Sports
Premier League giants can’t afford to miss Champions League riches for even a season
The UEFA Champions League is back this week, but for the biggest clubs, it is becoming increasingly important that it never goes away. Which is why Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are so desperate to qualify for next season’s competition.
Commercially, they are three of the sport’s most powerful clubs, but a year outside the Champions League can lead to severe financial turbulence due to the costs of keeping pace with the rest of the elite.
Between them, Liverpool, United and Chelsea have won 11 Champions Leagues/European Cups. Add in Aston Villa‘s 1982 European Cup triumph and the four clubs chasing three Champions League spots via the Premier League — assuming Arsenal and Manchester City finish in the top two — have won as many titles as Italy’s Serie A in 70 years of European Cup football.
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But while history and prestige are significant factors in clubs wanting to compete alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, nothing is more important than the money that Champions League participation generates.
For the likes of Madrid, Barça, Bayern and PSG, playing in the Champions League has become an annual privilege. Their domestic power is now so great that it’s unthinkable for any of those clubs to miss out on qualification.
PSG’s last season outside the Champions League was 2011-12, with Bayern (2007-08), Barcelona (2003-04) and Madrid (1996-97) almost forgetting what a season without Champions League football looks like. But there are simply not enough qualification spots for the Premier League’s so-called Big Six (which continues to include Tottenham Hotspur, who are fighting relegation this season), plus Villa and Newcastle United, to be able to spend with the confidence that a Champions League payday will fund their operation.
PSG banked £125.06 million from the UEFA prize fund for winning last season’s Champions League, with runners-up Inter Milan earning £118.3 million. Of the eight quarterfinalists last season, Villa’s £72.5 million overall Champions League earnings were the smallest, but still a huge financial windfall for the club.
United, who failed to qualify for any European competition this season, are the best example of how much it can hurt a team to miss out. Aside from the UEFA prize pot, they are also missing out on additional matchday revenue at Old Trafford, which amounts to approximately £5 million for every home game. Had they enjoyed Villa’s run to the quarterfinals last term, United would have had six Champions League home games, which equates to another £30 million they could have earned.
United also have financial penalties within sponsorship deals triggered by failing to play in the Champions League, including a £10 million deduction in their £90 million-a-year shirt deal with Adidas. And although United’s playing and coaching staff suffer a 25% salary reduction whenever they fail to play in the Champions League — their annual wage bill was £313 million in their most recent accounts — that cost savings (£78.25 million) does not cover the revenue lost by not playing in the Champions League. United owe £422 million in outstanding transfer payments and £238 million of that figure is due to be repaid by the end of next season, which means a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2023-24 is crucial.
Chelsea are another club with a huge reliance on Champions League earnings. According to data released by UEFA last month, Chelsea made a loss of £355 million in 2024-25 — a figure more than twice as big as the next-highest loss, recorded by Lyon.
The £84 million banked from winning the FIFA Club World Cup last summer was a much-needed financial boost for Chelsea after playing in the UEFA Conference League last season, which generated just £19.06 million despite Enzo Maresca’s team winning the competition by defeating Real Betis in the final.
Even Liverpool, last season’s Premier League champions, face a financial headache if they miss out on Champions League qualification this season. Despite their league title, which earned Liverpool £174.9 million in prize money, and £46 million from reaching the Champions League round of 16, the club reported a pre-tax profit of just £15.2 million in their most recent financial accounts.
Liverpool also reported an annual wage bill of £428 million — the biggest in the Premier League — and that figure does not include the new contracts awarded to Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk last summer, nor does it factor in the salaries paid to new signings including Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike following last year’s £450 million transfer outlay.
Within the accounts, Liverpool’s chief financial officer Jenny Beacham made clear how important it is for the team to play at the “highest level” to cover the club’s rising costs.
“The club does face significant cost challenges, including rises in administrative, staffing and operational costs, alongside the need for us to compete at the highest level of the game, across our men’s and women’s teams,” Beacham said. “Since this reporting period we have invested significantly to continue to enhance our playing squads, investing in the club’s present and in its future too.”
Liverpool have recent experience of the downsides of missing out on the Champions League, with Jürgen Klopp’s final season as manager in 2023-24 played out in the Europa League — something that impacted the plans of his successor, Arne Slot.
“It’s very important for us as a team to be in the Champions League and it has shown how important it is for this club financially,” Slot said. “The season when I arrived, there was a reason why we only signed Federico Chiesa and that was partly because of the season before there was Europa League football.
“We know we are in a transition and a transition works better if there’s money available.”
So while the Champions League is the only place for the biggest clubs to be, it is no longer simply a prestigious bonus on top of domestic success. It has become an essential revenue driver, but in the Premier League, top clubs will inevitably miss out and the price of failure is becoming bigger and bigger.
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Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was hospitalized on Friday, TMZ reported.
The New York Giants legend suffered a medical emergency in New Jersey, warranting the visit, the outlet said.
Taylor’s status is unclear at this time, but TMZ said that it does not appear to be serious, citing “those close to” him.
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Former New York Giant Lawrence Taylor attends a game between the Giants and the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Taylor’s former Giants did not immediately respond to an email.
L.T. is widely regarded as the greatest linebacker to ever play. He was a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, including in his rookie season.
He won two Super Bowls, made 10 straight Pro Bowls and was named the MVP of the 1986 season. He also remains the franchise’s all-time sacks leader, which includes his 9½ sacks from his rookie season, before sacks became a stat.
New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor enters the field before a game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sept. 8, 2024. (John Jones/Imagn Images)
This came despite a lavish lifestyle off the field, which resulted in legal troubles after his playing days. Drug problems have also resulted in health problems later in life.
Taylor showed his support for President Donald Trump in 2024, appearing at a rally in Wildwood, New Jersey.
“I grew up a Democrat, and I’ve always been a Democrat, until I met this man right here,” Taylor said to cheers. “Nobody in my family ever will vote for a Democrat again.”
President Donald Trump and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor attend an executive order signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 31, 2025. The order formally reestablishes the Presidential Fitness Test, creating school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg)
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Taylor made Giants headlines last year when he quickly turned down Abdul Carter’s request to wear his No. 56 that has been retired by the organization since 1994, just one season after he retired.
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KARACHI: Islamabad United on Friday handed Hyderabad Kingsmen a humiliating eight-wicket defeat in the 36th match of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the National Bank Stadium.
The victory, which marked United’s fifth in the ongoing eight-team tournament, propelled the three-time champions into the playoffs, joining leaders Peshawar Zalmi and 2021 champions Multan Sultans.
Set to chase a modest 81-run target, the United comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just two wickets and 80 balls to spare.
The 2024 champions, however, had a contrasting start to the pursuit as they lost left-handed opener Devon Conway (zero) on the second delivery of the innings.
But Sameer Minhas and Mohsin Riaz batted sensibly to put United within touching distance as they put together 79 runs for the second wicket until Ali struck again, dismissing Riaz, who top-scored with 42 off just 18 deliveries, studded with six fours and two sixes.
Minhas, on the other hand, remained unbeaten with 27 off 20 deliveries, featuring three fours and a six, while skipper Shadab hit the winning runs in the same over with a boundary on the first delivery he faced.
For the Kingsmen, Mohammad Ali remained the solitary wicket-taker in the gruelling defeat with two scalps.
United captain Shadab Khan’s decision to field first paid dividends as his team’s bowling unit booked the new entrants for 80 in 15.5 overs.
Kingsmen got off to the worst possible start to their innings as Gleeson dismissed Maaz Sadaqat (zero) on the first delivery of the innings.
The right-arm pacer swept through their top order by getting rid of Marnus Labuschagne (five) and Saim Ayub (12) in his next two overs and brought the total down to 24/3.
Following Gleeson’s early blitz was backed by the experienced spin duo of captain Shadab and Imad Wasim as they dismantled Kingsmen’s middle and lower orders by taking three wickets each despite last match centurion Usman Khan’s grit.
The wicketkeeper batter waged a lone battle for the Kingsmen with an unbeaten 25 off 35 deliveries, during which he struck only one boundary.
Besides Usman and Saim, only Kusal Perera and Asif Mehmood, 12 each, could amass double figures against a ruthless United bowling attack.
For United, Gleeson, Imad and Shadab bagged three wickets each, while left-arm pacer Salman Mirza chipped in with one scalp.
Playing XIs
Hyderabad Kingsmen: Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne (c), Saim Ayub, Kusal Perera, Usman Khan (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Hassan Khan, Hunain Shah, Mohammad Ali and Asif Mehmood.
Islamabad United: Devon Conway (wk), Sameer Minhas, Mark Chapman, Mohsin Riaz, Shadab Khan (c), Haider Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Chris Green, Imad Wasim, Richard Gleeson and Salman Mirza.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday Washington had no objections to Iranian players participating in the 2026 Fifa World Cup but he added the players will not be allowed to bring with them people with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Nothing from the US has told them they can’t come,” Rubio told reporters.
President Donald Trump also said his administration “would not want to affect the athletes” in comments he made at the White House.
The 2026 soccer World Cup is set to begin on June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Paolo Zampolli, a Trump envoy who has no official connection with the World Cup, had earlier suggested that Italy should replace Iran at the tournament.
“The problem with Iran would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to let them in but not the athletes themselves,” Rubio said.
“They can’t bring a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend that they are journalists and athletic trainers,” Rubio added. Washington has designated the IRGC as a “foreign terrorist organisation.”
Currently there is no suggestion Iran will withdraw or be banned from the tournament that Italy missed out on.
After the start of the Iran war, Iran requested that Fifa move the team’s three group matches from the US to Mexico, which was rejected.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states with US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. A fragile ceasefire in the Iran war began over two weeks ago.
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