Nations League: UEFA showers clubs with cash, paying over €31 million for national-team players

UEFA will distribute around €31.5 million this week to clubs that made their players available for the 2024/25 Nations League matches. It is the first payout scheduled under the current cycle of UEFA’s Club Benefits Programme, set up under the memorandum of understanding between European football’s governing body and the ECA (European Club Association).

According to the published announcement, the payments are part of a total €104 million earmarked for clubs that released players to their national teams for the 2024/2025 and 2026/27 Nations League seasons as well as the Euro 2028 qualifiers.

The programme’s distribution mechanism is unchanged from the previous edition: compensation is calculated per player per match, at €3,845 for each player’s appearance in the Nations League or European qualifiers.

For Euro 2028, the reward will be calculated per player per day. The programme covers 611 clubs from all UEFA member associations, including amateur clubs.

The club set to benefit most from this round of payments is RB Leipzig, with a calculated €353,000 for the 16 players it released to national teams.

“The club benefits programme recognises the essential contribution clubs make to the success of national-team football,” UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said. “Through this programme we distribute to all clubs in Europe, professional or amateur, a share of the revenues from the Euros and the Nations League, recognising their role in developing players and releasing them to national teams. When football progresses, everyone benefits.”

The current benefits cycle linked to Euro 2028 foresees a total distribution of €244 million, including the remaining €2 million from Euro 2024. Of that, €104 million goes to clubs releasing players for the Nations League (2024/25 and 2026/27 seasons) and the Euro 2028 qualifiers (2027/28 qualifiers), while the other €140 million is destined for clubs with players at the tournament’s final phase. Further payments under the programme will be made in stages as the respective competitions draw to a close.