- Manchester United’s current position
- Champions League benefits to look forward to
- What more can be done with revenue
Manchester United are on the verge of Champions League football. The game against Liverpool on Sunday could determine how much financial gain the side could have if they finish in the top 4.
Having no European football this season has cost the club dearly. A coefficient of 27.125 keeps England at the top of the UEFA association club table. This means a victory over Liverpool is enough to secure the spot. The number of Champions League spots could rise to five, and potentially even six if Aston Villa wins the Europa League.
This would restore some pride at Old Trafford. A return to the elite competition has been long overdue since 2023. And with the side looking to rebuild. The massive financial boost could help the club with signings in the summer transfer window.
What Champions League football does for Manchester United
Football is a mix of sport and business. Clubs at the highest level only benefit from the system as financial rewards heavily favour winners over mere participants. However, United does have a chance now. While the winners get £125m, teams in the group phase could earn up to £16m based on their wins.
Finance expert Adam Williams of United in Focus says:
“There are a lot of variables when you’re looking at how much United might earn from a season in the Champions League. Ultimately, it comes down to how deep into the competition they go.”
He touches on the advantages United have from the coefficients:
“However, United do benefit from having relatively strong five and 10-year UEFA coefficients and the fact that the UK’s Champions League TV deal is the biggest. Both of those factors count towards UEFA’s value pillar, which is the system that the organisation use to calculate the lion’s share of prize money from the competition before a ball has even been kicked.”
Additionally, he outlines the worst-case scenarios of how the money could be obtained:
“The value pillar plus the flat participation fee that all clubs receive would probably be worth in the region of £50m to United. So in a worst-case scenario where they qualify for the Champions League but lose every single league phase game, that’s how much they’d get.”
Finally, the bonus from sponsors could bring in extra income for the club:
“You also add in a minimum of four matchdays at Old Trafford, the bonus from Adidas, and so on – and that probably gets you to at least £80m.”
This would bring much relief for Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has been the club’s sole financial backer.
United’s qualification is just step one
United have plenty to resolve before kicking off next season’s Champions League campaign. First is to fix the managerial position, followed by finding a well-suited midfielder. Even before their opening Champions League fixture, nearly £80m is assured, even if the side fails to get past the group stage.
Each win brings in £1.8m, with even more added upon qualification for the knockout stages.
Williams compares both the best and worst scenarios:
“Remember, that’s a worst case. In a best-case scenario where you win the Champions League, qualify for the Super Cup, and gain entry to the revamped Club World Cup, you can genuinely be looking at revenues approaching £300m… So clearly the actual figure is going to be somewhere between those two amounts and likely much, much closer to the lower end, but that’s the range of money on offer.”
With so much to look forward to. The game against Liverpool could be the start of something big for the Old Trafford faithful, if things go as planned.
