How much Rangers earned from Europa League run, Celtic comparison and 25/26 Champions League prize money

Rangers’ dream of Europa League success came to an end at the hands of Athletic Bilbao last night, with the LaLiga giants running out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Oihan Sancet and Nico Williams at Estadio de San Mamés last night.

Despite their turbulent domestic campaign, Barry Ferguson’s side had found some solace in Europe over the course of the season, winning four of their eight League Phase games to qualify for the knockout stages automatically, beating edging beyond Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce on penalties in the last 16 of the competition.

Finalists in 2022, the Light Blues had hoped for another shot at glory, but several in-game injuries and a highly controversial decision not to award a penalty for a shirt pull on Cyriel Dessers in the first-half left Rangers with it all to do in the Basque region of Spain.

But how much did Rangers impressive Europa League run earn them in total prize money, how does it compare to Celtic’s Champions League earning, and how much can the Ibrox club expect to earn if they can navigate the qualifying rounds of next season’s Champions League?

Here’s everything you need to know:

Nico Williams ends Rangers' dreams of Europa League success by heading home the second goal in their 2-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao. | AFP via Getty Images

Rangers full Europa League prize money

To reveal how much Rangers have earned from their run to the Europa League last eight, we must first go back to August when they started their European campaign against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League qualifying stages.

The club received a fixed payment of €4.29m simply for their participation in the qualifiers, despite their 3-1 aggregate defeat to the Ukrainian giants. That payment was split into a down-payment of €4.14m. and a balance of €170k. The defeat put Rangers into the League Phase of the Europa League, which saw the Light Blues earn a ‘performance related bonus’ based on the outcome of each of their eight league games. These payments were as follows:

A win: €450,000

A draw: €150,000

A defeat: £0.

In total, Rangers won four, drew two, and lost two of their League Phase games, meaning they earned a total of €2.1million in bonuses. However, as they also finished in the top eight, they were also granted an additional €600,000 bonus. This means Rangers received a total of €2.7million (approximately £2.3million) for their performance during the League Phase.

Their automatic qualification for the round of 16 saw them pick up a further €1.75million, while they picked up a further in €2.5million in prize money for making the last eight of the competition. In total, Rangers earned a €11.24million 9 (approximately £9.6million) in prize money from their Europa League run this season.

Had Rangers beaten Athletic Bilbao and gone on to the semi-final of the competition, they would have earned a further €4.2million, with a further €7million had they made the final.

Celtic Champions League prize money

How does Rangers earnings compare to their rivals Celtic, who competed in the Champions League this year? By simply qualifying for the competition automatically, and competing in the League Phase, the Hoops were granted a league phase allocation of €18.62million, split into a down-payment of €17.87m and a balance of €750k, as per the UEFA’s website.

Similar to the Europa League prize pot, Celtic were awarded a performance related bonus. victory during the League Phase. These payments were as follows:

A win: €2.1million

A draw: €700,000

A defeat: £0.

With three wins, three draws and two defeats, that means Brendan Rodgers’ side earned a total of of €7.7million in performance related bonuses, added to their a further €18.62million for qualification. Celtic were also given with another bonus of €1million for reaching the knockout round play-offs.

This means Celtic’s total earnings from their participation in the 24/25 Champions League amounted to €26.32million (approximately £22.6million).

Champions League 25/26 prize money, Champions League 25/26 draw

Neither Celtic nor Rangers will automatically qualify for the Champions League League Phase next year due to Scotland dropping out of the UEFA coefficient top 10.

Premiership champions-in-waiting Celtic will face one qualifying round, the play-off round, in the Champions Path. The draw for this round is on 4 August 2025, with matches expected to be played in August. Their opponents will be other domestic champions from similar-ranked leagues, though Celtic’s ‘high club coefficient’ will give them a seeding advantage.

Assuming Rangers finish second, they will need to navigate three qualifying rounds (second, third, and play-off) in order to reach the League Phase. This will start in July 2025, with potential opponents including runners-up or third-placed teams from higher-ranked leagues like Serbia, the Netherlands, or Portugal. Rangers’ strong club coefficient (higher than Celtic’s, ranked joint-30th vs. Celtic’s 56th) could secure seeding in earlier rounds, easing their path slightly.

But how much could both clubs earn if they qualify for a spot in the 25/26 Champions League? While exact figures for 2025-26 season are not yet available, as UEFA typically announces these closer to the season start. An announcement on this is expected around June.

Champions League prize money increased by a third this season after the competition's revamp. The total prize pot for the UEFA competition, which has this season expanded from 32 to 36 teams, is up to £2.06billion, compared to £1.74billion in the previous format last time around.