The UEFA Champions League will return this week, but for big clubs, being present in Europe's most prestigious tournament has almost become a mandatory requirement. That is why Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are putting in all their effort to win tickets to participate in the next season.
In terms of commercial influence, all three are in the most powerful group of world football. However, just one season of absence from the Champions League can create serious financial shocks, because the cost of maintaining competitiveness with big teams is increasing.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea have together won 11 Champions League/C1 titles. If adding the 1982 C1 Cup championship of Aston Villa, the 4 clubs competing for three Champions League spots through the Premier League - assuming Arsenal and Manchester City hold the top two positions - have owned the same number of titles as the entire Serie A in 70 years of European cup history.
Although history and reputation are important factors when competing with giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich or the reigning champion Paris Saint-Germain, financial revenue from the Champions League is the vital factor.
For teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern or PSG, participating in the Champions League has almost become an annual habit. PSG was absent most recently in the 2011-2012 season, Bayern in the 2007-2008 season, Barcelona in the 2003-2004 season, and Real Madrid from the 1996-1997 season.
However, in the Premier League, the number of Champions League spots is not enough for the entire "Big Six" group, not to mention Aston Villa or Newcastle United - teams that are also emerging in the race. This makes English clubs unable to spend comfortably if they are not sure about the revenue from the league.
PSG earned 125.06 million pounds in prize money from UEFA after winning the Champions League last season, while Inter Milan - runner-up - received 118.3 million pounds. Among the 8 teams in the quarter-finals last season, Aston Villa received at least 72.5 million pounds, but that is still a huge revenue.
Man United is a typical example of the price to pay when absent from Europe. Not participating in any European cups this season costs them both UEFA bonuses and revenue from home matches at Old Trafford, estimated at about 5 million pounds per match. If they achieve the same results as Aston Villa last season and have 6 home matches in the Champions League, Man United could earn an additional 30 million pounds.
Not only that, the absence from the Champions League also caused the "Red Devils" to lose 10 million pounds in a shirt sponsorship contract worth 90 million pounds per year with Adidas. Although players and coaching staff have their salaries cut by 25% when not participating in the Champions League - equivalent to about 78.25 million pounds from a salary fund of 313 million pounds - this savings still cannot compensate for the lost revenue. Meanwhile, they still owe 422 million pounds in transfer fees, with 238 million pounds to be paid before the end of next season.
Chelsea is also heavily dependent on revenue from the Champions League. According to UEFA data, the London team lost up to 355 million pounds in the 2024-2025 season - the largest loss in Europe, more than double Lyon's figure.
The FIFA Club World Cup title last summer helped Chelsea earn 84 million pounds, partly compensating for having to play in the UEFA Conference League - a tournament where they only received 19.06 million pounds despite being crowned after the victory over Real Betis.
Even Liverpool, the reigning Premier League champion last season, cannot be comfortable without the Champions League. Despite receiving £174.9 million in prize money from the domestic championship and £46 million from reaching the Champions League round of 16, the latest financial report shows they only made a pre-tax profit of £15.2 million.
Liverpool currently has a salary fund of up to 428 million pounds - the highest in the Premier League. This figure does not include new contracts of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk or new signings such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike after spending about 450 million pounds on summer transfers last year.
Chief Financial Officer Jenny Beacham admitted The Kop is facing increasing cost pressure, from operations, personnel to maintaining competitiveness at the highest level.
Coach Arne Slot also emphasized the importance of the Champions League: "Participating in the Champions League is very important for the team and it shows the financial value of the tournament. When I first came, there was a reason why we only signed Federico Chiesa, and part of the reason was because last season Liverpool had to play in the Europa League.
In the context of rising costs and increasing competition, the Champions League is no longer simply a prestigious title. For Premier League giants, it has become a vital source of revenue. And the price of absence is increasingly expensive.
