Sunderland secured a 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday evening.

Sunderland began their Europa League campaign with a hard-fought and entertaining 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday evening.

After more than half a century away from continental competition, the Black Cats marked their return with a memorable three points thanks to a second-half Enzo Le Fée penalty.

But alongside their positive start to the league phase, Sunderland will also have pocketed a tidy pay packet for their midweek success. In recent seasons, each win in the initial stage of the Europa League was worth £389,000, while each draw was worth £130,000.

It is also worth emphasising that English clubs earn the biggest share of TV payouts from UEFA as they sit top of the continental coefficient, and it is estimated that this could earn Sunderland an extra few million pounds this term.

Beyond the league phase, playing in the Europa League knockout stages has earned sides a £3.7 million payout from UEFA in recent years.

The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.

Should Sunderland go on to make a run to the latter stages of the competition, there could be around another £20 million in prize money on the table. It is understood that both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa earned over £40 million from winning the tournament over the past two campaigns.

Sunderland’s Europa League campaign will continue with an away clash Portuguese outfit Torreense on October 15th, before they embark on a trip to face Lech Poznan seven days later. Their next home game in the competition comes against Dinamo Zagreb on November 5th.

Your next Sunderland read: Trai Hume's brilliant response to a 'crazy' few years at Sunderland and message for squad