Red Star Belgrade faces major financial loss after European exit

Red Star Belgrade faces significant financial consequences following their elimination from European football competitions. After failing to qualify for the Champions League and subsequently missing out on the Europa League, the club will now only participate in the Conference League.

While qualifying for the Conference League league phase provides a fixed bonus of 3.17 million euros, this is a fraction of the potential revenue the club had projected. Success in the Champions League could have guaranteed approximately 25 million euros in UEFA bonuses, with total revenues potentially exceeding 30 million euros when including matchday income and other sources. For comparison, the club earned over 32 million euros from Champions League participation during the 2024/25 season.

The financial impact began with their elimination by Hapoel Beer Sheva in the Champions League qualifiers, which cost the club an additional 4.29 million euros available to teams reaching the final qualifying round.