Aston Villa will bank around £36 million from their Europa League run if they can top it off with a momentous victory against Freiburg in the final. Villa stand 90 minutes away from glory in Istanbul after booking their place in the final with a 4-1 thrashing of Nottingham Forest on Thursday night.
Emery's Record in the Competition
Unai Emery's side will go into the showpiece firm favourites to lift the trophy, particularly given the Villa boss's record in the competition having lifted it four times already. But with Villa aiming to put silverware in the cabinet, they will also put a sizable lump of cash in the bank as a result of their run in the competition.
Tottenham saw off Manchester United in last season's final in Bilbao and benefited financially from that victory, and Villa stand to bank more than £30 million and could make it £35 million with success in Istanbul.
Breakdown of Villa's Earnings So Far
Here is a breakdown of what Villa have already earned:
- League phase starting fee (participation): £3.7–3.8 million
- League phase performance bonuses (7 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss): £2.7–2.8 million (roughly £389k–£392k per win)
- League phase ranking bonus (finished 2nd, top 8): £0.5–0.52 million (plus additional value from position)
- Value pillar (TV market + coefficient ranking): Significant boost (reported around £7–8 million for Villa overall)
- Round of 16 qualification: £1.5 million
- Quarter-finals qualification: £2.2 million
- Semi-finals qualification: £3.6–3.9 million
- Final qualification (added recently): £6.07–6.1 million
- Extra £5.2 million for winning the trophy.
The figures exclude extra revenue the club has received from tickets, hospitality, sponsorship, and matchday income.
Comparison with Champions League
The money is not in the same ballpark as the Champions League when Villa pocketed £1.77 million for every victory, compared to just £390,000 for a Europa League win, with draws netting £130,000 and £590,000 respectively. Villa's direct qualification to the last 16 of the Champions League brought in £9.3 million, with each position in the league phase table valued at £232,000 - meaning the bottom-placed 36th-ranked club earned that sum, with an extra £232,000 awarded for every place higher up the standings.
Finishing eighth, Villa earned £6.8 million from their league phase position, alongside nearly £10 million in additional revenue for progressing to the last 16, plus a £1.7 million bonus for ending inside the top nine. A quarter-final run added a further £10.5 million to Villa's coffers, with total prize money exceeding £50 million - before gate receipts and UEFA's value pillar contributed an additional £16 million.
Emery's side also clinched automatic Europa League round of 16 qualification this season, earning £1.51 million - a difference of £7.8 million compared to UEFA's premier club competition.
