FC Porto and Sporting CP begin the Champions League league phase with over 43 million euros in prize money already secured. The financial figures were released by Record this week and reveal the scale of the initial reward for Portugal's two representatives in the revamped competition.
FC Porto, currently top of the Primeira Liga with 15 points from five wins in five games, has secured 43,094,000 euros. Sporting, sitting second and five points behind their rivals, has guaranteed 42,991,000 euros. This amount stems from three main components: access to the league phase, UEFA's market value pillar, and the European historical coefficient. Both clubs received 18.62 million for qualification and a significant share of the market value pillar, which totals 24.199 million for the two teams.
UEFA will distribute 2.467 billion euros to clubs in the 2026/27 Champions League edition. The format has changed radically, with 36 teams in a single league playing eight matchdays, instead of the traditional groups. Each win in this phase is worth 2.1 million euros and each draw yields 700,000. Also, each final position in the league table pays 275,000 euros, from first to 36th place.
Paris Saint-Germain, the back-to-back European champion, starts with the highest initial prize: 63.973 million. The payment system is complex and includes the so-called European factor, which rewards historical performance in the competition. FC Porto, European champion in 1986/87 and 2003/04 and in its 28th appearance in the main phase, and Sporting, in its 13th appearance and third consecutive, benefit from this component. The minimum European factor is 935,000 euros, multiplied by 17 of the 36 available shares.
The record for Champions League revenue by a Portuguese club belongs to FC Porto, which collected 80,616,000 euros in the 2018/19 season. Last season, Sporting came very close to that figure, accumulating 79,582,000 euros after a historic campaign. The Lions reached the quarter-finals for the first time in 43 years, being eliminated by Arsenal.
That performance in the 2025/26 season, which was Sporting's best ever in the competition, had a direct impact on the current prizes. The club from Alvalade ranks 20th in the European coefficient ranking, while FC Porto shares the same position. The non-European factor, worth 346,000 euros per share for 24 shares, places both Portuguese teams in 13th place.
Beyond the already guaranteed prizes, clubs can significantly increase their revenue with sporting performance. The top eight in the league phase qualify directly for the round of 16 and receive a 2 million euro bonus. Teams placed 9th to 24th enter a play-off for qualification, with a 1.1 million prize. Those finishing between 25th and 36th are automatically eliminated from all European competitions.
The values skyrocket in the knockout stages. Reaching the quarter-finals is worth 12.5 million euros. A semi-final appearance adds 15 million. Each finalist receives 18.5 million and the trophy winner gets an extra 6.5 million. The final is scheduled for June 5, 2027, at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. The winner also plays in the following August's European Super Cup, where 4 million is allocated, with an additional 1 million for the champion.
FC Porto, which has the best defence in the league with just one goal conceded in five games, now focuses on the next league challenge, away to Casa Pia, scheduled for September 12.
