The 2026/27 Premier League season is now racing towards its conclusion.
In 29 days time the 20 clubs will play their final league fixtures on Sunday 24 May.
A lot to be decided across these remaining fixtures, including the Premier League payments.
Last season (2024/25), Liverpool won the title and received a total of £174.9m from the Premier League central funds, that total comprised from various pots of PL cash.
Newcastle United finished fifth in the table and received a total of £160.2m.
One part of that total was a merit payment of £42.4m for finishing fifth highest, each Premier League position worth roughly £2.7m. Liverpool last season (2024/25) banked a merit payment of £53.1m for finishing top, Southampton the very lowest with only a £2.6m merit payment for ending up bottom.
This 2025/26 season we can be sure of three things. Liverpool aren’t going to win the Premier League, Southampton can’t finish in any position in the top tier, whilst Newcastle United won’t be repeating last season’s fifth place.
As things now stand after Nottingham Forest thrashed Sunderland 5-0 on Friday night, Newcastle United will now finish somewhere between sixth and sixteenth.
Premier League table on the morning of Saturday 25 April 2026
When it comes to Premier League merit payments, the 2024/25 season saw Aston Villa end up sixth and receiving £39.8m and Wolves finish sixteenth and receive £13.3m. A difference of £26.5m.
Newcastle United are guaranteed to have club record revenues this season, thanks largely to the bonus cash generated by the knockout competitions, United doing well in the domestic cups and getting to the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Newcastle United 2025/26 revenues set to exceed £400m but with such a massive summer ahead, every penny, every extra £2.7m from their Premier League placing, will help to fund what will hopefully be a summer transfer window that enables United to get back on track in the league in 2026/27.
So these remaining five Premier League matches are not just about pride and an outside chance of some kind of European football, they are also about hard cash. When you consider that Sela are currently paying a reported £25m per season for front of shirt sponsorship, it puts into perspective the £26.5m that Newcastle United are still fighting for via their league position.