The difference in prize money between disputing one cup or another could exceed $25 million, a figure that would mark a strong contrast in River Plate's finances. The 'Millionaire' will have to visit Vélez this Sunday at 5:00 PM in the framework of the last matchday of the Clausura Tournament of the Professional League. River's current situation is not ideal, after the defeat in the Superclásico against Boca and the victory of Argentinos Juniors over Belgrano, which left Marcelo Gallardo's team outside the qualifying zone for the 2026 Copa Libertadores. In this way, the 'Millionaire' temporarily dropped to positions for the Copa Sudamericana, and although they still have mathematical chances to reverse the situation, they need to beat Vélez and wait for the 'Bicho' to lose to Estudiantes to get, at least, into the playoff zone. Beyond the sporting blow that not playing in the Libertadores would mean, the economic impact would be enormous, as CONMEBOL delivers $1 million per home match in the group stage ($3 million guaranteed) and $330,000 for a victory, in addition to increasing amounts in each stage: $1.25 million for the round of 16, $1.7 million for the quarter-finals, $2.3 million for the semi-finals, $7 million for the runner-up and $24 million for the champion. In total, a finalist team could pocket around $15 million, while the champion would exceed $40 million. On the other hand, the prizes for the Copa Sudamericas are considerably lower, where participation in the group stage guarantees $900,000, plus $300,000 per home match and $115,000 for a win, which would give a maximum of $1.59 million in the first stage. Even reaching the final, the runner-up receives $2 million and the champion $6 million, with a total possible of $12.6 million.
