The 2026/27 season marks the sixth season of existence for the UEFA Conference League, which was introduced in 2021 as a third-tier continental competition for European teams. Since then, some have questioned the Conference League and its existence, but it is hard to argue that the competition is anything other than beneficial.

The Conference League, be it through their county’s coefficient or their own league rankings, gives teams a chance in Europe that they otherwise may not have access to. While a side could qualify for the Europa or Champions League, they may not be well-equipped for the calibre of the tournament but have a squad that perfectly suits the Conference League.

In its early life thus far, the Conference League has made a claim for being the most unpredictable competition in Europe, with Roma, West Ham United, Olympiacos, Chelsea and Crystal Palace having won the competition.

Along with its other European competitions, the Conference League was revamped ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with a league stage replacing the traditional group stage formatting. As clubs battle it out to clinch the crown once more, it is worth asking, just how is the prize money in the Conference League is divided.

Prize Money for the Europa Conference League

League Stage

For the clubs that reached the league stage of the Conference League in the 2026/27 season, they were all awarded £2.8 million for their participation. Not only that, but any victory saw teams awarded a further £349,000, with a draw seeing the sides earn just under £116,000.

Qualification from the knockout play-offs and round of 16

Much akin to the new-look format of the Champions League and Europa League, the top eight sides in the Conference League table progress automatically to the round of 16, with teams playing just six games in that stage. Any side placed ninth, 24th or anywhere in-between, progresses to the play-offs, where eight games are contested to determine the final half of the last 16.

Teams that advance from the league stage do so with a reward of £175,000, a number that jumps quite substantially for the sides that were successful in winning their play-off clashes. Qualification for the Conference League round of 16 also means an extra £698,000 comes into the team’s accounts.

Quarter-finals qualification

Beyond the play-off matches, the remainder of the Conference League’s format is entirely the same as European competitions have been in the past. After the round of 16 sits the quarter-finals, with the teams that qualify for it each year all having a tentative eye on the trophy as one of the competition’s final participants.

In 2026/27, clubs that qualify for the quarter-finals do so with a bonus of just under £1.1 million, with the quarter-finals being the first stage of the Conference League–other than the base league stage–to offer participants a six-figure sum for reaching it.

Semi-finals and final qualification

The semi-finals of the Conference League, at least for the 2026/27 season, take place in the final week of April and the first week of May, with the four teams remaining by that point set to battle it out for a spot in the final. In reaching the final quartet of sides in the competition, the clubs will be awarded about £2.1 million.

Then, to the final itself. Set to be played at Besiktas Park in Turkey on June 2, 2027, it will determine the new Conference League champions. The teams that reach the final will receive almost £3.5 million while the winner will be given an extra £2.6 million on top of that.

How Does This Compare to Last Year?

Last season’s edition of European competitions were the second to be conducted with a new format. As such, the money that the teams in 2025/26 received differed slightly from what could have been expected when the traditional group stage format was still in place.

The changes made to the competition meant that sides received around £200,000 more solely for making it to the league stage than they would have with traditional groups. Though bonuses for a win or draw became slightly lower than they once were, as did the amount received for reaching the knock-out stages, from there, things have changed.

Where once teams were given just over £500,000 for reaching the round of 16, they now get almost £698,000. Similarly, teams now receive around £300,000 more for getting to the quarter-finals than they once did. Those in the semi-finals get an extra £500,000 and the two sides that make the Conference League final stand to earn a lot more than previous years, especially the winners.