You can debate all you want over whether it’s the best, but there’s no denying that the Premier League remains Europe’s most lucrative league.

This is a land where relegation candidates can spend close to £100m in a single transfer window in the hope of survival, where mid-table fodder can attract some of the continent’s brightest young stars and the very best can sign whomever they plead at the click of a finger.

The Premier League’s quality across the board is unmatched, with the division emerging as a utopia for commercial success. While their competitors struggle for international TV rights, the Premier League has global broadcasters at their knees. Everybody wants a piece of the pie.

This is a monetary haven, but constraints have been implemented to ensure clubs are running sustainably. The new rules mean revenues are imperative for Premier League teams and the easiest way to boost such figures is by finishing as high in the table as possible come season’s end. A position in the standings is worth millions.

Here’s how much each club makes in prize money per final position in the Premier League.

The Premier League’s revenue distribution is worth hundreds of millions. Each club will earn a portion of the league’s total income from national and international broadcast deals. The Premier League’s current domestic and international deals are worth £5bn and £5.05bn respectively, with a new domestic deal worth £6.7bn kicking in from the start of the 2025/26 season. So, in short, there’s plenty of money to go around.

Clubs are guaranteed a fixed £9.4m in commercial payments as well as an equal share of the income generated from the aforementioned broadcast deals. This cut was worth more than £79m in 2022/23.

On top of this, the Premier League also hands out prize money at the end of the season. These are called ‘merit payments’ with a higher final position in the table garnering a bigger payment.

The Premier League has not yet released merit payment figures for the 2023/24 season, but a jump can be expected from 2022/23 given the typical year-on-year increase. Man City, 2022/23 champions, earned over £33m more in merit payments in 2022/23 compared to 2021/22. Norwich, who finished bottom, earned over £1.6m more.

With figures for 2023/24 unpublished, 2022/23 is our most recent reference point for merit payments. The Premier League breaks down its prize money into United Kingdom and international merit payments, with each position in the table being worth millions.

During a time of FFP and PSR, finishing just one place higher, even if it’s in mid-table, is financially significant. Each position is worth approximately £3.1m.

The table below is an estimation of the merit payments handed out by the Premier League for the 2023/24 season based on figures from the campaign before.

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