The other five English Champions League clubs are guaranteed far more money than Newcastle United, as things currently stand.
You might say, well, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and Spurs all finished higher up the Swiss League phase table.
You might also say, well, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and Spurs have all qualified for the last 16 already, unlike Eddie Howe’s side.
You would be correct on both counts.
However, that doesn’t tell anything like the whole story as to why Newcastle United are the relative paupers, when it comes to Premier League clubs getting cash from the Champions League shareout.
A new report has done some analysis on where things currently stand, regarding the six English clubs and Champions League money.
Chris Weatherspoon is the football finance specialist at The Athletic and he has reported:
With the league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League now over, an estimate of prize money earned by English clubs so far:
• Liverpool €97m (£84m)
• Man City €97m (£84m)
• Arsenal €96m (£83m)
• Chelsea €92m (£80m)
• Spurs €85m (£73m)
• Newcastle €54m (£47m)
Things will be helped if/when Newcastle United get through their play-off against Qarabag FK.
Getting to the last 16 would trigger another €11m (£9.53m at today’s exchange rate) for Newcastle United.
However, that would still leave NUFC on less than £57m and trailing more than £16m behind the next Premier League club (Spurs £73m). Whilst a massive £23m+ behind the other four English teams.
As a reminder, these were the final Swiss League phase positions in the Champions League table of the six clubs:
Arsenal (1st), Liverpool (3rd), Spurs (4th), Chelsea (6th), Man City (8th), Newcastle United (12th)
However, when it comes to guaranteed Champions League cash so far, this is the pecking order:
Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Newcastle United
It almost feels like it is all a little unfair…
This is just the tip of the iceberg though, when it to fairness and how the Champions League money is shared out.
For example, it was more than possible (indeed, very likely), that Newcastle United could have finished highest of the six English clubs in the Champions League table and yet still have been guaranteed less money than the other five, by this point.
A history lesson
If you remember what happened the last time Newcastle United were in the Champions League, when it came to the cash share out, you may have a decent idea of what this is all about.
Back then in the 2023/24 season, Manchester United did slightly worse than Newcastle United in the Champions League, but Man U banked around £20m more than NUFC when UEFA shared the cash out.
The more things change the more they stay the same
Coinciding with the new Swiss League format, the way that the Champions League cash would be shared out was also changed.
When I say changed, the basic principles didn’t.
Although mentioning principles when it comes to UEFA (and especially FIFA) and where we are at these days, might be a little bit of a stretch!
(What we are talking about is Champions League cash from central funds, things such as match revenues from tickets are like it is in the Premier League, the home club banks those profits each game):
Back in 2024, UEFA announced this was how the Champions League cash would be shared out from the central kitty for the next three seasons:
For the 2024–27 cycle, the net revenue available to participating clubs will be divided into three
different pillars:
– 27.5% will be allocated to equal shares (starting fee) (€670m)
– 37.5% will be allocated to performance-related fixed amounts (€914m)
– 35% will be allocated to the newly created value pillar (€853m)
So it was split into three pots.
No surprise that equal shares for all 36 clubs only happens in the smallest of the three pots! With 27.5% (€670m) to be allocated to equal shares.
Then 37.5% (€914m) dictated by performance-related fixed amounts.
Which leaves us with the ‘newly created value pillar’ which decides where more than a third (35%/€853m) of the cash goes.
Multiple pots – there’s a ‘value pillar’ (worth €853m across the 36 clubs) which is heavily weighted toward past performance in UEFA competition
The UEFA explanation of that Value Pillar starting…
1.1.2.3Value pillar (€853m)
The new value pillar is a combination of the former market pool (country market value) and coefficient (individual club coefficients) pillars. The value pillar comprises two parts:
– European part
– Non-European part
Like a lot of these things often are, the official explanation from UEFA is very lengthy and complicated, you are welcome to read that official Champions League Value Pillar explanation yourselves.
However, the main point is this, in my opinion.
The ‘European part’ sees the share out of cash largely dependent on your UEFA co-efficient based on the last five years.
Then for the ‘Non-European part’ UEFA explain…’The non-European part is distributed in each competition based on the ten year UEFA coefficient ranking of the 36 participating clubs.’
What it is all really about
With encouragement from the clubs that had most to benefit and also as a sop to lessen worries of another attempt at a European Super League break away, UEFA have now for some years arranged it so that the clubs who were already the richest and most powerful, would be guaranteed a larger share of the Champions League cash each season, than those trying to catch up with the richest and most powerful.
So if you have regularly played in the Champions League for the last five/ten years and had all the advantages that came with that, especially money, you will now be guaranteed more cash each future Champions League season, compared to clubs that haven’t had that benefit of past years.
There is no rhyme or reason to it, no justification (no fairness…?). In which other sports/competitions do you automatically get more cash for doing well one season, based largely on what you did previously? Even the Premier League doesn’t do this! So clubs don’t get extra cash based on how they did in the Premier League five years earlier etc.
If UEFA had any interest in encouraging more competition, then surely the opposite should happen. The clubs like say Newcastle United and Aston Villa who are trying to catch up with those who have established such financial power, surely if they qualify for the Champions League they should then get a better deal than likes of Liverpool and Man City who already have such an advantage when it comes to finances.
It gets worse
As you probably know, the Premier League is now coming more into line with UEFA, moving from PSR to SCR (Squad Cost Ratio). Premier League clubs only allowed to spend a certain percentage of their revenues on transfer fees and wages. English clubs competing in UEFA competitions have already had to comply with this anyway, or else be punished by UEFA.
In terms of trying to compete in the Champions League, the likes of Newcastle United and Aston Villa squeezed both ways:
Firstly…The established clubs with the power and money already, such as Man City and Liverpool, are guaranteed far more Champions League cash in any season when they qualify than Villa or NUFC,, if they perform the same. Even worse, as outlined earlier, even if Newcastle United or Aston Villa do better than a Liverpool or Man City in a Champions League season, they (Newcastle/Villa) will still get less cash.
Secondly…Newcastle United and Aston Villa have far lower annual revenues (partly due to getting a lower share of Champions League/UEFA cash!) and the UEFA (and Premier League) rules say they aren’t allowed to spend more than a certain percentage of their revenues, or they will be punished.
So the richest and most powerful clubs have far bigger revenues currently and so their allowed spending percentage equals far more cash allowed to spend on wages and transfer fees (than Newcastle/Villa).
UEFA then set things up whereby those already richest clubs grow the financial chasm even further, if they perform the same in any season as a Villa or Newcastle.
The only way for a Newcastle United and/or an Aston Villa to truly break this open, is if they then qualify for the Champions League every season and become one of the established most powerful and richest clubs, that then reaps all these extra benefits from what has happened in the last five/ten years.
For Eddie Howe to have guided Newcastle United to two Champions League qualifications in three seasons is exceptional. Against the odds.
Unai Emery is on course to do the same with Aston Villa. That would also be exceptional if it happens.
Newcastle United desperately need a far bigger and modern stadium to significantly help with finances, as well as obviously allowing far more fans to watch their team.
That AND continued success on the pitch can eventually see Newcastle United break open those half dozen Premier League clubs, in terms of competing financially.
As things stand at this moment in time, Newcastle United (and Aston Villa) have to basically get a bullseye every time they throw a dart, whilst the already richest and most powerful only need to hit the board with their dart, or even miss the board altogether for any number of seasons and it makes little difference!
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