Premier League Title's High Stakes

Morning Edition

April 21, 2026

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What looked like a runaway race for Arsenal to capture the Premier League title is now anything but, and the implications on and off the pitch are significant.

—Eric Fisher

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Premier League Title Race Tightens With Big Money on the Line

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

What looked to be a glide path for Arsenal to claim its first Premier League title since 2004 has become a particularly rocky road as top challenger Manchester City is looking to reassert itself as a global power.

Man City topped Arsenal 2–1 on Sunday at Etihad Stadium to come within three points in the standings behind Arsenal, controlled by Stan Kroenke, also the owner of several U.S.-based teams, including the NFL’s Rams, NBA’s Nuggets, and NHL’s Avalanche.

Arsenal has been leading the Premier League for nearly the entire season, and less than a month ago had a nine-point cushion in the standings that appeared secure as the May 24 end to the season approaches.

The situation, however, has dramatically changed as Arsenal has lost four of its last six matches, spanning all competitions, after losing just three of the prior 49. A win for Man City, which has a game in hand, against Burnley on Wednesday, could push the City Football Group-owned club atop the standings based on either goals scored or goal differential.

Arsenal has finished in second place each of the last three seasons, and has been trying to break the championship hold that Man City and Liverpool have collectively had on the Premier League since 2018. Man City, meanwhile, is attempting to return to its dominant ways that included an unprecedented four-peat between 2021 and 2024, and back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019—and the club is now favored to do so at many sportsbooks.

“The Premier League starts again,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “They have a game in hand, we are three points ahead, five games to play, so game on.”

Big Stakes

The financial implications of winning the Premier League are significant, helping show the stakes at play in the final weeks of the season.

Last season’s final payouts to the 20 clubs in the league serve as a guide. Liverpool, the 2024–2025 winner, received a total of $71.9 million (£53.1 million) in merit-based payments from the Premier League last summer, while Arsenal, as the runner-up, garnered $68.2 million (£50.4 million).

Individual club earnings, though also reflecting income from other sources such as the Champions League, showed a similar difference. Liverpool reported club-record revenue of $951.4 million (£702.8 million) for the year ended May 31, 2025, boosted by hefty commercial activity surrounding the Premier League title run and fueling a subsequent spending spree in the transfer window.

Arsenal, by comparison, generated $935 million (£691 million), also a club record.

Man City, meanwhile, had $934.1 million (£694.1 million) in revenue last season in what was considered a down year for the club, and that total could be dwarfed by earnings for the current campaign—particularly if the club completes its comeback and claims the title.

“So far, they are the best team in England,” Man City manager Pep Guardiola said about Arsenal after Sunday’s high-profile win. “Of course, we extend the chance and the hopes to fight until the end. … It was a good advert for the Premier League.”

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