Arsenal set new Champions League record despite losing final to PSG
Arsenal have managed to set a new Champions League record for a British club despite losing the final on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners lost 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time, with Eberechi Eze and then Gabriel Magalhaes missing from the spot.
Kai Havertz had given them a sixth-minute lead after firing the ball past PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, before Ousmane Dembele levelled with a penalty on 65 minutes after Cristian Mosquera had fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
It was not the dream ending to the season that Arsenal would have hoped for after winning the Premier League, but they nonetheless put in a typically battling performance in Budapest.
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Both sides had chances to win the game, and the Gunners believed they should have had a penalty in the first half of extra time for a foul by Nuno Mendes on Noni Madueke, but referee Daniel Siebert waved away the protests.
READ MORE: Why Arsenal were denied penalty during Champions League final defeat to PSG
Arsenal players were left devastated after losing the penalty shootout, but midfielder Declan Rice said he was 'so proud of this group and these boys'.
"What a season," he added. "It's been incredible. I can't speak highly enough of everyone."
While manager Mikel Arteta stated: "If I said one million times thank you [to the players], it's not going to be enough."
Despite the defeat at the Puskas Arena, the new Premier League champions failed to lose a game across normal time over the entirety of the 2025/26 Champions League campaign.
That means they have collected a significant amount of prize money - a record amount for a British club in the history of the competition.
Arsenal are projected to have earned €143 million (around £125m) in prize money, as per data collected by The Athletic.
That is a figure around £2 million lower than winners PSG, who pocketed £5.7 million for winning Saturday's final for their second consecutive Champions League title.
Liverpool, despite losing to PSG in the quarter-finals, are projected to have earned the fourth-highest amount of prize money, at £95.3 million.
That is significantly higher than semi-finalists Atletico Madrid (£90.7m) and Real Madrid (£90.1m).
At the other end of the scale, Champions League debutants Kairat Almaty are projected to have collected £16.7 million for their run in the competition.
The numbers are not yet completely exact and will not be made official until UEFA release their distribution figures later in 2026.
How does UEFA prize money allocation work?
A significant proportion of the prize money - around 33 per cent, or £788 million - is allocated based on performance in this season's Champions League, but also a smaller amount - around £744 million - is awarded via a club's coefficient ranking.
A club's coefficient is based on their past performance in UEFA competitions across the past five years, with Liverpool - in fourth - currently the highest-ranked English team behind Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and PSG.
That will remain the case despite Arsenal's run to the final, with the Gunners in seventh place.
Chelsea (12th), Aston Villa (17th) and Tottenham (19th) are the other English sides in the top 20, while Manchester United have dropped down to 21st after failing to play in any of UEFA's three European competitions this season.
Michael Carrick's side will have an immediate chance to climb back into the top 20 next season, having qualified for the Champions League by finishing third in the Premier League.
Topics: Arsenal, Champions League, PSG
Ryan Smart