That Friday Feeling – Celtic’s £6.7m UEFA Payday

Celtic will today receive £6.7m from UEFA as part of their participation in the Champions League knockout playoffs…

The substantial payment earned comes after Brendan Rodgers’ side were agonisingly knocked out on Tuesday evening at the Allianz Arena courtesy of a stoppage time equaliser from Canadian full-back Alphonso Davies.

Celtic were 20 second and a dreadful refereeing mistake away from taking the Bundesliga league leaders to extra-time – and Rodgers hailed his side’s progression in Europe’s elite club competition this season which was exemplified by the performance levels in Munich.

Celtic miss out on an additional £9.3m

Subsequently, the Scottish champions will also receive a further £850k payment on 21 March as a result of reaching the knockout playoffs of the much-improved new Champions League format.

Had Celtic heroically defeated Bayern and progressed to the last 16, the Hoops would have earned themselves a further £9.3m and set up a hotly anticipated two-legged affair against either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid next month.

Daizen Maeda elbowed in the face, head knock? Free kick? Red Card review? VAR check? Nothing…

However, it was not to be in the Bavarian capital and Celtic’s Champions League journey came to a heartbreaking end. The performance levels and results throughout this season’s campaign has reestablished Celtic’s credibility on the highest stage continentally.

Celtic banked €46m plus ticket sales

Meanwhile, Celtic banked €46m plus ticket sales from five Champions League home matches which is still to be added to their mouthwatering accumulation of money. Undoubtedly, it is the highest ever earnings in a single season by any Scottish club in Europe showing the importance of Champions League qualification.

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

With the Scottish Premiership winners having to negotiate one round of qualifiers to reach next season’s Champions League, preparation should start now for that season-defining tie in late August.