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After a long season of 49 matches in the Second Division, Sunderland achieved a dramatic victory over Sheffield United in the promotion play-off final, winning 2–1 and securing their return to the Premier League after an eight-year absence from the top flight.
The celebration of Newcastle's historic rivals was magnificent. And not in vain: this game is considered "the most expensive game on the planet." After all, not only a place in the Premier League was at stake, but also a huge prize money.
According to BBC estimates, the winner of this match is guaranteed to have at least £220 million in their bank account, or around €262 million. This amount starts to form from ticket sales for the final at Wembley (around €1.2 million for each club) and quickly grows thanks to bonuses provided by the Premier League for television rights. In the case of Sunderland, these payments are estimated at around €98 million. In addition, income from commercial and sponsorship contracts must be taken into account.
If Sunderland are relegated from the top flight next season, they will receive a portion of the so-called "parachute payments" - compensation that the Premier League provides to clubs relegated immediately after promotion to the top flight to reduce financial losses. For example, in the 2023/24 season, every Premier League club earned at least €129 million just for participating in the competition.
Last season, clubs promoted from the Championship earned at least €166 million in revenue. This season, this amount is expected to increase significantly due to a new €8 billion television rights deal that will come into effect from the 2025/26 season.