Football
Top 10 richest football clubs in the world
We take a look at the most wealthy football clubs. Who is the richest? We’ve got the answers and more.
Image Credit: Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
The richest clubs in the world are Europe’s powerhouse establishments, the aristocracy of the continental game.
Except for Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, eight of the world’s top 10 wealthiest football teams are historic European clubs.
In recent years, Middle Eastern Oil money and massive sponsorship fees from the worlds biggest football betting sites have infiltrated the status quo, and the modern football landscape has shifted.
However, despite some nouveau riche football clubs (Newcastle United and RB Leipzig included) making waves, the old guard still commands most of the money and power.
In January 2024, the Deloitte Football Money League posted its findings on which clubs bring in the most money in world football.
SportsBoom decided to dig deeper into football’s elite rich list to find out who the top 10 richest football clubs in the world.
Image Credits: Deloitte
Who are the top 10 richest football clubs in the world?
Real Madrid, the “Kings of Europe,” Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Manchester United are the top five wealthiest clubs.
Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and Arsenal make up the rest of the top 10 richest football clubs in the world in 2024.
Deloitte found that the "total revenue generated by the top 20 Money League clubs in 2022/23 is a record £9.2bn, a 14% increase over the previous year and pre-pandemic levels (£7.7bn – in both 2021/22 and 2018/19)."
This is the first time the top 20 richest clubs' cumulative revenue surpassed £9bn.
However, the top 10 clubs have remained unchanged since 2021/22.
Deloitte explains there were minimal changes year-on-year elsewhere in the top 10, with no club moving by more than one position.
The top 10 richest football clubs in the world list see six Premier League clubs dominate.
The Premier League's astronomical television rights deals, which dwarf the other big five leagues in Europe, and the English top-flights international appeal, have brought unrivaled riches to English football.
La Liga's two powerhouse clubs Real Madrid, who top the list, and Barcelona (4th) are the two biggest supported clubs in Spain.
They have two of the largest worldwide followings to keep the money rolling into the coffers.
France and Germany each have one team representing Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich's international supporters surpass City, PSG, and Chelsea, and they are Germany's biggest, most famous football institution.
The 10 Richest Clubs in World Football (Revenue)
| Rank | Last Year's Rank | Club | 2022/23 Revenue | 2021/22 Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | Real Madrid | £723 million | £604.4 million |
| 2nd | 1st | Manchester City | £718.2 million | £619.1 million |
| 3rd | 5th | Paris Saint-Germain | £697.2 million | £554.1 million |
| 4th | 7th | Barcelona | £695.8 million | £540.4 million |
| 5th | 4th | Manchester United | £648.5 million | £583.2 million |
| 6th | 6th | Bayern Munich | £647 million | £553.5 million |
| 7th | 3rd | Liverpool | £593.8 million | £594.3 million |
| 8th | 9th | Tottenham | £549.2 million | £442.8 million |
| 9th | 8th | Chelsea | £512.5 million | £481.3 million |
| 10th | 10th | Arsenal | £463.1 million | £367.1 million |
Image Credit: Ardfern
It has been a long road for City, but they’ve turned decades of despair into domestic dominance in England with the help of Sheikh Mansour’s unlimited oil money.
Madrid's growth, however, is attributable to strong retail performance and higher stadium attendance, following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
Los Blancos have increased its stadium capacity, and City struggles to sell out their ground.
When you consider Madrid's worldwide support, compared to City having a small, local following, and the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium's increased capacity, it is surprising the English club is second.
If these 10 clubs continue to dominate their respective domestic leagues, and do well in the Champions League, they will remain the wealthiest football clubs in the world.
Image Credit: Jan S0L0
FAQs
Six English Premier League football teams are on the list of the top 10 richest clubs in the world.
Manchester City is the wealthiest football club in England.
Bayern Munich is the richest football club in Germany.
Paris Saint-Germain is the richest football team in France.
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Kaylan Geekie is a sports fanatic. He attended Durban High School before moving to Scotland, where he lived for 15 years. During his time in the United Kingdom, Kaylan graduated with a first-class BA Honours Degree in Sports Journalism at the University of the West of Scotland. Kaylan worked for nine years as the Match-Day Editor of SuperXV.com, reporting on Super Rugby, The Rugby Championship, the 2015 Men's Rugby World Cup and the 2017 British & Irish Lions series for the website.