Europa League 26/27 prize money: How much Celtic missed out on by losing to LASK in Champions League

Celtic’s gut-wrenching defeat to LASK in the Champions League qualification playoff condemned them to the Europa League for a second successive season.

Leading 3-0 after the first-leg, things were going swimmingly for Celtic when Callum McGregor blasted them 1-0 ahead with a left-footed drive in the second-leg, only for the Scottish champions to capitulate and lose 5-1 (5-4 on aggregate) after extra time at the Raiffeisen Arena.

Following the defeat, O’Neill said: “From the position that we were in, we shouldn't even have been going into extra time. Whether it's tactics, whether it's fitness, whether it's just everything perhaps. We shouldn't have done that. We were really disappointing and that's obviously down to me. Of course it is I'm responsible for the team. I'm responsible for it. I'm the manager of the side.”

Here is everything you need to know about the Champions League and Europa League prize money for the 2026/27 season, and how much Celtic missed out on after their defeat to LASK:

Celtic will play in the Europa League this season after their defeat to LASK in the Champions League playoffs. | Getty Images

Champions League prize money 2026/27

Simply by qualifying for the Champions League qualification playoffs by winning the Scottish Premiership last term, Celtic were awarded a fee of €4.29 million. However, by losing to LASK in the Champions League playoffs, Celtic missed out on the €18.62million windfall they would have received for qualifying for the League Phase.

By dropping into the Europa League, Celtic were awarded €4.31million instead, alongside another €4.29million in compensation as one of the seven clubs that lost in the Champions League playoff round.

Europa League prize money 2026/27

Each of the 36 clubs that qualify for the league phase can expect to receive a league phase allocation of €4.31m, split into a down-payment of €4.14m and a balance of €170k. Clubs will also receive an additional performance related bonus.

• Win a game in the League Phase: €450k per win
• Draw a game in the League Phase: €150k
• Lose a game in the League Phase: £0.
• Finish in the top eight of the League Phase: €600k each
• Finished between ninth and 16th: €300k each
• Playoff round: €300k each
• Round of 16: €1.75m per club
• Quarter-finals: €2.5m per club
• Semi-finals: €4.2m per club
• Final: €7m per club
• Winners can expect to receive an additional €6m.
• Qualification for the Super Cup: €4m
• Winners of the Super Cup: €1m

In comparison, club’s receive the following in the Champions League:

Champions League prize money 2026/27

Each of the 36 clubs that qualify for the league phase can expect to receive a league phase allocation of €18.62m, split into a down-payment of €17.87m and a balance of €750k. Clubs will also receive an additional performance related bonus.

• Win a game in the League Phase: €2.1m
• Draw a game in the League Phase: €700k
• Lose a game in the League Phase: £0.
• Finish in the top eight of the League Phase: €2m
• Finish between ninth and 16th in the League Phase: €1m
• Qualification for the knockout round play-offs: €1m per club
• Round of 16: €11m per club
• Quarter-finals: €12.5m per club
• Semi-finals: €15m per club
• Final: €18.5m per club
• Winners can expect to receive an additional €6m.
• Qualification for the Super Cup: €4m.
• Winners of the Super Cup: €1m