Olympiacos, with the conquest of the Conference League last season, secured direct participation in the League Phase of the Europa League, with financial benefits being multiple. The revenues they have locked in for 2024/25 and those they are chasing from the second-tier European club competition.
Olympiacos was the only team among those that secured Greece’s four European tickets last year, based on its country ranking, that did not participate in the qualifiers, as winning the Conference League gave them the direct ticket to the League Phase of the Europa League.
The Reds will travel to France to face Lyon (26/9, 22:00, Match Center from SPORT24), with José Luis Mendilibar preparing his plans for his team’s away debut in the competition. A competition that has already brought revenues to the Piraeus club even before it starts, which could multiply depending on their progress during it.
Guaranteed revenues from the League Phase and those they are chasing
Olympiacos has guaranteed €4,310,000 just for participating in the League Phase, which will be paid in two installments (€4,140,000 initially and then the remaining €170,000).
Another difference compared to last year’s version of the competition is that each team among the 36 participating in the group will play a minimum of eight matches (four at home and four away against two teams from each of the four pots) as opposed to the six matches previously played.
This means that the Piraeus club has greater chances to secure the €450,000 that each victory is “worth” and the €150,000 for each draw.
Furthermore, each club will receive a bonus based on their ranking in the mini-league.
The 36th place will receive one “share” worth €75,000. The 35th will receive two shares (€75,000 x 2), and so on. The higher the “Reds” finish, the more money they will add to their funds.
Additionally, teams that finish in positions 1-8 will receive an extra €600,000, while teams finishing in positions 9-16 in the League Stage will receive €300,000. The revenues are even higher during the knockout stage.
- Progress to the playoffs: €300,000 per team
- Progress to the round of 16: €1,750,000 per team
- Progress to the quarter-finals: €2,500,000 per team
- Progress to the semi-finals: €4,200,000 per team
- Progress to the final: €7,000,000 per team
The winner will receive an additional €6,000,000.
The new complex system of broadcasting rights
As part of the restructuring of its European competitions over the next three years, UEFA has also replaced the market pool and club coefficients with the value pillar.
The “value pillar,” as it translates into Greek, is a labyrinthine system of distributing funds centered around broadcasting rights.
It is divided into two parts, European and non-European. The first will pertain to the sale of broadcasting rights in UEFA markets, and the second to the rest of the world. Each team receives money from both markets.
Regarding the European part, participating teams are ranked according to the share of the broadcasting provider from each country in the total television revenues for each cycle of the competition.
For example, if England is likely to be number one on that list, then its two teams in the Europa League, Manchester United and Tottenham, will hold the top two positions.
Additionally, a second ranking will be created, which will be determined by each club’s five-year points.
The final ranking will be “crafted” by the average of the two rankings, and 666 “shares” will be distributed. The last team will receive one share, which is calculated at €223,000 (if the European portion represents 75%, as was the case last year). The top team in the ranking will have 36 “shares,” meaning it could generate revenues close to €8,000,000.
In the non-European section, the points of each team over the last 10 years and the contribution of each country to the trading of broadcast rights will be taken into account. The last team in the Europa League ranking will receive one “share” of €74,000, the 35th will receive two “shares” (€74,000 x 2), and so forth.
For the upcoming season, if we only consider the guaranteed money (excluding bonuses for victories and progress), and the income from the value pillar from the last position (it remains to be seen where Olympiacos will rank), then the Piraeus club will start with around €4,500,000, and this amount will increase based on the team’s successes.
The new competition format of the Europa League
- Now 36 teams participate instead of 32. The teams will not be divided into groups, but will form a single ranking all together.
- Each team will play against eight teams, giving a total of eight matches, four at home and four away.
- Teams that finish from 1st to 8th place will qualify directly for the round of 16.
- Teams finishing in positions 9 to 24 will play against each other in double-leg playoffs. The first legs will be held at the home grounds of teams ranked 17-24 and the return legs at the home grounds of teams ranked 9-16.
- The last 12 teams will not continue in Europe.
- The path each team follows in the knockout stage is largely determined by their position in the League Phase.