'Bonus King' in this season's Champions League

Man City is not the team with the best record, but they surpass everyone to collect the most prize money.

Man City is the "king" of English football in UEFA's money distribution system.

After the dramatic fourth round of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League qualifying round, the race is not only about points but also about the huge prize money from UEFA.

Man City and Bayern Munich are the two teams that have surpassed the 70 million euro mark, but the English club is slightly better with 72.5 million euro in prize money. Meanwhile, despite winning all 4 matches, Bayern earned 71.5 million euro in prize money. Man City won 3, lost 1, but is the "king" of prize money in the Champions League this season.

It’s a paradox, but it reflects UEFA’s distribution of prize money. With a total prize fund of more than €2.46 billion for the entire season, a win earns teams €2.1 million, a draw €750,000, plus a fixed participation fee of €18.62 million and other TV rights payments.

Man City earns more than Bayern Munich despite playing worse than their opponents, because the English club's TV ratings are better, so they receive more money from UEFA. Similarly, Arsenal (65.4 million euros) and Inter Milan (62.1 million euros) won all four matches but earned much less than Bayern or Man City.

The top 5 teams earning the most money are also PSG (68.5 million euros) and Real Madrid (64.8 million euros). According to updated data from UEFA, after round 4, there is a clear division. English teams continue to dominate the financial game, thanks to impressive winning streaks and high TV ratings.

The large amount of money Man City earns is clear proof of its position as the "king" of English football in UEFA's money distribution system.

Source: https://znews.vn/ong-vua-tien-thuong-o-champions-league-mua-nay-post1600702.html