FC Barcelona earned an impressive $135 million (€116.5 million) in prize money for its journey to the Champions League semifinals last season, which will be distributed to the Catalan outfit by UEFA as explained by AS.
Failing to reach such a stage in football’s most prestigious club competition since 2019, when eventual winners Liverpool overturned a 3-0 deficit at Anfield and eliminated Lionel Messi and Co. in heartbreaking fashion, Hansi Flick’s men were within a whisker of getting to the last dance in 2024/2025.
Coming back from behind in the San Siro after trailing Inter Milan 2-0 on the night in the second leg, and 5-3 on aggregate following a thriller in Montjuic, the Blaugrana leveled thanks to goals from Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo.
With minutes to spare, Raphinha thought he had won the tie for his team only for Francesco Acerbi to make it 3-3 and 6-6 on aggregate in the darkest depths of stoppage time.
A Davide Frattesi strike on 99 minutes in extra time then broke the hearts of Flick’s team, 5,000 travelling Barca fans in the away end and million of Culers worldwide.
Yet at least Barca came out of the campaign with its coffers well-reinforced, according to AS.
FC Barcelona’s road to the UCL semifinals was a financial success
According to the newspaper and a UEFA report it has seen, Barca earned $135 million (€116.5 million) in Europe last season, which was more than its bitter rival Real Madrid.
Los Blancos took home $118.6 million (€102 million) for getting to the quarterfinals, where it was KO’d by Arsenal, while Atletico Madrid hit $99 million (€85 million) for a controversial last 16 exit to its crosstown rival then managed by Carlo Ancelotti.
Though it didn’t manage to make it past the league phase, a first participation in the Champions League made Girona a respectable $34.8 million (€29.9 million).
Unsurprisingly, already-moneyed Paris Saint-Germain was the King of the Hill for going all the way to its maiden UCL crown and therefore receiving $168 million (€144.4 million).
In second place, runner up Inter Milan came out of the Champions League’s 2024/2025 edition some $159 million (€136.6 million) richer.
Such a cash injection is welcomed by FC Barcelona
In many ways still recovering from its financial crisis of 2020 which almost buried the club as an institution, Barca will welcome such an amount of money with open arms, or rather hands.
It’s sums like this, plus increased revenue from the recently reopened Spotify Camp Nou, which will help the club get back on its feet – and perhaps allow FC Barcelona make the marquee signings it did of yesteryear in future transfer windows.
