Before the start of the highly anticipated UEFA Women’s European Championship final tournament in England in summer 2022, the UEFA Executive Committee met yesterday in Chişinău, Moldova, and approved a significant increase in the amount distributed to the participating teams, as well as a new distribution model.
The 16 qualified squads will be awarded a total of €16 million, which is more than double the total prize money awarded at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 in the Netherlands, which was €8 million. For the group stage, the financial distribution will include enhanced guaranteed amounts as well as performance-based bonuses.
In addition, the UEFA Executive Committee authorized the first-ever club benefits scheme, allocating a large sum of €4.5 million to reward European teams that release players for the UEFA Women’s Euro final tournament for their commitment to the event’s success.
Increased financial distributions and the implementation of a club benefits program are significant strategic measures of UEFA’s Women’s Football Strategy – TimeForAction, guaranteeing that the women’s game receives more money than ever before.
The following are the most significant changes:
- All non-top five associations have had their shares increased, while the top five associations have had their shares capped (NB: the top five associations are England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France).
- The margin between associations with and without clubs in the UEFA Champions League group stage has narrowed.
- Market shares are given less weight, and distribution is based on fair and recognisable sporting criteria.
The 4% solidarity for non-participating clubs (€140 million based on a predicted aggregate revenue of €3.5 billion) will be augmented by 30% of revenue from club competitions exceeding €3.5 billion, up to a maximum of €35 million.
As a result, a total of €175 million will be available from competition earnings for non-participating clubs, up from €130 million in the 2018-21 cycle, and the portion earmarked for non-top five associations will rise to €132.5 million (an increase of more than 60% over the previous plan).
