Liverpool’s participation in the 2024-25 Champions League was confirmed on Thursday night.
Liverpool will return to the Champions League next season following a one-year hiatus, with a top-four finish assured after Chelsea defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening.
Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson scored goals in either half to hand Spurs their third consecutive loss, ensuring Liverpool can no longer finish lower than fourth. Spurs still have a chance to catch Villa in fourth place, while the Reds just need one more point to finish ahead of Villa thanks to their far better goal difference. Any dropped points from Villa will ensure the Reds finish third or higher when the two teams meet on Monday, May 13.
Opta data specialists think Liverpool will finish third this season, with their statistical model giving the Reds a 97.3 percent chance of staying in their current position. They host Tottenham Hotspur this weekend before finishing the season with a trip to Villa and a home game against Wolves.
It means LFC will receive a significant amount of prize money from both the Premier League and UEFA. Reaching the Champions League group stage was valued £13.37 million in the 2023-24 season, and that sum is expected to rise in 2024-25 due to a new format that sees 36 clubs enter the competition, up from 32 in previous years. There will now be eight group stage games instead of six, with each team playing four home games and four away.
The top eight finishers in the league phase go to the last 16, while clubs finishing ninth to 24th face a two-legged play-off for a position in the final 16. Liverpool is likely to get at least £13.37 million from UEFA, as well as at least £165 million in Premier League prize money.
This amount includes a merit reward for placing third, an equal share payout, and facility fees for hosting TV games. The £165 million is based on last season’s total and hence on the low end of the expectation, with merit and equal share payments expected to rise and Liverpool slated to collect 27 sets of facility fees. They have been on television 25 times this season, with games against Tottenham and Villa also being shown.
