A victory at the European Football Championship in Germany this summer would not only bring the German national players fame, but also a lot of money. The German Football Association (DFB) has promised each player a record bonus of 400,000 euros if the German national team wins the European Championship title.
The DFB is thus basing its figures on the sums of previous tournaments. “There will be no change in the performance-related tournament bonuses compared to the 2021 European Championship and the 2022 World Cup,” said DFB Managing Director Andreas Rettig about the negotiations with the players’ council surrounding the captain of the German national team, İlkay Gündoğan. “We already agreed on this with the players’ council last year.”
A European Championship victory costs the DFB 10.4 million euros
Winning the European Championship would therefore be expensive for the DFB. According to Rettig, a victory for the German national team would cost the DFB a total of 10.4 million euros with up to 26 squad players. However, UEFA will pay the new European champions up to 28.25 million euros in bonuses. In addition to this, UEFA will pay the DFB a starting bonus of 9.25 million euros per participant.
At the last World Cup in Qatar, the national players received no money after being eliminated in the group stage. Winning the group would have earned them 50,000 euros per player, reaching the quarter-finals 100,000 euros, and reaching the semi-finals 150,000 euros. Third place would have earned each player 200,000 euros, and losing the final 250,000 euros. The highest tournament bonus actually paid out by the DFB to date is the 300,000 euros per player for the German national team’s 2014 World Cup victory in Brazil.
EM under special security precautions
The European Championship in Germany is taking place under particularly high security precautions. The European Championship starts on June 14 in Munich, the final is on July 14 in Berlin. Due to the increased risk of terrorism at major sporting events, the Interior Ministry has been working on security precautions for several months. The main concern seems to be the terrorist group “Islamic State”, but the arrival of many hooligans also presents a challenge.
The German squad has been set since mid-May. National coach Julian Nagelsmann announced it at a press conference. To the surprise of many, Mats Hummels and Leon Goretzka are not included, but Nagelsmann has nominated four goalkeepers. A total of 27 players have been nominated, 26 of whom will ultimately be allowed to compete in the European Championship.
European Football Championship
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