Women’s Euro 2022 promises to be the biggest and best yet in more ways than one.
Three times as many tickets have been made available as the previously record-breaking Euro 2017 in Netherlands, which has the potential to make the Wembley final the most attended game in European Championship history – men or women.
There will be numerous world class players and teams on display up and down England, while UEFA have opted to double the prize fund on offer, which will be distributed among all competing countries. On top of that, clubs with players present will also be financially compensated.
UEFA have set aside a €16m prize fund for Euro 2022, which is double the €8m from Euro 2017. That figure is the biggest pot that has ever been available at the Women’s Euros.
The governing body has explained there are two reasons this has been possible. One is ‘separating the commercial arrangements for men’s and women’s competitions’, while the other is ‘increased overall UEFA investment in the competition’.
Distribution of the €16m is based on two factors: equal distribution and team performances.
An initial 60% of the prize pot, which is €9.6m, will be shared equally between all 16 nations. That means a guaranteed payment of €600,000 just for qualifying – at Euro 2017, this was €300,000.
The remaining €6.4m will be distributed depending on how well each country does.
Every group stage win is worth €100,000, with €50,000 for a draw. Each side that gets to the quarter-finals will receive another €205,000, with another €320,000 for the last four.
The winner will be paid an extra €660,000 and the runners-up €440,000.
All the money is cumulative, meaning that should a country win all of their group games and then go on to lift the trophy, they would get a maximum payment of €2,085,000.
UEFA’s longstanding club benefits programme, which pays clubs as a sign of gratitude when their players participate in UEFA tournaments, will be applied to the Women’s Euros for the first time.
The overall pot of €4.5m will be distributed to clubs (European only – NWSL clubs cannot be compensated or any players involved, for example) depending on how many days their players have been released for the tournament – that starts with 10 official preparation days, followed by the total number of days a player is competing, plus one extra travel day after.
The rate UEFA will pay is €500 per player per day. The minimum guaranteed amount for every eligible player is therefore €10,000 and money will be paid between October and December 2022.
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