Wales could cash in with win over Danes
WALES will finish at the top of their Nations League group if they beat Denmark at Cardiff City Stadium tomorrow night – and there’s a significant financial reward on offer for success.
Having guaranteed their place in pot 2 for the Euro 2020 qualifying draw with victory over Republic of Ireland in Dublin last month, Wales will also secure promotion from League B if they can overcome Age Hareide’s side in the Welsh capital.
In October, Uefa announced they will increase the payments given to the 55 teams participating in the inaugural edition of the competition by 50%.
It means Wales will now scoop €1.5 million – €500,000 more than originally announced – just for taking part in the tournament.
And if they are in first place following the conclusion of the group stage, they will bank an extra €1.5m, which would take their total earned to €3m, which is around £2.6m.
Promotion itself would bring Wales further financial benefits in the next edition of the competition due to the way Uefa structure their solidarity payments.
Sides competing in League A are awarded a figure of €2.25 million just for taking part in the competition, while the four teams who go on to top the groups in that division will earn a further €2.25 million.
And Uefa have set aside large sums for the four teams who compete for the Nations League trophy.
The overall competition winner will bank €6 million, €1.5 million more than originally planned while the runners-up will earn €4.5 million.
The teams finishing in third and fourth will gain an extra €3.5 million and €2.5 million respectively on top of the solidarity fee.
It means that Wales could potentially earn up to €10.5 million, around £9.2 million, in the next edition of the tournament, as long as they gain promotion this time around.
A statement from Uefa on their decision to increase the solidarity payments read: “The decision to increase the solidarity and bonus payments was taken by the Uefa Executive Committee and was made possible by the Uefa’s solid financial situation, which was helped in part by earnings from Uefa Euro 2016 being set aside for future investment.”
Ryan Giggs’ side are in pole position in the group with six points from their three matches so far.
After facing Wales in Cardiff, Denmark host Republic of Ireland at Ceres Park in Aarhus in what will be the final match in the group.
Wales will guarantee themselves first place with victory against Denmark, although they could still top the group with a draw against the Danes, but Giggs’ men would have to hope the Scandinavians don’t win in their final game against Ireland on Monday. Whatever happens, Wales can not be relegated as they have five more points than Ireland who have just one game remaining.