Barcelona have recently been experiencing difficulties on several fronts, and this is certainly causing frustration and anxiety inside the club. Even making it to the Quarter-Finals of the 2022-22 UEFA Champions League campaign seems doubtful at the moment.
After a toughly-earned 3-3 draw with Inter on Matchday 4 at Camp Nou at home, the Blaugrana's prospects of advancing to the Round of 16 have been put in jeopardy. The Italians capitalized on the sloppy defence to take a 2-1 lead with goals from Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez before Robert Lewandowski leveled the score.
The Polish veteran added his second of the game in stoppage time to keep Xavi's side in the competition after Robin Gosens had apparently sealed a catastrophic loss for Barcelona with a goal just before the regular 90 minutes mark. The current Group C rankings have Barca in the third position, but their destiny is out of their hands since Inter will join Bayern in the Knockout Stage if they defeat Viktoria Plzen.
What would happen if Barcelona don't make it past the Champions League Group Stage?
Consequently, Barcelona may find themselves in the Europa League for the second year in a row, which might further strain the club's already tenuous financial condition. They may stand to lose as much as €52.7 million in revenue should they fail to advance beyond the Group Stage of the most prestigious European championship, as per multiple Spanish reports.
According to UEFA's prize structure via Spanish publication AS, the top European competition awards a total of €9,6 million to the 16 clubs who advance to the next round. Both the Quarter- and Semi-Finalists will receive cash prizes totaling €10.6 million and €12.5 million, respectively. Meanwhile, the Finals pair will be awarded €15.5 million each. The winning side will also get a cash bonus of €4.5 million, bringing the grand total to €52.7 million.
For Barcelona, losing out on such prize money might be disastrous, particularly in light of their massive spending during the summer transfer season on players like Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Raphinha. Losing the Champions League in consecutive years will be devastating to the reputation of a club that is widely considered to be among the sport's most prestigious organizations on a global scale.
On the other hand, to have a chance of moving through, Xavi's players have to win both of their remaining matches, against Bayern at Camp Nou on October 26, and Victoria Plzen away on November 1. However, they will need help from the Nerazzurri losing both of their remaining games against the same opponents.
