The difference between the haves and have-nots will be emphasised this week when Arsenal, Manchester United and, barring one of the greatest footballing upsets ever, Liverpool, go into the draw for the first phase of the Champions League.
This season's competition has more than half a billion pounds on offer in the form of bonuses and marketing payments to the 32 teams in the first phase.
Clubs such as Rangers, still battling it out for a place in the promised land, know that failing to qualify is a financial disaster.
This is exemplified by the payment of around £38,000, paid out as compensation (UEFA's phrase) to those sides that fail to reach the first phase which kicks off on 11 September.
Even taking the most improbable scenario possible - that the three English teams all fail to win a game in the first phase - they are guaranteed to bank nearly £40m between them.
In reality, they should collect much more and it's enough to have the players' agents drooling. The clubs are paid a starting bonus of £1.495m and are guaranteed six match bonuses totalling £1.54m.
They also keep all home gate receipts (less a levy of 4 per cent to UEFA) and, assuming full houses, that is worth approximately £15m to the Lords of the Premiership.
But that's not all. Clubs will also receive performance bonuses of £256,000 for a win and £125,000 for each draw.
In addition, 50 per cent of what is described as the 'marketing pool', which this year will exceed £200m, is distributed according to the proportional value of each television market represented by the clubs taking part.
The value of this share of revenue to the English sides is approximately £4.75m each.
As the competition progresses, the financial prizes grow at a rate that would satisfy Aladdin.
The balance of the marketing pool, £100.2m, is split between the 16 sides that qualify for the second stage.
In addition, the bonus payments get ever bigger, with the winners of next May's final at Hampden Park picking up a cheque for approximately £6.4m. Last season, Bayern Munich grossed more than £50m when they were crowned champions of Europe.
England's top performers last season, Leeds United, saw their reputation soar and raised the little matter of £27.89m in revenue as they reached the semi-finals.
So there is no doubt which competition clubs need to be in. The inexorable growth in wages means the big clubs cannot afford to limit their playing and other commercial activities to the Premiership.
