The Most Valuable Football Clubs in the World

Money has become more important than ever in football in recent years, with the amount of money being pumped into the sport increasing at an eye-watering rate. With the financial gap becoming wider between the Premier League and other top leagues from around the world, what does this mean for the value of individual football clubs?

In this Ticket-Compare article, we take a look at the 10 most valuable football clubs in the world. We discuss the methodology that can be used to value football teams, as well as going into detail about the specific amounts associated with each club on the list. If you want to learn more about this topic, read on.

The 10 Most Valuable Football Teams in the World

The following 10 clubs are the most valuable football clubs in the world:

1. Manchester United
2. Real Madrid
3. Barcelona
4. Liverpool
5. Bayern Munich
6. Manchester City
7. Arsenal
8. Chelsea
9. Paris Saint-Germain
10. Tottenham Hotspur

Football Revenue Streams

When looking at revenue made by football clubs, there are three key areas to assess - broadcast revenue, commercial revenue and match day revenue.

Broadcast Revenue

Broadcast revenue is one of the biggest sources of income for football clubs, with the biggest teams receiving media deals both domestically and internationally. With the popularity of football continually increasing across the globe each year, there are more and more media opportunities available.

This varies heavily across different leagues across the world. For example, MLS clubs will earn considerably less than European clubs in terms of broadcasting revenue.

Commercial Revenue

The second-biggest arm of revenue received by top football clubs is commercial revenue. Within this pot you’ll find revenue that’s generated from sponsorships, advertising, corporate hospitality, catering and non-matchday events.

For example, the top clubs will sign huge kit deals with the largest companies including Nike, Adidas and Puma. As well as this, companies pay handsome sums to put their sponsor on football kits, with more and more sponsors being added to different areas of a shirt, too, including sleeve and short sponsors.

Some big examples of this are Real Madrid, who received more than $70 million to work with Emirates airlines as their main shirt sponsor. Manchester United, another one of the world’s elite clubs, bring in at least $100 million a year through their deal with Adidas. French giants Paris Saint Germain have earned a staggering $451 million through commercial revenue, working with partners such as GOAT, Nike, Qatar Airways and Visit Rwanda.

Match Day Revenue

Another key revenue source for football clubs is match day revenue. This revenue is made up of the following:

• Ticket sales
• Memberships (both home and away)
• Cup competitions
• Preseason sales

This source of revenue took a hit during the Coronavirus pandemic, with no fans being able to watch their sides in person, but bounced back strongly during the 2021/22 season. Manchester United and PSG came out on top for these figures.

The Most Valuable Football Teams in the World

Now, let's have a look at the 10 most valuable football teams in the world in a little more detail. Read on to find out how these giants have so much value stored within their clubs.

1. Manchester United

The red half of Manchester come out on top of the world rankings when it comes to value, having an estimated $5.95 billion value. With a rich heritage, “The Red Devils” have been able to attract the biggest sponsorship deals, players, and regularly fill their 74,000 seat stadium, Old Trafford.

To put things into perspective, Manchester United were able to make £187 million in just 10 days following the re-signing of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021. This truly shows how much of a powerhouse the club are, having a fan base that spans all over the world.

2. Real Madrid

Second in the list of most valuable football clubs are Spanish Galácticos Real Madrid, who have an estimated value of $5.23 billion. Having won the Champions League in the 2021/22 season, defeating Liverpool in the final, Los Merengues earn staggering amounts of money through ticket sales, TV revenue, merchandise sales and commercial deals.

They’ve been kings of Europe more than any other club, winning the competition on 14 occasions, with the closest club to them being AC Milan who have won it 7 times. Real Madrid’s global presence can be felt from all four corners of the globe, so it’s not surprising to see them this high up the value list.

3. FC Barcelona

Catalonians FC Barcelona come in at 3rd place for most valuable clubs in the world, being worth an estimated $4.95 billion. Similarly to their Spanish counterparts, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona has an impressive global fan base, as well as having the biggest stadium in Europe. The Camp Nou, holds 99,354 people, meaning Barça are able to sell more tickets than any other elite club, with the 5 top leagues being played in Europe.

The stadium is going under renovation work during the 2023/24 season, which will see Barcelona move to the Olympic Stadium, which has a 55,926 capacity. This may see their match day revenue decrease temporarily, however once the works have been completed, the Nou Camp will hold 105,000 fans.

As well as ticket revenue, the Nou Camp will be renamed the Spotify Camp Nou in a bid to bring more value to the club, after signing a commercial deal with one of the biggest companies in music streaming.

Although the club have failed in European competitions of late, their recent upturn in form under ex-player Xavi’s management has put them in good stead for future success. The potential return of Lionel Messi could also have a huge impact on value, through merchandise sales, similarly to that of Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United.

4. Liverpool

6-time European Champions Liverpool FC come fourth in the value rankings, with an estimated value of $4.71 billion. Although they missed out on a 7th Champions League in 2022, losing 1-0 to Real Madrid, Liverpool have been able to retain their value through TV revenue, match day revenue, commercial deals and more. 

Their 54,000 capacity, Anfield Stadium, is regularly filled and their ability to regularly sign elite talents is a great indicator of their power and potential in world football. Recent signings including Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo are great examples of this. They also managed to win their first Premier League title during the 2019/20 season, which would’ve brought in significant revenue.

5. Bayern Munich

The most successful team in Germany by some stretch, Bayern Munich, are 5th in the rankings for the most valuable football clubs in the world. They have an estimated value of $4.46 billion.

Although the Bundesliga receives less TV revenue than other major leagues, including the Premier League and La Liga, Bayern are a team that tend to do really well in the Champions League.

With 75,000 spectators regularly filling up the Allianz Arena, Munich aren’t short on ticket revenue, as well as being a commercial powerhouse. In fact, their main shirt sponsor, Deutsche Telekom, have been on the front of Bayern shirts for over 20 years. This longevity can be seen with their three other main commercial partners, too - Audi, Adidas and Allianz, who all own an 8.33% stake in the club.

This commercial strategy has most certainly been the main driving force behind their significant value in world football, with Bayern signing a new deal with Deutsche Telekom in August 2022, which will run until 2027.

6. Manchester City

The blue half of Manchester have won the Premier League title five times in the last six seasons. They’ve also reached two Champions League finals in that time, with them being strong favourites to win the competition in 2023.

City have received significant TV money from the Premier League and cup competitions, as well as having big sponsorship deals with the following 10 companies:

• Puma
• Etihad Airways
• OKX
• Nexen Tire
• E&
• Abu Dhabi Tourism
• Emirates Palace
• LeoVegas Group
• Asahi Super Dry
• Sony

The club is also in the process of expanding their stadium, which would see them increase their capacity to over 60,000 fans, which would help them further increase their club value. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the sky blues achieve a higher ranking in future seasons.

7. Arsenal

Arsenal have been without Champions League football since the 2016/17 season, but still find themselves 7th in the world rankings for club value. Their estimated value is $3.6 billion. In 2006, the club moved to their new ground, The Emirates Stadium, demonstrating the relationship between them and main shirt sponsor Fly Emirates.

Their stadium holds over 60,000 fans, helping them create a strong source of match day revenue, and manager Mikel Arteta has created an exciting style of football that is attracting big match day crowds.

Players like Bakayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba have helped bring the good times back to the Gunners. All of these players are young, too, so there’s a lot of potential for Arsenal’s club value to drastically increase in the next few years. With Champions League football returning to North London shortly, Arsenal are certainly one to keep your eye on.

8. Chelsea

Bought for a mammoth £4.5 billion in 2022, West Londoners, Chelsea, are another global powerhouse. Estimated to have a value of $3.47 billion, they are 8th in the rankings for most valuable football clubs in the world.

After signing many elite-level talents including Enzo Fernández and Mykhailo Mudryk, Chelsea’s spending is no secret, however the club will be without European football in the 2023/24 season having finished mid-table in the Premier League.

Will we see Chelsea’ value increase in future years? It’s safe to say that this will be highly dependent on attaining Champions League football. The West Londoners will certainly be gunning for European football as soon as possible, and with Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, they may well be able to do that.

9. Paris Saint-Germain

French giants Paris Saint-Germain are ninth in the listings for most valuable football clubs in the world. With an estimated value of $3.41 billion, the club has the most impressive front three in world football, which is made up of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar.

It’s common practice for PSG to win Ligue 1, however their main goal is to win the Champions League, something they’ve not yet accomplished. They came close in the 2019/20 season, however, they bowed out the competition after losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the final.

Huge commercial deals with companies including Nike, Qatar Airways, GOAT and Visit Qatar, as well as being owned by Qatar Sports Investments, has made PSG one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. This explains how they’re able to sign players of Messi and Mbappé’s calibre.

10. Tottenham Hotspur

Last of England’s “top 6” clubs are Tottenham, and they find themselves in 10th place in the list of most valuable clubs. They have a value of $3.19 billion, which puts them firmly ahead of 11th place Juventus by a staggering $1.46 billion.

Having opened their £1 billion Tottenham Hotspur stadium in 2019, the club have flexed their financial power by making managerial appointments, including Antonio Conte and José Mourinho. As the club aims to make its presence known in both domestic and European competitions, we expect their value to continue to increase.

A sale of talisman striker Harry Kane could hinder their progress, though. A record breaker, and England captain, the forward has continued to break records both at domestic and international level, and it’s safe to say that his goals have carried the club for many years.

Predicted Future Trends in Club Valuations

It’s highly likely that we’ll see football club valuations continue to increase in future years as wealthier owners are attracted to the sport. Recent acquisitions of Newcastle United and Chelsea FC by Saudi Public Investment Fund and American businessman, Todd Boehly, means that we’ll see more and more money being pumped into the biggest leagues across the world.

As football’s worldwide footprint grows through further investment, commercial deals and broadcasting revenue will no doubt increase, as well as player transfer fees and salaries. Whether you like it or not, money and football and synonymous with each other, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

Conclusion

The value of a football club is dependent on many factors, including revenue made from player transfers, tickets, commercial deals, as well as broadcasting revenue and competition winnings.

With the top 5 European leagues driving the majority of football club value, they have the ability to draw the biggest players through lucrative salary offers and the biggest opportunities on the pitch. In addition, expect trends to continue in an upward trajectory when it comes to football club value, as more and more wealthy individuals want to start owning elite clubs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

*Club valuations taken from Sportico

Header image: abdelkrim abdali, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons