Roma and Sevilla are set to fight for European glory as they go head-to-head in the 2023 UEFA Europa League final.
Sevilla are the record champions of the competition, winning the competition six times, whereas Roma manager Jose Mourinho has not lost any of his five European tournament finals.
There's a trophy, a financial bonus, and bragging rights for the competition's champion, but its the berth to the world's elite tournament for clubs that is arguably the most coveted of the prizes on offer.
The Sporting News looks at the real benefit of winning the Europa League.
MORE: Europa League prize money breakdown for 2023
Does Europa League winner qualify for Champions League?
Both Roma and Sevilla have failed to qualify for the 2023/24 Champions League via their respective leagues.
Roma could still secure a Europa League spot based on their finish in Italy's Serie A, but Sevilla can only finish as high as a Europa Conference League place in Spain's La Liga.
However, the winner of the Europa League final will automatically qualify for the prestigious UEFA Champions League group stage in the following season.
And the Europa League winner is also placed in Pot 1 of the group stage draw, potentially giving them easier opponents. This is how Eintracht Frankfurt (Europa League winners in 2021/22) qualified for the Champions League in 2022/23 after finishing 11th in the Bundesliga the season before.
This means there will either be five Italian sides or five Spanish teams in next season's Champions League. No nation is allowed more than five teams to enter the competition.
Advancing to the Champions League group stage not only helps with player recruitment, but it also comes with guaranteed base revenue for the 32 clubs and the possibility of adding to it by collecting results throughout the competition.
MORE: Have AS Roma played in the Champions League?
How much prize money does Europa League winner get?
Although the prize money in the Europa League is far less than that of the Champions League, it can still be a useful resource for those who can go deep into the tournament.
Teams can earn close to £20 million ($25m) if they manage to triumph in all their group games on their way to winning the whole competition.
The third-place finishers in the Champions League group stage, who are afforded the opportunity of playing for a spot in the Europa League knockouts can also earn a good amount in the knockout stages alone.
As the winning side also automatically qualify for the Champions League group stage, this guarantees them an additional £13.72 million ($17.17m).
| Stage | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Group stage | $3.98m (£3.17m) |
| Group stage win | $688,350 (£550,037) |
| Group stage draw | $229,476 (£183,356) |
| 1st in group stage | $1.2m (£960,361) |
| 2nd in group stage | $600,000 (£480,000) |
| Playoff round (knockout) | $546,350 (£436,626) |
| Round of 16 | $1.32m |
| Quarterfinal | $1.98m |
| Semifinal | $3.07m |
| Final | $5.05m |
| Winners | $9.44m |