Barcelona’s earnings so far from this season’s Champions League group stage rose to in excess of €70m (£60.5m) on Tuesday night by virtue of a 2-1 victory over Porto.
Barca, having catastrophically failed to make it beyond the group stage in each of the previous two seasons, booked safe passage into the last 16 with a game to spare on matchday five.
Goals from Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix after Porto had initially taken the lead were enough to claim all three points and ensure Xavi’s team cannot be overtaken by both Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk, currently second and third respectively, whatever happens on matchday six next month.
That game alone was worth €2.8m in prize money to Barca, the price of a group stage win. Given that it was also responsible for booking the club into the last 16, it brought in €9.6m. Three previous wins against Royal Antwerp, Porto and Shakhtar account for another €8.4m. Being in the group stage in the first place is worth €15.64m, while Barca’s ten-year coefficient ranking for historic achievement entitles them to a €34.1m payout – only Real Madrid and Bayern Munich get more this season.
In total, with one game still to play, earnings for this season’s competition stand at €70.55m.
Barca’s remaining fixture is away against Antwerp, having beaten the Belgian champions 5-0 in the reverse meeting on matchday one back in September. It is potentially worth another €2.8m for a win, or €930,000 for a draw. A defeat does not come with any prize money.
The cumulative rewards per round continue to jump the further a team progresses in the competition, ranging from €10.6m for reaching the quarter-finals to €20m for winning the final.
Were Barca to beat Antwerp next time and then go all the way to lift the trophy, they could rack up a further €45.9m in prize money alone.
It demonstrates just how important a good Champions League campaign is for the club coffers. For reference, Barca only won two group games last season, missing out on €11.2m in prize money for the other four they didn’t, plus a minimum of €9.6m lost for not even making it to the round of 16.
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