Premier League survival might have been ensured weeks ago, but Leeds United still have plenty to play for on the final day of the season, with millions in revenue on the line.
Daniel Farke’s side have exceeded expectations this term and, when all is said and done, may well finish closer to the European places than the relegation zone.
West Ham would love to trade places with them. Leeds have the chance to be king-breaker on Sunday at the London Stadium, where a result against the Hammers would consign them to the Championship, regardless of how Tottenham fare against Everton elsewhere in the capital.
For Leeds, there is a natural incentive to play at full capacity in how the Premier League distributes money to clubs at the end of the season.
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Mathematically, Leeds can finish anywhere between 15th and 11th, depending on how Crystal Palace, Fulham, Everton and Newcastle get on in the season’s climax.
Each place in the Premier League was worth about £2.6m in 2024-25, as per official data. But it is likely to be slightly more this time around, Leeds United News understands.
Why? Because A) 2026-27 was the first year of the Premier League’s new, more lucrative UK TV deal and B) because the league’s central costs are likely to be lower than last term, with the money redistributed among clubs.
The new TV deal with Sky Sports and TNT Sports is worth about four per cent more on year on year basis. Domestic merit payments, which were worth about £1.6m for each place in the table, will rise accordingly.
In a best-case 11th-place finish, that means Leeds would earn about £8.3m more than they would if, in a worst-case scenario, they ended the season in 15th. Add in the money the Premier League pays from its international rights and that top-end figure rises to £13.8m, or thereabouts.
However, the final sum will in fact likely be higher because the Premier League’s central costs have shrunk since 2024-25 when, as documents seen by Leeds United News reveal, £44.6m was spent on legal fees alone.
Because the Premier League’s case against Manchester City was heard across 2023-24 and 2024-25, Richard Masters and his peers in the league boardroom will have spent significantly less on lawyers this season, with that money redistributed among clubs. What’s more, the administrative burden of dealing with PSR breaches has eased in 2025-26 too.
All in all, Leeds United News estimates that there is about £15m in prize money up for grabs on the final day.
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