GENEVA (AP) — The autumn within the U.S. greenback worth final yr price UEFA about $55 million.
The greenback worth dropped about 9% in opposition to a spread of foreign exchange within the first months of 2025, which economists linked to buyers’ waning confidence within the U.S. underneath President Donald Trump, who returned to workplace final January.
UEFA cited “financial, market and geopolitical dynamics” and a “sudden weakening of the U.S. greenback” for driving the international alternate losses which accounted for the loss in its accounts for the 2024-25 soccer season.
“Previously few years, UEFA benefited from a robust U.S. greenback resulting in substantial positive aspects on international alternate,” the physique mentioned on Thursday in its 52-page annual monetary report which didn’t identify Trump.
“In March 2025, nevertheless, the tides turned, and the U.S. greenback quickly weakened by nearly 9%, leading to forex alternate losses of 47 million euros.” That was equal to $54.5 million on the alternate price on Thursday.
That sum nearly equated to the general “web end result” in UEFA’s newest annual accounts of minus-46.2 million euros ($53.6 million) which was financed from its reserves.
Reserves at $600 million
The dollar-driven losses minimize UEFA’s reserves to 521.8 million euros ($605 million) on the finish of final June, simply above the five hundred million euros degree it seeks to keep up to ensure funding for its 55 member federations and manage nationwide group competitions from senior to youth degree.
Although UEFA-organized membership occasions just like the Champions League earn billions every season, a giant majority is paid as prize cash and doesn’t generate income for the group primarily based in Nyon, Switzerland.
The four-yearly males’s European Championship that earned about 2.5 billion euros for the 2024 version in Germany fuels UEFA’s reserves and most important funding program often called “HatTrick” that pays members double what they get yearly from FIFA.
‘Inevitable’ greenback losses
UEFA mentioned within the monetary report it “wants to carry a giant U.S. greenback place to again excellent hedge transactions,” and so when the worth began falling a yr in the past “substantial losses had been inevitable.”
“The international alternate end result had been persistently constructive for a number of years, however this sadly modified in spring 2025 when the U.S. greenback all of a sudden weakened for numerous causes, together with financial, market and geopolitical dynamics,” the UEFA doc mentioned.
UEFA acknowledged a “disappointing” final result for its asset administration final yr in comparison with a “very distinctive 2023-24,” which was the final full monetary yr throughout the earlier U.S. administration.
