50 most valuable football clubs in the world

Manchester United have been dubbed the most valuable club in world football with a total estimated worth of $6.2bn, ahead of Real Madrid, Barcelona and domestic rivals Liverpool.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe agreed to purchase an initial 25% for $1.3bn last December, increasing to 29% over time for an additional $300m. That deal valued the whole club at $5.5bn, which suggests his investment may already be profitable – not that he’s in it for the money, by his own admission.

Madrid are valued at $6.06bn, Barcelona at $5.28bn and Liverpool at $5.11bn. The presence of Manchester City (sixth, $4.75bn), Arsenal (eighth, $3.91bn), Tottenham Hotspur (ninth, $3.49bn) and Chelsea (tenth, $3.47bn) ensures that the Premier League dominates the top ten with six clubs.

After the top comes a major drop off to Juventus in 11th with a valuation of $1.77bn.

A huge number of Major League Soccer sides feature in the top 50, despite clubs not enjoying vast revenue streams and it not being considered a leading competition. Los Angeles FC, for example, come in at 15th and outrank 2023 UEFA Champions League finalists Inter. Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami have also been given a value in excess of $1bn, despite only debuting in 2020.

The figures come from Sportico, calculating a club’s value based on revenue figures, “team specific multipliers” such as historical sales, market, brand strength, on-field performance – both historic and current, the terms of facility leases, debt and expected future club and league economics. That could explains why MLS clubs are ranked so highly, with many enjoying new modern stadiums, operating in a cost control model and protected from no threat of relegation.

Forbes publishes a similar but more widely known annual list ranking the value of clubs, while the Deloitte Football Money League ranks teams based on their yearly revenue. The most recent Forbes list released just under 12 months ago put Real Madrid first on $6.07bn.