The UEFA Champions League is the most coveted title in European club competition, but the reward for coming out on top will not stop at the podium at London's Wembley Stadium on June 1.
Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid have plenty of incentive when they hit the pitch on Saturday -- the former eye their first Champions League title since 1997, while the latter aim for a record 15th trophy. There's plenty of incentive outside of that, though, from the trophy they will lift to the entry into other competitions and even the prize money that the club will receive for a successful trip to the British capital.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, June 1 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Wembley Stadium -- London, England
- TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Borussia Dortmund +420; Draw +330; Real Madrid -165
Here's what you need to know about the rewards for the Champions League winners.
The trophy and medals
Once the final whistle blows, the Champions League winners will be eagerly awning the chance to get their hands on the trophy. It is almost two-and-a-half feet tall and weighs about 16.5 pounds, but the aim of lifting the trophy is more about the accomplishment beforehand than the actual design -- "It may not be an artistic masterpiece, but everybody in football is keen to get their hands on it," the creator of the piece of silverware, Jürg Stadelmann, once said, per UEFA.
Before the winning team receives the trophy, though, the players and the coaching staff will receive medals to mark the achievement. The winning team will be awarded 40 gold medals and has the right to hand them out as they see fit -- that includes players that may have played a small part in the run to the podium, but it is ultimately at the team's discretion. If Dortmund win, it might mean American Gio Reyna gets a medal.
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The Super Cup
The Champions League winner will receive an automatic berth to next season's competition should they need it, but the final is usually contested between two teams that already qualified through their performances in their domestic leagues. This year will be no different, since Real Madrid and Dortmund already finished in Champions League berths in La Liga and the Bundesliga, respectively.
Whoever wins on Saturday, though, will be the headlining act at the UEFA Super Cup, a celebratory one-off competition between the Champions League winner and the Europa League winner. This year's edition will take place on Aug. 14 at Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland, and it will see either Dortmund or Real Madrid face Atalanta, who won their first European title when they beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League final.
The prize money
This season, prize money will be distributed in two chunks -- 55% of their winnings will be distributed based on each team's performance. Here's a look at the prize money guaranteed to each team based on their finishes in this season's competition.
| Champions League finish | Prize money |
|---|---|
Champions | $21.5 million |
Runners-up | $16.12 million |
Semifinalists | $13.2 million |
Quarterfinalists | $11.4 million |
Round of 16 finish | $10.3 million |
Group stage wins | $3 million |
Group stage draws | $1 million |
Reaching the group stage | $16.8 million |
Another 30%, or roughly $651 million, will be doled out based on the teams' UEFA coefficient ranking. The lowest-ranked team will earn one share, which is about $1.23 million, while the highest-ranked team will earn 32 shares, which is almost $40 million. Real Madrid rank third before the final and will be guaranteed at least 30 shares, while Dortmund sit eighth and will receive at least 25 shares.
The remaining 15%, or roughly $326 million, will come from broadcast revenues. Half of those funds will go to the national federations of the participating teams based on a fixed percentage determined by UEFA, while the other half will be handed out to teams based on the number of games they played.
Champions League final broadcast schedule
All times U.S./Eastern
- Morning Footy, 11 a.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
- We Need To Talk, 12:30 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
- UEFA Champions League Today, 1 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network, Paramount+)
- UEFA Champions League Today pre-match, 1:30 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
- CBS Sports Golazo Matchday, 1:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
- UEFA Champions League Today post-match, 5:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network, Paramount+)
- Scoreline, 5:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
- The Champions Club, 6:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)