Any idea the financial bubble would burst at the top of men’s football has proven to be false thus far.
The pursuit of a European Super League was emphatically knocked back by media and fans alike, but the repercussions have been minimal.
The numbers involved when it comes to the football betting favourites for the Champions League is hard to fathom.
As reflected in the betting interest around the world, interest in the world’s top club teams shows little sign of slowing down. This is reflected in their revenue figures, which continue to rise year-on-year.
Who Is The Richest Football Club In The World?
Real Madrid have overtaken Manchester City to become the richest football club in the world. Increases in commercial and matchday revenue saw Los Blancos leapfrog City in the rich list.
They are the only two clubs with a revenue above £700 million, and it’s worth noting that PSG and Barcelona are the only other clubs within £100 million of Real Madrid over this period.
Here are the richest football clubs in 2024 by revenue from Deloitte.
Top 20 Richest Clubs In 2024
Real Madrid garnered the most revenue over the last 12 months according to Forbes and Deloitte. Of the 30 richest clubs in the world, revenues increased by 3% since the list from 12 months ago.
While the Premier League is comfortably the richest league in the world, Manchester City are the only team to break into the top four.
There are, however, six Premier League teams in the top 10 in revenue, with a massive gap between Arsenal in 10th and Juventus in 11th.
No Serie A team breaks into the top 10. Behind the mega-spending PSG, 20th-ranked Marseille are the only other French club in the top 20.
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Real Madrid - £714.7 million
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Manchester City - £709.9 million
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Paris Saint-Germain - £689.2 million
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Barcelona - £687.6 million
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Manchester United - £640.1 million
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Bayern Munich - £639.5 million
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Liverpool - £587 million
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Tottenham Hotspur - £542.8 million
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Chelsea - £506.3 million
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Arsenal - £457.8 million
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Juventus - £371.7 million
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Borussia Dortmund - £361 million
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AC Milan - £331.2 million
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Internazionale - £325.7 million
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Atletico Madrid - £313 million
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Eintracht Frankfurt - £252.3 million
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Newcastle United - £247.4 million
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West Ham United - £236.5 million
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Napoli – £230.1 million
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Marseille - £222.1 million
Here, we take a closer look at the 10 richest clubs in the world, based on revenue figures...
Arsenal - £457.8 million
Arsenal have held in tenth. A new deal with Fly Emirates as their shirt sponsor will reportedly see an uptick in revenue.
The Gunners are back challenging for the Premier League title and have been enjoying the riches of the Champions League.
The club’s value has leapt 15% over the last 12 months, which speaks to the remarkable financial health of English football.
Chelsea - £506.3 million
Chelsea are heading into a second consecutive season without Champions League football.
Their finances have been under the microscope since Todd Boehly took over, and there will be further scrutiny in the months to come.
Kit sponsorship agreements have been a hot topic in the Boehly era, with Infinite Athlete debuting on the front of the shirts in 2023-24.
Chelsea’s matchday revenue is lower than most of their peers – they need to start delivering on the pitch to maintain their broadcast and commercial incomings.
Tottenham - £542.8 million
Tottenham missed out on European competition for the 2023-24 season. Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich, and the club appeared to be rebuilding.
The 2022-23 season was Spurs’ highest-ever revenue, however, and they are continuing to build on that under the stewardship of Ange Postecoglou.
The Lilywhites have benefited greatly from their new stadium, with almost 20% of their revenue coming from matchday income.
Liverpool - £587 million
Extensions with AXA and Carlsberg have bolstered the club coffers at Anfield.
New agreements were struck with UPS, Google, and Peloton, which has seen the club generate hundreds of millions in sponsorship deals.
This placing represents a significant drop-off from the previous figures, but Liverpool are in a very secure position financially and look well-set for the club’s next era after Jurgen Klopp’s retirement.
Bayern Munich - £639.5 million
The 2022-23 season saw Bayern Munich amass the largest commercial revenue in world football. Their long-running partnership with T-Mobile was extended at approximately £40 million per year.
FC Hollywood need to excel with their partnerships because their broadcast revenue is a long way shy of their Premier League rivals.
This represents a jump of one place from 12 months previous, with the Bavarian giants overtaking Liverpool.
Manchester United - £640.3 million
Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS’ investment in Manchester United has injected fresh optimism at Old Trafford, with the Glazers trying to sell a stake in the club for a couple of years.
Despite widespread fan unrest, the Glazers did a decent job commercially, keeping the Red Devils among the world’s most valuable sporting franchises.
United can still go toe-to-toe with the big boys financially, but the pressure will increase if they cannot return to the Champions League on a regular basis.
Barcelona - £687.6 million
A sharp increase in total revenue was much needed for Barcelona.
The club has been through well-documented financial strife over the last few seasons, which contributed to the uncomfortable departure of Lionel Messi.
Going forward, we will keep an eye on Barcelona’s matchday revenue, as their move to the Olympic Stadium is bound to lessen their income from ticket sales.
The revamped Camp Nou will be a massive asset in the second half of this decade, though.
PSG - £689.2 million
Forbes only places PSG as the seventh-most valuable football team. For the third consecutive year, Les Parisiens recorded a loss.
The squad has had an overhaul with Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe all departing over the last 18 months, and it’s fair to wonder where the club is heading in the next half-decade.
Could we see a change of ownership at the Parc des Princes in the next few years?
Manchester City - £709.9 million
Winning the treble in 2022-23 saw Manchester City record their largest revenue ever. Continuing to set the standards on the pitch, City are also establishing themselves as a power off it.
Their revenue is the second highest in world football, despite their matchday income being a long way off their peers.
Real Madrid - £714.7 million
A deal with HP worth tens of millions annually has bolstered Real Madrid’s commercial revenue.
Their revenue in 2022-23 was 8% higher than the previous season and saw them retain top spot on the Forbes rich list for a third year in a row.
Real are one of three clubs – along with Bayern and Manchester United – to appear in the top 10 of the Deloitte Money League on 25 occasions.
Real were number one every year from 2004-05 to 2014-15, but they have only topped the list twice since then with Manchester United, Barcelona, and Manchester City taking turns as number one.
All Premier League odds are here!
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*
