The combined turnover of the 20 richest clubs in Europe has increased by approximately 1% to € 8.2 billion in the 2020/21 season, as reported in Deloitte Sports Business Group’s latest report of March 2023, “Football Money League”.
Suspension of domestic and international football competitions caused by the coronavirus and the subsequent play with limited stadium capacity or even in empty stadiums during large portions of the previous two seasons have turned out to have a major impact on the finances of the top European clubs.
The 10 richest football clubs in Europe combined have yet managed to increase their combined revenues. In this guide you will find an overview of the richest football clubs in the world in 2023. All clubs are based in Europe.
About the List
The list is compiled based on the ability to generate revenue from match tickets, hospitality, broadcasting rights, sponsorships, merchandising, prize money and other commercial activities. Profits from transfers are not included. Most values are described in euros, but every listing includes the net worth in dollars for your convenience.
Elite club football has been buffeted by two years of financial turbulence due to
the impact of corona, but is emerging having demonstrated resilience and continued underlying growth underpinned by the global love for these great institutions and the entertainment they provide.
Football Money League, Deloitte Sports Business Group
The list below only analyses the first 10 results, but the report published by Deloitte takes a closer look at the 20 richest football clubs on earth. For a full understanding we recommend that you check out the report Football Money League.
The list is based on numbers of last season as the current seasons in Europe have kicked off in the first week of August or will kick off in the second week of August, depending on the league. For
more about the richest football clubs with gambling sponsors, please have a look here.
10. Tottenham Hotspur, England – $ 483.5 million
Tottenham Hotspur are tenth on the 2023 list due to their remarkable € 69 million turnover increase from the previous season. The Spurs booked a total revenue of 428.3 million euros earning € 116.5 million from commercial partnerships and merchandising. The majority of this amount will come from shirt sponsor AIA and kit sponsor Nike.
The broadcasting rights brought to north London are €226.6 million this season. In addition, ticket sales last season brought in 85.2 million euros. According to Deloitte’s recent report, the club could experience an overall increase in revenue in the future thanks to their consistent performances in the Premier League and in European competitions.
9. Arsenal, England – $ 495.8 million
With a total income of € 439.2 million this season, Premier League club Arsenal FC occupies ninth place in the current ranking of the richest football clubs in the world, despite a drop in sales of around €48 million compared to the previous season. The Gunners made approximately €206.9 million in broadcast rights and €111.6 million in ticket sales.
But the bulk of their total revenue this season came from different trade deals worth € 120.7 million. The main contributors to their revenue growth, Emirates and Puma, also increased the club’s overall brand equity. But their failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League in the 2019-20 season will affect their future ticket sales, Deloitte said.
8. Chelsea FC, England – $ 570,9 million
With 505.7 million euros in generated revenue, London based Chelsea rises to the eighth position in the current ranking of the richest football clubs. Like several other big clubs, the Blues have seen a significant increase in sales earning a whopping €191.8 million from their business partnerships, including their deal with beverage company Carabao.
In addition, Adidas and sponsor Yokohama Tires made a good contribution to the total turnover of the club. Chelsea generated € 83.4 million from ticket sales. The broadcasting rights also brought in 230.5 million euros.
7. Liverpool FC, England – $ 579,9 million
Liverpool have become one of the most popular teams in the EPL in 2023, mainly thanks to the brilliant performances of Mohamed Salah in recent years while coach Jürgen Klopp is also highly popular in both England and abroad. The Reds reached seventh place in the list of the richest football clubs of the moment with a total turnover of 513.7 million euros.
Unlike several other clubs on the list, Liverpool have seen a significant budget increase of almost €90 million in their last season. They received €251.3 million through their revamped broadcast rights deal. Liverpool also earned €170.8 million from their commercial deals with shirt sponsor Standard Chartered and kit sponsor Nike while it is one of the many English clubs that is sponsored from gambling money after signing a deal with sports betting operator Interwetten.
This partnership will include offline promotions and content on LFC’s digital platforms in-market. In addition, the club generated € 91.6 million from ticket sales. With several rising stars at the club, football connoisseurs expect that Liverpool’s overall value will continue to increase in the future.
6. Paris Saint-Germain, France: $ 611,5 million
Paris Saint-Germain has earned an astonishing sum of € 313.3 million from their sponsor Emirates and kit supplier Nike. In addition, broadcasting rights also brought in € 127.8 million this season. Last season PSG generated € 100.6 million in match revenues through ticket sales. The many expensive signings throughout the last seasons show the club’s desire to dominate European football for the foreseeable future. Yet, it has not managed to beat other football clubs in Europe with less money, but more history.
5. Manchester City, England – $ 641,6 million
Two Premier League clubs made it into the top 5 richest football clubs of 2023, with Manchester City being part of the list, alongside Manchester United which we will cover later on. With a total revenue of 568.4 million euros, the Citizens have gotten to an impressive 5th place which would have been hard to imagine over 15 years ago.
Thanks to its sponsorship contracts and commercial partnerships, the club generated 265.7 million euros in revenue. A significant portion of that comes from their official sponsor Etihad Airways and kit sponsor Puma. The North Western club also earned € 63.9 million in revenue from ticket sales while it earned an extra € 238.8 million this year thanks to broadcasting rights. Manchester City is England’s current champion.
4. Bayern Munchen, Germany – $ 710,3 million
Bundesliga club Bayern Munchen has generated a total of €629.2 million in revenue this year, approximately €42 million more than in the previous year. The German club has won the national championship 10 times in a row, but their mixed performances in the UEFA Champions League also impacted their overall earnings, according to the Deloitte Football Money League.
Bayern managed to win the 2020 edition against PSG, but it has disappointed in some other years which is why future earnings in the Champions League may not turn out to be as expected in the next few years with especially Spanish and English teams getting the most out of their Champions League participations.
Bayern Munich has earned 348.7 million euros from deals with sponsors Deutsche Telekom and Adidas. It also sold its broadcasting rights for € 176.7 million and generated an additional € 103.8 million from ticket sales. Bayern is known as one of the financially most healthy clubs of Europe.
3. Manchester United, England – $751.8 million
With a total income of 666 million euros this year, Manchester United secured their third place in the list of richest football clubs of 2023. Despite this top 3 position, the Red Devils suffered an income drop of almost 10 million euros compared to last year. Man U generated €316.1 million in commercial income from sponsorship deals and merchandising with new boss Erik Ten Hag seen as the club’s Messias.
Manchester United earned a decent amount of revenue from their former shirt sponsor Chevrolet (now TeamViewer) and shirt sponsor Adidas. The broadcasting rights also raised € 230.4 million this year. In addition, Manchester United achieved € 119.5 million in revenues from ticket sales last season. According to the Deloitte Football Money League, missing out on the Champions League 2023-23 will have a significant impact on the club’s revenue this year.
2. FC Barcelona – $ 779,4 million
With an income of 690.4 million euros this year, FC Barcelona takes second place in the list of richest football clubs 2018/19. They lost first place to rival club Real Madrid even after generating almost €42 million in additional revenue compared to the previous year.
The Catalan club has generated € 322.6 million in commercial revenue through their sponsorship deals with kit supplier Nike and their previous shirt sponsor Qatar Airways (now Spotify). The club has made almost € 223 million this season from their broadcasting rights. Competition revenue also reached € 144.8 million thanks to a significant increase in ticket sales.
Although enjoying a lot of income, FC Barcelona are € 1.3 billion in debt. Nonetheless, they are still talking about signing major stars like Robert Lewandowski. It is therefore expected that Barça will face a significant drop in the next few years, possibly seeing them drop out of the top 10 list of richest football clubs in the world.
1. Real Madrid, Spain – $ 847,7 million
With a total turnover of 750.9 million euros this year, La Liga side Real Madrid is still the richest football club in the world. After spending nearly six seasons in second place, Real Madrid has regained their glory and reached the top spot.
This year, Los Galáctios have made a good recovery, moving from second to first place. The Madrid based club have earned a total of €315.5 million in commercial deals with their shirt sponsor Emirates and kit supplier Adidas. Real Madrid also generated € 251.3 million from its broadcasting rights and €143.4 million from ticket sales. But their overall rating remains practically the same, although the same applies to Real as for Barça — it is full of debts and is likely to make a sharp drop in the coming years. Despite their long-term financial instability, Real Madrid will return to their renewed Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the next few months costing The Meringues another 800-900 million euros.