Nottingham Forest travel to Seville to face Real Betis in the Europa League on Wednesday, a competition that could be lucrative for the Reds.
Forest are slight favourites for the Betis clash, which highlights the strength of the Reds’ Premier League squad, given the stronger recent European experience of the Spanish side.
In fact, Forest are the third favourites to win the Europa League entirely, with experts predicting a successful return to European competition after a 30-year absence from the top table.
It’s an exciting season for Ange Postecoglou’s side, then, but the hierarchy at the City Ground may well be looking at the financial incentive for winning against Betis and beyond.
Europa League 25/26 league phase prize money explained
Playing consistently in UEFA competition is crucial to helping a side increase their revenue, with prize money as well as the increase in general matchday revenue through hosting more games at the City Ground.
The money will tally up throughout the Reds’ time in the competition, starting in the Betis game with a six-figure fee up for grabs.
| Result | Prize money |
| Win | £379k |
| Draw | £126k |
| Top eight finish | £523k |
| Finish between 9th and 16th | £261k |
According to TNT Sport, each win in the league phase will pocket Forest £379k, meaning that a maximum prize pot of just over £3m is up for grabs if the Reds can win all eight fixtures.
A draw will still bank £126k for Forest, with the money for individual games supplemented by an additional fee depending on the position that the club qualify in.
The money is certainly an incentive, then, especially given the Reds’ current predicament when it comes to UEFA’s financial regulations.
Nottingham Forest are facing financial penalties from UEFA
Before a ball has even been kicked in the Europa League, Forest have been predicted to breach UEFA’s financial rules this season, with the precedent for this being a fine.
Explaining the punishment, football finance expert Adam Williams told Nottingham Forest News: “In terms of potential punishments, they will likely reach a settlement with UEFA like the ones we’ve seen at Chelsea and Villa recently. The extent of that plan will be commensurate with the scale of the breach.
“But if what we’ve seen so far is anything to go by, it will be a three-year plan with a more relaxed requirement in year one, followed by a more significant financial adjustment in years two and three.”
It seems as if Forest will be financially hamstrung by UEFA, then, so totting up as much revenue from the Europa League campaign will at least ease the pain of any punishment.
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