River lose millions by missing out on the Copa Libertadores | OneFootball

At River, there is a contradiction, a bittersweet feeling: Boca was eliminated from the Torneo Apertura and won't become champion, but it left Marcelo Gallardo's team condemned to play in the Copa Sudamericana. The dilemma that was so much talked about beforehand fell on that side of the coin, and the consequences will not only be football-related for the aspirations of a club accustomed to operating at the highest level internationally: not playing in the Copa Libertadores will also mean a shock to the coffers.

For not having done enough to qualify, and now with the last chance depending on the eternal rival gone, the Millionaires will lose several million dollars due to the gap in prize money that exists between one continental competition and the other.

To put it in context, the simple fact of participating in the Libertadores represents a difference of 4.2 million dollars compared to the Sudamericana, based on the official values released by Conmebol in 2025 (they will increase in 2026, but this helps to put it in perspective): the first offers 6 million USD, while the second 1.8 million USD.

Besides the base earnings for entering the group stage, each phase between one competition and the other increases the gap in the accumulated amount; and the truth is that it is substantial and will consequently be a blow to River's financial structure. Below is the detail of how much money each competition awards according to the stage and what Gallardo's team will lose.

Stage Libertadores (USD) Sudamericana (USD) Loss per stage (USD) Group Stage (6 matches) 6,000,000 1,800,000 4,200,000 Group Stage Merit (average) 1,584,000 552,000 1,032,000 Round of 16 (2 matches) 2,500,000 1,200,000 1,300,000 Quarterfinals (2 matches) 3,400,000 1,400,000 2,000,000 Semifinals (2 matches) 4,600,000 1,600,000 3,000,000 Runner-up (final bonus) 7,000,000 2,000,000 5,000,000 Champion (final bonus) 24,000,000 6,500,000 17,500,000 Finally, it's worth making a comparison of the maximum prizes, that is, how much a Libertadores champion earns compared to a Sudamericana winner: 24 million in US currency is what Flamengo recently took home for being the best in America, while Lanús pocketed 6.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.