By reaching the Champions League playoff, the Blues have secured a serious financial windfall, and advancing past Norway's Viking would raise the initial amount to nearly €29 million. The match will be played on August 18 at Maksimir.
GNK Dinamo's victory over Kauno Žalgiris wasn't just a major sporting leap; it also secured a significant financial boost. By merely reaching the Champions League playoff, the Croatian champions have already earned at least €14.5 million, with the real prize still on the horizon.
According to information from Poslovni dnevnik, Dinamo had collected €3.723 million in UEFA prize money by last week. That amount included fixed bonuses of €175,000 for each of the three successfully played European qualifying rounds, plus an additional €3.17 million for guaranteed participation in the Conference League group stage.
By moving up to a higher competition tier, the Europa League, an additional €1.14 million landed in the club's account. Specifically, the initial prize for participating in that competition is €4.31 million, with at least €75,000 more for the league ranking. With the confirmed advancement past Lithuania's Kauno Žalgiris, Dinamo has thus secured at least €4.91 million from UEFA prize money alone, not counting TV rights or club coefficient revenue.
But the biggest money is on the table. In the Champions League playoff, Dinamo will face Norway's Viking from Stavanger; the winner of that tie will secure a spot in the group stage of that prestigious European competition. If they advance, the Croatian champions receive a starting bonus of a whopping €18.62 million.
Simply entering the Champions League group stage would bring Dinamo at least €19.42 million, with total earnings, including all projected bonuses, estimated at around €23 million. The difference between the Champions League and the Europa League is enormous: while reaching the Europa League guarantees around €14.5 million, entering the Champions League would raise the initial amount to about €28.7 million.
The first playoff match is scheduled for Tuesday, August 18, at 9 PM at Maksimir Stadium. "Let's go for the Champions League together!" the club said on its official Twitter profile, alongside details on ticket sales.
Priority sales for club members began on Wednesday, August 12, at 11 AM and end on Thursday, August 13, at 11:59 PM. General sales start on Friday, August 14, at 11 AM and run until Tuesday, August 18, at 9:45 PM. Ticket prices range from €12 for the North Lower (exclusively for members), €18 for the West Upper for members, to €28 for the West Lower for other fans. Season ticket holders can transfer their seats via the online service until Tuesday at noon.
