On the surface, it’s just another European final: Chelsea, a club with Champions League pedigree, takes on Real Betis, a historic Spanish side chasing its first continental title. But the 2025 UEFA Conference League final is more than a match. It’s a snapshot of European football’s evolving hierarchy.
Three competitions now make up UEFA’s club pyramid: the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Conference League. All are officially “major” tournaments. In reality, they represent three tiers of status, money, and opportunity—each catering to a different layer of the football ecosystem.
How UEFA’s competitions differ
The Champions League sits at the summit. It features the top clubs from Europe’s strongest domestic leagues, including the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City. The financial gulf is staggering. A deep run in the Champions League can earn a club over $150 million in UEFA payouts alone. For comparison, a Conference League winner might net around $7 million.
Then there’s the Europa League, the middle tier. It pulls in teams that finish just below Champions League spots or drop out of UCL qualifying. It’s grown in quality since its 2009 rebrand, and its winner earns a place in the next season’s Champions League. Still, prize money is considerably lower—around $14 million for the champion.
The Conference League is the newcomer. Introduced in 2021, it was designed to give clubs from smaller countries a genuine opportunity to compete in European competitions. However, it has also attracted big clubs that underperformed domestically. That’s how Chelsea landed here.
Chelsea’s 2024–25 season was strange. They missed out on the Champions League but stormed through the Conference League, winning all six group stage matches and reaching the final. Head coach Enzo Maresca said the hardest part of the season was convincing the squad that the tournament mattered. “We cannot play Champions League, we are in the Conference, so for us it was the most important competition,” he told reporters. “We need to try to win that.”
For Chelsea, this match is a footnote in their grander ambitions. But for Real Betis, it’s a milestone. The club has never played a European final before. A win would be historic.
And it’s not just about glory. Clubs like Betis operate on tighter budgets. A deep Conference League run can bring in $20 million—a transformative sum for a club of their size. It can fund new signings, upgrade facilities, and raise the club’s profile across the continent.
UEFA states that the Conference League was established to make European football more inclusive. It’s working. Clubs from countries such as Armenia, Ireland, and Luxembourg have qualified for the group stages for the first time. Smaller nations are earning more coefficient points, which help secure future slots in higher competitions.
But make no mistake: the gap between tiers remains steep. The Champions League has new formats and more money as of 2024, with the top teams set to earn even more through a Swiss-style league phase. The Europa League and Conference League will follow suit, though with fewer games and lower payouts.
Tonight, Chelsea and Betis will fight for a trophy. But this final also highlights the spectrum of modern European football—a sport where elite clubs chase global titles and billion-dollar revenues, while others scrap for respect, progress, and the chance to dream.
