Copa Libertadores Final Prize Money: Boca Juniors V Fluminense

Saturday marks the biggest game in the South American football calendar. Fluminense will take on Boca Juniors in the Copa Libertadores Final at the Maracanã stadium.

History, pride and prize money are all very much on the line here. Fluminense have never won an illustrious Libertadores title before, but Boca and their army of over 130,000 fans have come to Brazil in search of a famous seventh crown.

The average club value in Brazil is much greater than in Argentina. Brazil’s economy dwarfs that of its neighbour, its league has more lucrative sponsorships and domestic prize money is higher; the list goes on. For example Fluminense make over $30 million a year in TV money, whereas Boca make just over $8 million.

However Boca Juniors, alongside fierce rivals River Plate, stand alone in Argentina when it comes to popularity. Therefore they have other means to generate income as they demand a much higher share of an albeit smaller market. Boca earn over $15 million from club sponsors, double that of Fluminense. They also earn four times more than the Brazilians do in paid membership fees as they have a larger loyal following.

Fluminense have to compete with the likes of Flamengo and Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro alone, amongst other well supported clubs. Giants like Palmeiras, Corinthians and Grêmio from other cities also mean one club can’t have quite such a monopoly over the national fanbase. This relative equality of income shows in Brazil and competition to stay in the top half of the league is extremely difficult.

Boca Juniors and River Plate have won more Copa Libertadores titles than any Brazilian team. However ten different teams from Brazil have won the Copa Libertadores since 1997, Fluminense could make it 11. In the same time period only Boca, River and Independiente have been Champions from Argentina.

Whilst the economic gap between the leagues is clear, so too is the ability of a club as big as Boca Juniors to overcome that. For that reason they can compete with a club like Fluminense financially. However it must be noted that even Boca and River have been struggling to keep up the pace recently. River lost to Brazilian side Internacional in this season’s round of 16 and the four previous Copa Libertadores finals were all-Brazilian affairs.

Though Boca and Fluminense have similar levels of income, between $60-70 million, Fluminense have racked up a lot more debt than Boca, over five times as much debt in fact. When you have more money to throw into a squad you tend to end up with some pretty good players.

This Saturday Boca Juniors and Fluminense are fighting for an extra $11 million in prize money. A win would also guarantee a place in next year’s competition. This represents at very least $3 million more in vital earnings. Neither side has secured their place in the 2024 competition through their domestic league position yet, this adds another tense layer to this highly anticipated final. There is so much on the line for both teams.