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How much Champions League qualification is worth to Leicester

By Thomas Bradley Alderman

NYON, SWITZERLAND - JULY 18: The UEFA logo is seen on the UEFA Champions League trophy as it is prepared for the UEFA 2014/15 Champions League third qualifying rounds draw at the UEFA headquarters, The House of European Football, on July 18, 2014 in Nyon, Switzerland. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for UEFA)
NYON, SWITZERLAND - JULY 18: The UEFA logo is seen on the UEFA Champions League trophy as it is prepared for the UEFA 2014/15 Champions League third qualifying rounds draw at the UEFA headquarters, The House of European Football, on July 18, 2014 in Nyon, Switzerland. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for UEFA) /
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With Leicester City currently third place in the Premier League, Foxes of Leicester investigates how lucrative qualifying for the Champions League would be.

Sitting above Chelsea with an eight point cushion is a great achievement for Leicester City, regardless of finishing position. If the Foxes slide a bit from there, they’ve still proven themselves a fantastic collective with an optimistic future. That is if the squad can stay together.

Leicester City in the Champions League

At the end of the 2019/20 season, the top-four clubs in the league all qualify for the Champions League group stage. Therefore if Leicester maintain their current place in the premiership, overtake Manchester City or are leapfrogged by the Pensioners, the East Midlanders still qualify. Seeding will then be used to separate the sides.

Who can forget the last time the Foxes made the ‘CL’: the last remaining English side in 2016/17 was quite the honour. Along with progressing to the quarter-finals, where Atletico Madrid would end the King Power crusade.

Unlikely Players like Marc Albrighton – scorer of Leicester’s first CL goal – and Islam Slimani – that bullet header at home is unforgettable – wrote their names into the illustrious history of the competition.

Champions League prize money

What financial gain does Leicester City Football Club stand to generate from another great run in the Champions League? Let’s investigate.

According to the Express, teams who don’t even progress for the group stage made £4.4 million this campaign. Sides who do find themselves in the group earn basic prize money of £13.5m. Though this is boosted by bonus funds of “£2.4m per win and £799,000 per draw”.

If Brendan Rodgers’ outfit advance to the knockout stages, it becomes £8.4m, then £8.9m and a further £10.6m for semi-finalists. The runner-up team receives £13.3m, with the overall winner pocketing another 16.8m. Not to mention the estimated £30m plus English teams may obtain in television rights.

Hot. Maddison set to sign new LCFC contract. light

If anything these figures will likely rise ever so slightly next term. Meaning a huge investment for the Foxes, who already have a brand new training facility to look forward to. Leicester are here to stay among the division’s elite.