There are serious amounts of Premier League prize money available after England’s top teams face off over 38 games of the regular season.
But how is English Premier League (EPL) prize money calculated? How much can each club expect to receive, and how much depends on its position in the final table?
Let’s look in detail at the Premier League prize money on offer as the 20 clubs in the division face up to the 2024-25 season.
Premier League Prize Money
The enormous popularity of the EPL is reflected in the staggering sums bet on the league with soccer betting sites. As well as this, media businesses across the world pay big money for the right to broadcast games from England’s top soccer league.
In the years since the Premier League was created in 1992, the amounts paid for media rights have risen to stratospheric levels.
As a result, the Premier League prize money paid to competing teams has also increased.
But how is that cash shared between the teams?
EPL Prize Money by Finishing Position
There are two main elements to the Premier League prize money shared between the 20 clubs who play in it each season.
Despite six of the 10 most valuable soccer clubs in the world being Premier League clubs, a large chunk of the money earned for being in the EPL is split evenly between the 20 teams in it.
That’s right, each club gets an equal share of the money that rolls in from domestic and international TV rights deals.
Under the current deal, which expires at the end of the 2024-25 season, the clubs receive the following:
- $40million for the UK broadcast deal
- $61.5million for the international Premier League TV money
- $12million for commercial payments
That adds up to a total of about $113.5 million per club simply for being in the Premier League – no matter where it finishes in the table.
However, Premier League prize money is also available based on a club’s finishing position.
This is awarded on a sliding scale, which means the Premier League winner’s prize money is considerably greater than the amount received by the team finishing last.
These merit payments are also made up of domestic and international amounts; in the 2023-24 season, the total available equated to about $4 million per place.
The merit payment element of the Premier League prize money for each team in that season was as follows:
Position | Team | Merit Payment |
1 | Manchester City | $79.8m |
2 | Arsenal | $75.7m |
3 | Liverpool | $71.7m |
4 | Aston Villa | $67.7m |
5 | Tottenham | $63.9m |
6 | Chelsea | $59.8m |
7 | Newcastle United | $55.8m |
8 | Manchester United | $51.9m |
9 | West Ham United | $47.9m |
10 | Crystal Palace | $44.0m |
11 | Brighton | $39.8m |
12 | Bournemouth | $35.9m |
13 | Fulham | $31.9m |
14 | Wolverhampton | $27.9m |
15 | Everton | $23.8m |
16 | Brentford | $20.0m |
17 | Nottingham Forest | $16.0m |
18 | Luton Town | $12.0m |
19 | Burnley | $7.9m |
20 | Sheffield United | $4.0m |
Other EPL Money Earners
Operating a Premier League club is an extremely expensive business.
The competition to sign top players is so fierce that the clubs have to afford enormous transfer fees, and then pay their stars hundreds of thousands of dollars each week.
Three of the 10 highest paid soccer players in the world currently play in the Premier League and another three have played in the EPL in the past.
As a result, it’s essential that clubs generate several lucrative income streams from various sources.
Championship Play-Off Final
Interestingly, despite the huge amounts of money on offer, the most valuable single soccer match in the world is not played in the Premier League. It’s the game that decides the final place in the EPL each season.
The two sides who make it through the Championship play-offs try and earn promotion to the Premier League meet at Wembley Stadium to earn the final place in the league for the following season.
And, as you can see, the amount of Premier League prize money available to teams in that division makes victory in that game super-precious.
Even if the promoted team is relegated after one season, as 2023 winners Luton Town did, its earnings will be boosted by about $215 million.
If the club stays up, as 2021 winners Brentford have, victory can add about $370million to the club’s coffers over the next few seasons.
Conclusion
The amount of Premier League prize money available has accelerated over the decades like a runaway train – and there is no sign of it being derailed any time soon.
Overall, by the end of the 2024-25 season, broadcasters will have paid about $6.4 billion for the right to screen games under the current three-year deal.
At that point, a new agreement will kick in that is said to be worth about $8.6 billion.
This is a four-year arrangement, which means the figure per season has only slightly increased from what it was, but suggestions that the balloon has burst are clearly incorrect.
The enduring popularity of England’s top flight ensures EPL prize money will still run into the tens of millions of dollars for each club. And the higher you finish, the more you earn.
If there was a futures betting market on whether or not money will keep pouring into the Premier League, you wouldn’t bet against it.
It’s worth remembering, when you watch a thrilling game from England, that there is more than glory, honor, and bragging rights at stake. There are sizable chunks of Premier League prize money to be won too.
FAQs
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References
- https://www.givemesport.com/premier-league-prize-money/(Givemesport)
- https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5517768/2024/05/24/independent-football-regulator-bill-uk-election/?(NY Times)
- https://www.sports.legal/2024/02/inside-the-english-premier-leagues-latest-media-rights-deal-what-does-it-tell-us-about-the-current-state-of-play-of-the-market/?(Sports Legal)