Rangers a beneficiary as Celtic Champions League grants £1.6m boost to Premiership clubs

Due to the Hoops’ experimentation with the new model,

seven elite teams will earn £1.6 million this season.

Seven Premiership teams stand to gain a substantial £1.6 million each from Celtic’s entrance

into the redesigned Champions League, with rival Rangers being the only team not to benefit greatly.

With a decisive 5-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava,

the Hoops opened the 2024–25 season in the brand-new League Phase,

raising expectations for a much-anticipated extended run in the competition under Brendan Rodgers.

Celtic’s qualification for the competition proper for the third year running has greatly improved

their own bank account, but it has also been excellent news for the balance sheets of the other

Premiership clubs that haven’t participated in Europe’s elite level in that time.

The Daily Mail reports that as part of Celtic‘s qualification for the Champions League last season,

£650,000 will be distributed by FIFA to the nine clubs—Dundee, Hearts, Hibs, Kilmarnock,

Livingston, Motherwell, Ross County, St Johnstone, and St Mirren—that did not participate

in European group stage football in 2023–2024. The purpose of this payment is to alleviate the

disappointment of not making the cut and to spread the financial burden.

Remarkably, though, it has been observed that seven of those teams specifically stand to gain

from a recent modification to the payout schedule. According to reports,

the governing board has confirmed that the solidarity payments for this season will be moved up

to March and June of 2025. Dundee, Hibs, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Ross County, St Johnstone,

and St Mirren will each get £1.6 million in UEFA solidarity payments before the season ends

since the new model is expected to be considerably more lucrative.

This is due to the fact that the seven teams will compete in the Premiership this year rather than

the League Phase of a UEFA competition. Livingston and Hearts,

will begin their Conference League season on October 3 against Dinamo Minsk,

will get a purse of £650,000 apiece.

Aberdeen will get over £1 million in the meanwhile,

as they were not eligible for the £650,000 solidarity payment for the previous season

because they were playing in the Conference League in 2023–2024.

Since Dundee United did not compete in the Premiership the previous season,

they will receive a comparable payout.