France 2016 likely to produce record windfall for the FAI

The FAI will get a better sense over the coming weeks of just how much qualification for next summer’s finals in France will be worth.

The association has already benefited this year from the national team’s strong finish to the qualifying campaign, from the hugely attractive playoff game and also the staging of the long-awaited return to Dublin by England, .

France 2016 is likely to comfortably exceed anything the FAI has earned from participation in previous major championships.

The base figure looks likely to be in the region of the €12 million which was reportedly floated by Uefa to national associations some time ago.

The official prize money totals will only be finalised at the executive committee meeting to be held on December 11th in part because the eventual amount to be distributed to the associations is supposed to be derived from projected commercial revenues based on the final line-up at the competition.

Boosted income

From that point of view, Ireland’s victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina would be expected to have boosted income slightly as major sponsors pay more to target a wealthier nation of fans. But the real money is in the big markets, almost all of whom will be represented at the expanded tournament, as well as in the fact that the event is being hosted in one of the continent’s very biggest markets, France.

The €12 million figure is said to have been put out to test the water but it would be difficult for Uefa to draw back on it now.

The figure would equate to a 50 per cent increase on the sum received by the association for participating in 2012 when the team’s poor results meant that no additional prize money was generated. But given that there is a 50 per cent increase in the number of participating nations this time it suggests a colossal rise in the overall pot to be distributed.

If prize money for the latter rounds remains proportionate to the first round pay-offs in Poland and Ukraine, in fact, the total pool would be set to increase from around €185 million to something in the region of €420 million.

With the expanded tournament making for somewhat less daunting group line-ups, the association would be hopeful this time of picking up additional result-based payments and with four of the six third -placed sides progressing, Ireland making just the first knock-out round could potentially yield an overall windfall of in excess of €15 million.

On top of that, the association, which last week announced that Three had renewed its sponsorship of the national team in a deal worth €8.9 million between now and 2020, will hope to benefit from other commercial revenues, including bonuses from existing backers, as well strong crowds for a couple of friendly games.

One, against Switzerland, is pencilled in for March 25th and a second is bound to be added during that international break although the identity of the opponents, as with the Swiss, may be influenced by the outcome of the draw for the finals.

There is also opportunity to play games between the end of the English club season – the Premier League finishes on May 15th with the Championship play-off final on the 28th, the same day as the Champions league final – and the start of the tournament.

One possible scenario is that Martin O’Neill’s side would have a farewell game in Dublin at the end of May.

The manager must name his final 23-man squad for the tournament 10 days before the opening game on June 10th and each squad must arrive in France a minimum of five days before its first group match.

O’Neill and his employers will decide on where the Irish squad will base itself after the draw for the finals is made in Paris on December 12th.