Does Europa League winner qualify for Champions League? Bonus prize for winners of UEFA competition

The Europa League has entered the semifinal stage of the 2023/24 competition.

Roma go head to head with Xabi Alonso's unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen and Marseille battle Atalanta who dumped out Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the quarterfinals.

While Leverkusen have already qualified for the 2024/25 Champions League season, the other three sides could gain access as a result of how well they perform in this year's Europa League.

The Sporting News looks at the real benefit of winning the Europa League.

Europa League prize money breakdown for 2023

The winner of the Europa League final will automatically qualify for the prestigious UEFA Champions League group stage in the following season.

And the Europa League winner is also placed in Pot 1 of the group stage draw, potentially giving them easier opponents. This is how Sevilla (Europa League winners in 2022/23) qualified for the Champions League this season despite finishing 12th in La Liga.

Advancing to the Champions League group stage not only helps with player recruitment, but it also comes with guaranteed base revenue for the 32 clubs and the possibility of adding to it by collecting results throughout the competition.

Who has won the most Champions League trophies?

Although the prize money in the Europa League is far less than that of the Champions League, it can still be a useful resource for those who can go deep into the tournament.

Teams can earn close to £20 million ($25m) if they manage to triumph in all their group games on their way to winning the whole competition.

The third-place finishers in the Champions League group stage, who are afforded the opportunity of playing for a spot in the Europa League knockouts can also earn a good amount in the knockout stages alone.

As the