June 16 – CONCACAF have boosted their prize money fund for their top tier Champions League club competition to $1.2 million for the 2016/17 season. They have also committed to supporting club travel costs in the early tournament stages.
The draw for the group stages of the 24 team 2016/17 competition, a key asset in the commercial rights armoury of the confederation’s sales effort, was held last month in Miami. Group stages will be played from August to October, followed by knockout rounds from February to late April or early May. The winner qualifies as CONCACAF’s representative at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Winners of the 2016/17 Champions League will receive $500,000, the runner-up will receive $300,000 and the two other semifinalists will get $200,000 each. CONCACAF says it is investing more than $5.5 million in this edition of the competition.
CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said: “We understand that investment in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League will pay dividends quickly, in further supporting clubs by compensating them for their monumental efforts and success in reaching the Champions League.
“In speaking with and listening to our participating clubs and Member Associations, we understand the importance – in addition to cash prizes for teams reaching the final rounds of the competition – of also supporting the clubs by increasing the travel stipend across the board, to help offset the rising costs of travel across the region.”
The increase in prize money is a recognition that to build an asset comparable to other confederations’ club competition they have to encourage their top clubs with a financial incentive.
In comparison CONCACAF have a distance to go to catch their colleagues at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) who for the 2016 season have doubled their prize pool to $7.4 million, with the champions winning $3 million and runners-up $1 million.
That AFC prize pool also goes deep with semi-finalists receiving $200,000, quarter finalists $120,000 and clubs in the round of 16 getting $80,000. The AFC also has a secondary club competition with its AFC Cup with winners receiving $1 million of a $2.1 million prize fund.
These sums are all dwarfed by UEFA’s multi-tiered prize fund system that saw 32 clubs that competed in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League sharing almost €988 million.
Real Madrid received €15 million for winning the 2015/16 competition in May and Atletico Madrid received €10.5 million as runner-up. Sevilla, winners of this season’s Europa League, cashed in with €6.5 million.
The FIFA World Club Cup winners in Japan in December will take home €4.5 million in prize money.
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