Champions League: Why Arsenal Earned Less Than Liverpool, Man City Despite 1st Place Finish
- Arsenal earned less money than three teams in the UEFA Champions League group stage despite finishing first
- The Gunners finished with a flawless record of eight wins from eight matches in the group stage, conceding four goals
- English rivals Liverpool and Manchester City, and Bayern Munich earned more money from the group stage
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Arsenal earned a lower income despite finishing first in the UEFA Champions League group stage compared to English rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
The Gunners won all eight of their eight matches in the group stage, which ended on January 28, 2026.
They are the only team with a flawless record, scoring the most goals (23) and conceding the least (4).
Source: Getty Images
Arsenal will skip the extra match of the round of 16 play-off and will play all their second-leg fixtures in the knockout stages at home after UEFA implemented changes last season.
The Premier League side, despite their first-place finish, was ranked fourth on the earnings table, behind Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
Champions League earnings distribution
According to UEFA, the Champions League prize money is distributed into three categories: qualification bonus, performance-related payments and value pillar.
Each team that qualifies for the group stage of the Champions League receives €18.62 million, which makes up 27.5% of the total prize money.
The performance-related bonus is 37.5% of the total prize pool, such that each team gets €2.1 million for a win and €700k for a draw, while the other part is a €275k token, increased by the same value up the table.
Teams that finished 1-8 received an additional €2 million, while those from 9-16 received an additional €1 million. Clubs that qualified for the Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final, and final will receive additional €11m, €12.5m, €15m and €18.5m respectively, while the winner receives additional €6.5m.
The value pillar is the third part, which takes 35% of the total prize pool and takes into account the team's history in the competition and the value of their domestic broadcaster’s contribution.
Source: Getty Images
Why Arsenal earned less UCL money
According to financial expert Swiss Ramble, Arsenal earned the most money from the performance bonus because of their eight wins in as many games, but their value pillar ensured that they did not receive the most money.
The Gunners were out of the Champions League for seven years in the past 10 years, thus putting them behind history-rich teams like Bayern, City and Liverpool.
Bayern Munich earned the most money from the group stage, €100 million, Liverpool and Manchester City are in joint second with €97 million, while Arsenal is fourth with €94 million, and their London rivals Chelsea are in fifth with €92 million.
Champions League knockout draw
Legit.ng previously reported the Champions League knockout draw, as teams that finished ninth to 24th are set to fight it out in the playoffs.
The playoffs had some top teams after the final day drama, including Real Madrid, which lost to Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the final minutes.
Source: Legit.ng
