137.41 million, highlighting the vast financial gap between men's and women's football, despite the progress women's football has made in recent years.

UEFA is well aware of this inequality and is working to narrow the prize money gap between men's and women's leagues. According to the plan, from 2025 to 2027, the total prize money for clubs participating in the Women's Champions League (from the group stage onwards) will be €18.2 million. This amount will further increase to €24.1 million from 2027 to 2030. This is part of UEFA's strategy to ensure sustainable and equitable development for women's football in the future.