After the international break at the end of March, the Bundesliga will enter the final stretch of the season. These weeks are particularly crucial for Borussia Dortmund: What happens if BVB misses out on the Champions League? Which stars have to be sold and will there also be salary cuts?
The consequences of Borussia Dortmund missing out on the Champions League could be devastating. Both for the club and for the players themselves. What exactly would be the consequences of BVB not competing in the “premier league” next season?
This is what happens if BVB misses the Champions League
Before the last ten Bundesliga match days, BVB is only in 11th place. The international places, especially those in the Champions League, are far away. Participation in the European elite league is only possible with great difficulty. And that could become the big black-and-yellow problem.
If Dortmund miss out on a place in the Champions League, there will be dire consequences for the club, players and staff.
No Champions League: What’s in store for the players
The contracts of almost all BVB professionals contain certain clauses that reduce their salaries by up to 20 percent in the event of failure.
This means that if the club misses out on the Champions League and plays in the Europa League in the new season, the stars’ basic salary will fall by around ten percent.
However, if the black-and-yellows miss out on international business completely – i.e. if they don’t reach the “second-class” Europa League or the “third-class” Conference League – the basic salary of many BVB players will fall by as much as 20 percent. For some, it’s 10 percent.
This means that in the new season, players will receive a fifth of their original salary less.
A large proportion of the BVB professionals earn between four and six million euros per year – including bonuses. The top earners are goalkeepers Gregor Kobel and Niklas Süle, who, at around 14 million euros per year, earns by far the most of all BVB professionals.
But: Süle is reportedly not affected by this regulation because he still has an “old contract”. While problem child Süle will receive over a million euros per month next season even without the Champions League, everyone else – such as top performer Nico Schlotterbeck – will then have 20 percent less of their actual salary.
Schlotterbeck is expected to earn 4.5 million euros per year. If he earns 20 percent less, he would earn 900,000 euros less in the coming season. His new salary would then be around 3.6 million euros.
Another example is Karim Adeyemi. His base salary is 450,000 euros per month. If the team does not make it into the Champions League, his income would be reduced by ten percent each month, to 405,000 euros. But the point bonuses in the new season would also be affected by the 10 percent deduction.
In this sense, the BVB pros are not only playing for the club’s reputation, but also for a lot of money!
“As long as we have a chance, we will do everything we can to achieve our goal of playing in the Champions League next season. We know we don’t have much time and there is little leeway. There is no one who is not aware of the current situation,” said BVB keeper Kobel, who would also have to accept a significant drop in salary – if he stays at Borussia Dortmund.
BVB without a European Cup: That’s what the club faces
Because missing out on the Champions League would have serious consequences not only for the players, but also for BVB in general. For example, in the sponsorship segment.
Since 2020, Borussia Dortmund has been relying on a dual sponsorship model. “1&1” is on the jersey for league games, while “Evonik” is the chest sponsor for all other competitions.
The first pillar brings the club between €20 and €25 million per year, while the European Cup model adds around €12 million to the BVB account. The current contract with the chemical company Evonik stipulates that the amount will be more or less halved if BVB does not make it to the Champions League. That would be six million euros less in Europe or Conference League.
Should BVB miss out on international competition altogether, the full 12 million euros in sponsorship income would be lost.
Then there is the income from the Champions League matches themselves: in the 2024/25 season, Borussia Dortmund earned around €50 million up to the round of 16, and reaching the quarter-finals boosted that season’s income to a total of €80 million. That would not be possible next season without the Champions League.
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The consequences would primarily affect the squad – player sales would be necessary. The budget for the team would have to be cut by over €30 million if BVB doesn’t even make it to the Europa League.
In particular, the top stars with an appealing market value in the squad – in addition to Kobel and Schlotterbeck, these are Julian Brandt, Jamie Gittens and Karim Adeyemi – could (have to) be sold to compensate for the financial losses that missing out on the “premier league” entails.
Thus, some players who have brought BVB into this predicament with their regular underperformance could even end up better off.
But not only the players would feel the effects of missing out on the Champions League, many BVB employees would also be affected.
On the one hand, their bonuses and salaries are also linked to a certain extent to sporting success. On the other hand, there is also the question of whether there will be layoffs if BVB does not play internationally at all in the coming season.
Hope Club World Cup 2025
The great hope of Borussia Dortmund is the Club World Cup in the summer. This will bring in many millions of euros for the black and yellow coffers.
The bosses have initially planned conservatively for the newly created Club World Cup, with income of between 30 and 40 million euros. But: a large part of this money is already invested in the current squad.
However, if Dortmund were to win the Club World Cup, it would bring BVB a whopping 100 million euros. This would make it possible to survive even a season without the Champions League or without any European competition at all.
