UEFA confirm £400m plan in boost for Man City and Manchester United

UEFA has confirmed a £400m increase in prize money for the Champions League starting next season.

Manchester City are almost certain to feature in the Champions League next term with Pep Guardiola's treble-winners second in the Premier League. Manchester United are in a battle to reach the top four under Erik ten Hag, currently sitting four points adrift of Aston Villa.

There is an extra financial incentive for City and United qualify for Europe's elite club competition again with a significant prize money hike coming into play. On Wednesday, it was announced that UEFA has increased the total prize money for next season's Champions League to £2.1 billion - a £400 million increase from the current figure.

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While the glory of winning the Champions League last season will stay with City fans forever, they also benefitted financially too. UEFA have announced the Blues received £115m in prize money thanks to their run to the final.

Clubs in the Champions League accumulate money at each stage of the competition. For each match won or drawn, clubs receive a set amount of cash which increases the further a team advances, hence why City were handed a nine-figure sum.

In addition to the increased prize money, the Champions League is set to grow with the number of teams rising from 32 to 36 clubs. The new format will place all teams in one league table, with a draw at the start to decide the fixtures.

Teams will now play eight group games, up from the usual six. The group stage will run from September to January, and we're yet to see how this will affect