Champions League 2024/25 prize money: Celtic's Champions League earnings revealed ahead of opening UCL clash

Scottish champions Celtic will begin their highly-anticipated Champions League campaign this week by welcoming Slovakian outfit Slovan Bratislava to the east end of Glasgow.

Brendan Rodgers’ team enter the new look ‘League Phase’ this Wednesday with a home tie, with headline clashes against Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund, Europa League champions Atalanta and English Premier League outfit Aston Villa to come in the weeks and months ahead.

The Hoops will also face Young Boys, Club Brugge, Slovan Bratislava, Dinamo Zagreb and Red Bull Leipzig.

Scotland’s sole representative in the newly formatted competition, Celtic qualified automatically after winning the Scottish Premiership by eight points last year and, while the Hoops main focus will be on winning a fourth consecutive title, their 100% start to the domestic campaign has left supporters feeling confident they can have a real go at qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League this year.

But just how much will Celtic earn for their participation in Europe’s elite competition and how much more could they earn by qualifying for the knockout stages? Here is everything you need to know about the 24/25 UEFA Champions League - including the new format explained, prize money and key dates.

Celtic discovered their opponents this week following the 24/25 Champions League draw on Thursday. | AFP via Getty Images

New Champions League format explained

Celtic will find themselves part of a a brand new UEFA Champions League format for the 24/25 campaign. Previously, 32 teams would be enter into four team groups and each side would face each other twice - home and away. The top two sides from each group would then go through to the last 16 stage of the competition and the knockout phase. For the new season, this format has now changed.

The new UEFA Champions League format has resulted in the competition increasing to 36 clubs, who will then participate in a ‘league phase’. Competing sides will no longer play three teams home and away in a group, instead they will face eight different sides and play four home games and four away games. In order to determine fixtures, each team is placed into four seeding pots, with each team then drawn to play two opponents from each of these pots. They will play one match against a team from each pot at home, and one away.

Celtic’s Champions League fixture dates

Sept 18: Slovan Bratislava (H) - 8pm

Oct 1: Borussia Dortmund (A) - 8pm

Oct 23: Atalanta (A) - 5.45pm

Nov 5: RB Leipzig (H) - 8pm

Nov 27: Club Brugge (H) - 8pm

Dec 10: Dinamo Zagreb (A) - 5.45pm

Jan 22: Young Boys (H) - 8pm

Jan 29: Aston Villa (A) - 8pm

Champions League prize money - how much will Celtic earn from playing in the Champions League?

The Hoops can expect to receive a league phase allocation of €18.62m, which is split into a down-payment of €17.87m and a balance of €750k according to UEFA’s website.

Celtic will also earn a performance related bonus, which will be paid for each match in the League Phase: €2.1m per win and €700k per draw.

Should Rodger’s side make it to the knockout phase of the Champions League, they will earn:

• 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 €6.5m.