UEFA Announces New Champions League Final Kick-Off Time and Huge Prize Money for Winner
- UEFA have announced new kick-off time for the 2025/26 Champions League final ahead of the group stage draw
- Paris Saint-Germain won the inaugural season of the new format, with the second edition set for this season
- The European football governing body also announced the breakdown of the prize money this season.
UEFA have announced new kick-off time for the Champions League final from the 2025/26 season and also the breakdown of the prize pool for the winner.
The European football governing body revamped the Champions League format, beginning last season with Paris Saint-Germain as the inaugural winner.
Source: Getty Images
PSG won their first-ever title as part of a quadruple-winning season, beating Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan 5-0 in the final at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
UEFA announces new time for Champions League final
UEFA have announced new kick-off time for the Champions League final from 2025/26 ahead of the group stage draw in Monaco in Monaco later tonight.
Europe’s Premier club competition will now be played at 5PM GMT (6PM WAT), earlier than the usual 8PM, with this year's final scheduled to be played at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
Previously, most group stage fixtures kicked off simultaneously at 19:45 GMT (20:45 WAT). There were exceptions though for games played in Eastern Europe or Russia starting earlier.
UEFA introduced the staggered kick-off times (17:45 GMT and 20:00 GMT) starting in the 2018/19 season to allow viewers watch more games without conflicts.
UEFA has confirmed that the updated kick-off times is to enhance matchday experience for the fans, teams and host cities and also optimise logistics and operations.
“While a 21:00CET kick-off is well suited for midweek matches, an earlier kick-off on a Saturday for the final means an earlier finish - regardless of extra time or penalties - and offers fans the opportunity to enjoy the rest of the evening with friends and family, reflecting on the game of the season,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said, and posted on X.
As noted by beIN Sport, the prize pool for this year remains unchanged from last season despite UEFA targeting an increase in their revenue.
Each of the 36 participating clubs will receive a fixed €18.6 million fee. The teams will earn additional money through results, with a win worth €2.1 million, while a draw is €700,000.
The teams that advance to the round of 16 will receive €11 million, while those who would play in the playoffs will receive an additional €1 million.
Source: Getty Images
The quarter-finalists will receive €12.5 million, the semi-finalists will receive €15 million, while the two finalists will receive €18.5 million, and the winner will receive an additional €6.5 million.
There is also a ranking bonus for the group phase. The 36th team will receive €275,000, and the first-placed team will receive €9.9 million.
Last season's winners, PSG, received about €148 million, despite having a poor group stage campaign. This year's winner could eclipse that figure if they perform well in the group stage.
UEFA proposed new rule for this season
Legit.ng previously reported that UEFA proposed new rules for their competitions this season, which would rectify some of the issues from last season.
One of the most interesting was the scrapping of extra time, allowing knockout matches to go straight to penalties, but it has yet to be approved.
Source: Legit.ng
