Serie A’s race for the top four is set to carry even greater financial weight from 2027, when UEFA begins a new four-year commercial cycle expected to lift Champions League prize money substantially.
European club competitions are projected to generate average annual revenues of €5.1 billion between 2027 and 2031, up from €4.4 billion in the 2024-27 cycle. The new arrangement replaces the previous three-year model with a four-year agreement, extending through 2031.
The increase will be felt most directly by clubs reaching the Champions League. Its overall prize fund, currently worth €2.458 billion, is expected to rise by around 15% to €2.8 billion. Payments for participation, sporting results and final placement will all grow in proportion.
A larger European market
UC3, the UEFA-European Football Clubs joint venture responsible for selling broadcast and sponsorship rights, secured the new commercial package with support from Relevent. Across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, the average value of the new television agreements rose by 20%.
Italy contributed to that growth, with Sky and Amazon committing higher sums for the next cycle. In the United States, the existing Paramount deal remains in force until 2030, while Paramount and Disney featured prominently in the latest sales process across other European and American territories.
In total, UEFA competition income is expected to climb by roughly €700 million per season. Of the projected €5.1 billion gross annual revenue, €500 million will be assigned to solidarity payments for clubs outside European competition, with smaller allocations also going to youth and women’s tournaments.
What it could mean for Inter, Juventus and Milan
The figures underline why Champions League qualification has become central to the planning of Italy’s leading clubs. This season, Inter began their campaign with a guaranteed base of €55 million, combining the participation fee with the “value pillar” payment. That mechanism brings together elements previously covered by the market pool and historical ranking, before any rewards for results are added.
Should Inter qualify for the 2027-28 Champions League, their minimum income from those initial distributions is projected to rise to between €60 million and €65 million.
Juventus and Milan, whose historical-ranking positions currently place them below Inter, are expected to see their starting return move from approximately €40-45 million to about €50 million under the new cycle.
For the clubs chasing Europe through the Serie A table, the implications are clear. A place among the first four will not simply bring elite continental football; from 2027, it will offer an even more decisive advantage in budgets, squad planning and the long contest between Italy’s biggest institutions.
