How much prize money Celtic missed out on as PSG bank Champions League jackpot after beating Arsenal

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Paris Saint-Germain reigned supreme once more, securing back-to-back Champions League titles after a nerve-shredding penalty shootout victory over Arsenal in Budapest on Saturday.

Unfortunately for Celtic, they had to watch Europe’s elite from afar this season, after making a complete horlicks of their qualifiers in August.

It has been well-documented what followed. From constant Celtic fan protests, to several managerial changes, woeful transfer windows, and even a chaotic and cancelled AGM in Glasgow.

Nonetheless, as Luis Enrique’s PSG bagged a staggering £127 million for winning another European trophy, the champions of Scotland missed out on a serious financial windfall.

Here at 67 Hail Hail, we took a closer look at exactly what could have been for those at Parkhead.

• READ MORE: Perrie Edwards raves about ‘wild’ Celtic celebrations in Hearts title decider

Be honest, what are your early predictions for Celtic’s 2026/27 Champions League fortunes?

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Champions League prize money dished out, as Celtic miss out…

Last season, Celtic earned around £60 million for reaching the play-off stages of the Champions League, which includes revenue from ticket sales.

Compare that to this season’s Europa League earnings.

Financial expert, Adam Williams, told 67 Hail Hail that Celtic’s run to the play-off stages added around £25 million to the kitty, a significant and damaging drop from last year’s European riches.

Kairat Almaty, the side that dumped Celtic out in the qualifiers, earned a staggering £18.5 million just for finishing bottom of the Champions League league phase.

And that figure doesn’t even include match-day revenue from hosting major European ties, including Real Madrid.

To put things into perspective: Celtic finished 21st in the league phase last season.

Had they simply repeated that exact feat this term, they would have pocketed at least £46.1 million – the baseline total earned by Monaco, who claimed the 21st spot this year.

And remember, that staggering figure doesn’t even account for match-day revenue, an area where Monaco’s income comes absolutely nowhere near the cash generated by a packed Parkhead!

So, at the very least, Celtic have probably missed out on around £25 million for not playing in the Champions League this season.

Thankfully, Martin O’Neill secured the double to paper over the cracks of this campaign, but that doesn’t mean that the powers that be can get away with what happened, because when the qualifiers return in August, history simply can’t repeat itself.