Rangers total Europa League prize money so far as Athletic Bilbao stand in way of mega semi-final jackpot
A strong run in European competitions has boosted the coffers as the Ibrox side meet one of the competition favourites
Rangers will have to dish out some hometown heartbreak if the are to rake in even more money from the UEFA coffers.
Gers host Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday night with the Basque club's San Mames holding the competition Final.
Club legend Iker Muniain has backed his team for a fairy tale ending - and the financial bonus that comes with it.
But not if the Light Blues have their say, with Barry Ferguson's troops buoyant after putting Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce to the sword in a nail-biting last 16 clash.
Rangers save their best form for Thursday nights under the lights but face a huge first home leg having lost five games at Ibrox on the trot for the first time in their history.
The big-money American takeover may be edging closer and closer, but a deep run in this competition will do the Govan side the power of good if they are to challenge rivals Celtic for Premiership glory once again.
Record Sport has the run down on every penny falling into Gers pockets as their European adventure continues.
What is the Europa League prize money?
- Winner : £10.95m
- Runner-up : £5.9m
- Semi-finalists : £3.54m
- Quarter-finalists : £2.11m
- Round of 16 : £1.47m
- Reaching knockout round play-off : £250k
- League-phase wins : £379k
- League-phase draws : £126k
- League-phase defeats : £0
How much do Rangers earn for Europa League wins?
Taking the above numbers into account, Rangers have already boosted their transfer coffers in this year's revamped competition.
Gers received £3.64m just from qualifying and topped up their prize money with performance-related bonuses.
Wins over Malmo, FCSB, Nice and USG raised around £1.5m, with draws against Olympiacos and Tottenham adding another £252k to the pot - totalling £1.768m.
- Malmo 0-2 Rangers (£379k)
- Rangers 1-4 Lyon (£0)
- Rangers 4-0 FCSB (£379k)
- Olympiacos 1-1 Rangers (£126k)
- Nice 1-4 Rangers (£379k)
- Rangers 1-1 Tottenham (£126k)
- Manchester United 2-1 Rangers (£0)
- Rangers 2-1 USG (£379k)
- Total: £1.768m
How much has Rangers' Europa League run earned them?
Victory against Fenerbahce booked a spot in the quarter-finals with a bumper £2.11m bonus secured as a result.
The Ibrox side finished eighth in the league phase, with each table position worth £63.4k. It means the high-flying Gers netted a tidy £1.775m.
Rangers earned an additional £1.47m after automatically making it into the last-16, as well as £252,800 add-on for being in the top eight.
It means the league stage campaign in total earned the Ibrox club more than £5m in bonus money. And this is added to the £3.64m earned just for making it into the main competition.
Total that up, and you've got an impressive figure of £11.015m. This does not include ticket sales from five sold-out home matches and the guarantee of at least one more in the quarter-finals.
How much will beating Athletic Bilbao earn Rangers?
The Spanish side sit fourth in La Liga, even closing in on Atletico Madrid in third place, and are the bookies favourite to lift the Europa League.
Their pedigree has grown under former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, with the club last season breaking their long trophy drought.
Victory over Mallorca in the Copa Del Rey secured the club's first silverware in 40 years and it has just made them hungry for more.
Rangers' attack will have their work cut out against a Bilbao defence that holds the joint-best record in Europe's top leagues (24 conceded).
If Barry Ferguson can mastermind another two-legged triumph, however, it would add another £3.54m to their haul, taking the total to £14.55m.