UEFA’s revenue, the cities’ costs – and what happens to the money. UEFA wants to achieve record revenue at the 2024 European Championship in Germany. The cities will bear the costs, and a large part of UEFA’s money will end up with the associations and top clubs. How much money UEFA wants to earn from the tournament UEFA has announced a record revenue for the 2024 European Championship, with the goal of generating 2.4 billion euros in sales. UEFA recorded the previous record in 2016 with more than 1.9 billion euros. In 2021, restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic resulted in smaller revenue from ticket sales and prevented a record figure.
| Revenue from European Championship tournaments | |
| Year | Total tournament revenue |
| 1992 | 40,9 Mio. EUR |
| 1996 | 147,3 Mio. EUR |
| 2000 | 229,9 Mio. EUR |
| 2004 | 855,2 Mio. EUR |
| 2008 | 1.350,9 Mio. EUR |
| 2012 | 1.390,9 Mio. EUR |
| 2016 | 1.916,0 Mio. EUR |
| 2021* | 1.882,5 Mio. EUR |
*Spectator restrictions due to the corona pandemic (Source: UEFA)
UEFA’s income from a European Championship can be largely divided into four areas:
- Sale of media rights
- Sponsorship and commercial rights (e.g. trading cards)
- Sale of tickets
- Sale of VIP packages
In the recent past, media rights made up the largest part, followed by sponsorship.
| Revenue from European Championship tournaments | ||||
| 2012 | 2016 | 2021 | ||
| TV | 837,2 Mio. EUR | 1.024,2 Mio. EUR | 1.135,0 Mio. EUR | |
| Sponsoring | 313,9 Mio. EUR | 483,3 Mio. EUR | 520,8 Mio. EUR | |
| Tickets | 136,1 Mio. EUR | 269,2 Mio. EUR | 148,9 Mio. EUR | |
| VIP-Act. | 102,0 Mio. EUR | 128,1 Mio. EUR | 77,3 Mio. EUR | |
| Other | 1,7 Mio. EUR | 11,2 Mio. | 0,5 Mio. EUR | |
| Total | 1.390,9 Mio. EUR | 1.916,0 Mio. | 1.882,5 Mio. EUR | |
| Costs | -499,2 Mio. EUR | -595,2 Mio. EUR | -703,9 Mio. EUR | |
| Yield | 891,7 Mio. EUR | 1.320,8 Mio. | 1.178,6 Mio. EUR | |
(Source: UEFA)
After deducting costs, UEFA’s profit recently amounted to well over one billion euros. This amount can increase accordingly in 2024 if the hoped-for increase in revenue is achieved. UEFA is hoping for a profit of more than 1.7 billion euros.
| Costs Germany | |
| City | Amount |
| Berlin | 83,7 Mio. EUR |
| Stuttgart | 38,4 Mio. EUR |
| Frankfurt am Main | 30,2 Mio. EUR |
| Hamburg | 30,0 Mio. EUR |
| Dortmund | 21,0 Mio. EUR |
| München | 21,0 Mio. EUR |
| Düsseldorf | 20,5 Mio. EUR |
| Gelsenkirchen | 19,0 Mio. EUR |
| Leipzig | 15,0 Mio. EUR |
| Köln | 13,8 Mio. EUR |
| Total | 292,6 Mio. EUR |
How much tax does UEFA pay?
UEFA enjoys tax exemption in Switzerland and sells the media and sponsorship rights from there, which make up the majority of its income. As a non-profit organization, it does not have to pay tax on its profits there. For Switzerland, the tax-exempt organizations are an important economic factor, as they also offer some jobs. UEFA is aiming for revenue of 300 million euros from tickets, not including VIP packages. The amount of tax that UEFA and its subsidiaries in Germany are expected to pay in connection with EURO 2024 is estimated at 65 million euros.
Distribution key
UEFA distributes the revenue to the clubs and associations. The clubs can win prize money at the tournaments. These bonuses have not increased compared to 2021. Back then they were already lower than planned – the reason was the coronavirus pandemic. Apart from the entry fee, the prize money is now at the same level as in 2016.
| Rewards | |||
| Round | 2021/2024 | 2016 | |
| Entry | 9.25 Mio. EUR | 8 Mio. EUR | |
| Group winner | 1 Mio. EUR | 1 Mio. EUR | |
| Draw group | 0.5 Mio. EUR | 0.5 Mio. EUR | |
| Round 16 | 1.5 Mio. EUR | 1.5 Mio. EUR | |
| Quarterfinals | 2.5 Mio. EUR | 2.5 Mio. EUR | |
| Semifinal | 4 Mio. EUR | 4 Mio. EUR | |
| Vize | 5 Mio. EUR | 5 Mio. EUR | |
| Winner | 8 Mio. EUR | 8 Mio. EUR | |
| Max. amount | 28.250 Mio. EUR | 27 Mio. EUR | |
(Source: UEFA)
The largest share goes to UEFA’s «HatTrick» program, where the money is divided among all 55 associations. Over a period of four years until 2028, UEFA says it expects to receive 935 million euros from the European Championship revenue (previously 775.5 million euros). Until 2028, each association is entitled to a base amount of one million euros each year. This amount can increase to up to two million if the respective association sets up certain programs, for example for referees, sustainability or the development of women’s football. UEFA also subsidizes investments, for example in stadiums or training grounds.
In addition, the top clubs will also benefit financially from the European Championship and thus indirectly from the cities’ investments, as 240 million euros will go to the clubs for releasing players for UEFA’s national team competitions, including the qualification and the Nations League. A further 140 million euros from the European Championship tournament will go to the clubs. The top clubs will receive 10,000 euros per day per player from ten days before the start of the tournament.
