Arsenal staff left furious as club charges them for CL final travel - while PSG takes everyone for free

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FT Desk

Some Arsenal staff have reportedly been left angered after learning they will each need to pay £859 for a flight to the Champions League final.

The 2026 Champions League final will take place on 30 May at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.

Arsenal reached their second ever final by defeating Atletico Madrid over two legs in the semi. A 1-1 draw at the Wanda Metropolitano was followed by a 1-0 victory for the Gunners at the Emirates, with Bukayo Saka scoring the deciding goal in the tie.

PSG, meanwhile, are looking to defend their crown, having won their first ever European Cup/Champions League in 2025. They took part in one of the greatest semi-finals in the history of the competition, overcoming Bayern Munich 6-5 on aggregate. Fans witnessed a 5-4 spectacular in the first leg, with the Parisians coming out on top before the return leg in Munich, which ended 1-1 after goals from Ousmane Dembele and Harry Kane.

Deloitte Money League 2025

The Champions League news cycle will intensify once domestic leagues are over, but Arsenal have hit the headlines in a negative way this week as the Telegraph has revealed that staff of the North London side will be charged to travel to the final, while PSG are taking employees for free.

Employees who are actually travelling in a working capacity will be allowed to travel for free, but other workers will need to pay if they want to make the trip to Budapest, while they will be given non-transferable tickets.

Arsenal have arranged chartered flight packages through SportsBreaks, a third-party travel provider, priced at £859, and have told employees that “space permitting, colleagues attending the final can opt to purchase a seat on these flights”

Some staff members will not be able to travel as they will be required to work at the Emirates for a screening of the final, while some will need to making preparations for a parade - should the Gunners win the match.

In a letter to PSG employees after the semi-final, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, said: “Last year, many of you had the opportunity to be in Munich to support the team during the European final. It was a powerful moment that perfectly embodied the unity and sense of belonging that define our club.

“In that same spirit, it was important to me that all employees should once again have the opportunity to be part of this final stage of our European journey. We would like to invite all staff members to join the team in Budapest for this exceptional occasion.”

Arsenal's accounts also show that the club made an overall loss of £1.4m last season, despite posting record revenues of £691m.

Should they win the Champions League final, they will earn around £129m.

Arsenal commercial revenue

Arsenal's commercial revenue improvements have been incredible since 2021.

Deloitte reports that the North London club have reported a 104% increase in commercial revenue since 2021 - that is more growth than the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Liverpool.

No Premier League side has achieved more than 53% growth in that time.

The Telegraph reports that, since July of 2024, Arsenal have released 50 different fashion ranges online and in their club stores

The Gunners aren't alone in expanding their repertoire of ways to make money, as basically every big club is considered a fashion label now as well as a football entity.