In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout play-offs, Inter Milan suffered a 1-2 home defeat to Bodø/Glimt, crashing out of the competition with a 2-5 aggregate score and missing out on this season’s Champions League Last 16. This defeat represents not only a major competitive setback, but also a heavy financial blow to the Nerazzurri.
Inter Milan’s total prize money from this season’s Champions League has been finalised at €71.27 million. This figure is a world away from the previous campaign – in the 2024/25 season, Inter battled their way all the way to the Champions League final, eventually finishing as runners-up after losing to Paris Saint-Germain, and pocketed a huge prize pool of €136.6 million. In just one season, their Champions League revenue has dropped by approximately €65.33 million, a decline of nearly 50%.
More strikingly, Inter have become the first team since Chelsea in the 2012/13 season to reach the Champions League final one season, only to fail to qualify for the Last 16 the next. This embarrassing record is, to some extent, a reflection of the team’s dramatic slump in European competition this season.
Statistically, Inter delivered a solid performance in the Champions League group stage this season, but their form collapsed abruptly once they entered the knockout play-offs. Up against Bodø/Glimt, an opponent with far inferior paper strength, the Nerazzurri exposed numerous flaws across both legs: a 1-3 away defeat in the first leg, followed by a 1-2 loss at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in the second. Especially in the return leg, Inter failed to gain a clear upper hand on the pitch, with defensive vulnerabilities and inefficient attacking play exploited time and again by their opponents.
The financial losses are equally impossible to ignore. A €65.33 million revenue gap compared to the previous season is no small sum for any club. For Inter, the loss of this funding will directly impact the club’s financial balance, and may even affect future transfer budgets and salary room. Against a backdrop of Europe’s top clubs ramping up their investment, this revenue drop will undoubtedly leave Inter in a more passive position in the transfer market.
For now, Inter can only pin their hopes on domestic competition. The team remains in the Serie A title race, currently leading the league table. Winning the Scudetto would not only restore some of their competitive pride, but also offset the financial losses from their Champions League exit through title prize money and broadcast revenue.
