Football
Richest Football Clubs in the World
The list of the richest football clubs in the world is unsurprisingly full of familiar names. There are different ways to measure the wealth of a football club, of course, whether you look at the club’s value, revenue, or how much their owners are worth.
The sums below aren’t exactly surprising given how freely hundreds of millions are thrown about among the elite clubs. Still, the gap between those in the top 10 and the rest might raise some eyebrows.
Who’s the richest football club in the world?
Real Madrid are the richest football club in the world, per the latest publicised accounts. Los Blancos have consistently been near the top of Deloitte and Forbes’ lists since such figures have been announced. In the most recent accounting period, their revenue was narrowly bigger than Manchester City’s.
Despite significant Premier League presence in this list, City are the only English club in the top four. Real Madrid, City, PSG, and Barcelona are in a league of their own before a significant gap to Manchester United.
Here are the 20 richest clubs in world football, according to their revenue from Deloitte.
- Real Madrid – £714.7 million
- Manchester City – £709.9 million
- Paris Saint-Germain – £689.2 million
- Barcelona – £687.6 million
- Manchester United – £640.1 million
- Bayern Munich – £639.5 million
- Liverpool – £587 million
- Tottenham Hotspur – £542.8 million
- Chelsea – £506.3 million
- Arsenal – £457.8 million
- Juventus – £371.7 million
- Borussia Dortmund – £361 million
- AC Milan – £331.2 million
- Internazionale – £325.7 million
- Atletico Madrid – £313 million
- Eintracht Frankfurt – £252.3 million
- Newcastle United – £247.4 million
- West Ham United – £236.5 million
- Napoli – £230.1 million
- Marseille – £222.1 million
Arsenal – £457.8 million
Despite the improved on-field displays under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal are still lagging behind their Premier League peers financially. Their revenue is the lowest of the ‘Big Six’.
The Gunners, though, still have way more revenue than any Serie A team and any Bundesliga side outside Bayern Munich or any Ligue 1 team other than PSG. That just speaks to the Premier League’s unparalleled financial position.
Chelsea – £506.3 million
It’s a good job Chelsea are still in the top 10 in revenue. Since Clearlake’s takeover, the club have been poor on the pitch and chaotic off it. Their transfer spending has been unrivalled – few of those deals have proven successful thus far.
A string of seasons outside the Champions League are bound to hit Chelsea’s revenue figures in the years to come. Their shirt sponsorship has been equally erratic.
Tottenham – £542.8 million
Partly due to their new, state-of-the-art stadium, Tottenham are eighth in revenue in world football. The Lilywhites don’t throw the same money around as the members of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ in the transfer market, but they have the spending power to do so in the next few years.
The wait for silverware continues. Under Ange Postecoglou, though, there’s more hope than there has been in a long time.
Liverpool – £587 million
Liverpool have done a string of lucrative commercial deals. Extensions with AXA and Carlsberg have helped club coffers, while new agreements were signed with Google, Peloton, and UPS.
Jurgen Klopp has left the club in a strong position. Expectations are high for the Arne Slot era, and the Reds have ample financial muscle to compete at the pinnacle of European football.
Bayern Munich – £639.5 million
Bayern Munich are unable to get close to the broadcast revenues that the Premier League’s big boys rake in. FC Hollywood, though, had the largest commercial revenue in world football during this accounting period.
The end of their Bundesliga-winning streak shouldn’t lead to much of a drop-off in their income.
Manchester United – £640.3 million
It’s theoretically all change at Old Trafford thanks to Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS’ investment. The Glazers have finally sold a stake in the club, leading to an overhaul from top to bottom.
Manchester United have always remained among the top revenue generators in world football, even when their men’s first team has been subpar. Fans are still waiting for the riches to be translated into sustained on-field success.
Barcelona – £687.6 million
Revamping the Camp Nou should increase Barcelona’s revenue in the second half of the 2020s. For now, though, Barca are still a shambles financially, despite sitting fourth in these rankings.
The Catalan giants are still facing restrictions due to their financial strife. There have been delays registering new signings, and it’s unclear if the situation will improve much in the near future.
PSG – £689.2 million
It’s been all change at PSG over the last year or two. Their mega-expensive front three didn’t deliver a Champions League. All three are now playing elsewhere.
The club has altered its approach in the transfer market, and we wonder what the future holds if they don’t finally grasp the big-eared trophy in the next few years.
Manchester City – £709.9 million
Manchester City’s matchday revenue is mediocre. Their commercial revenue is remarkable, however, and their dominant half-decade under Pep Guardiola has led them to become one of the world’s biggest clubs.
Winning matches doesn’t always translate to greater income. City’s vast investment over the last 15 years or so has changed the Premier League and the balance of power in European football.
Real Madrid – £714.7 million
Real Madrid have frequently featured near the top of this list. A whopping deal with HP has seen them take top spot for 2022-23.
Los Blancos are the standard other clubs are aiming to reach and maintain. Stars come and go, but Real remain a perennial Champions League contenders and continue to lure the world’s best players to the Santiago Bernabeu.
