Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona are among the clubs paid by UEFA for releasing players for the Women’s Euro 2025 tournament.
Uefa has underlined its commitment to the growth of the women’s game after distributing £7.9 million to clubs across Europe.
The governing body said the payments reflect a wider investment strategy designed to support clubs that develop elite players and allow them to represent their national teams on the biggest stage.
In total, 103 clubs from 16 federations benefited from the scheme. The overall figure represents a significant increase on the £3.9m awarded following the 2022 tournament and highlights how financial backing for the women’s game has expanded in a short period of time.
The Euro 2025 final saw England beat Spain, with the two nations since drawn in the same Women’s World Cup qualifying group.
How much did English clubs receive from UEFA for Euro 2025?
English teams received a combined £2.1m, with Women’s Super League sides Chelsea and Arsenal leading the way.
The two London clubs pocketed a combined £762,000. Chelsea received the third-highest amount from UEFA with £405,000, while Arsenal were fifth which £357,000.
Manchester City were awarded £280,000 with Manchester United taking £236,000. Everton and Leicester City also passed the £100,000 mark with payments of £136,000 and £115,000 respectively.
How were the payments calculated?
UEFA confirmed that payments were calculated based on the number of days each player was released by their club. This included 10 preparation days, the total number of days spent at the tournament and one travel day. Clubs received a daily rate of £958.61 per player per day.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the scheme was about sharing success across the women’s football ecosystem.
“As women’s football continues to grow and thrive, we want everyone to share in its success,” said Ceferin.
“The club benefits programme is a reflection of the vital role that European clubs play in developing the players who made Uefa Women’s Euro 2025 such a groundbreaking and memorable tournament.
“The payments are not just a financial reward – they are an investment in the future of the game, strengthening the important collaboration between club and national team football.”
Barcelona receive highest figure from UEFA for Euro 2025
Spanish champions Barcelona topped the overall list with £497,000 in payments. Bayern Munich followed with £408,000 while Juventus received £363,000 to complete the top five alongside Chelsea and Arsenal.
The top 10 also included Manchester City, Lyon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Wolfsburg.
Clubs in England split across the WSL and WSL 2, France, Germany, Italy and Spain shared 79% or £6.2m of the total benefits pot.
While the increase marks progress, the figures remain modest compared to the men’s game. A total of 223m euros or £195m was distributed to 901 clubs across 55 European football associations for Men’s Euro 2024.
Those payments also covered Nations League matches and European qualifiers with daily fees ranging from 3,395 to 10,187 euros or £2,970 to £8,918.
The contrast underlines both the strides already made and the scale of growth still ahead for women’s football.
