Football is big business, and the sport has become a money-generating machine for the richest football clubs over the past 20 years. TV deals, rapidly rising transfer fees, and other lucrative revenue streams have combined to create mountains of cash.
With vast wealth at their disposal, Real Madrid look like they have an iron grip on top spot. Bagu Blanco/Pressinphoto – Photo by Icon Sport
One of two new entries from the previous update is Lyon, becoming the third club from Ligue 1 to make it into the top 20. They qualified for the UEFA Europa League (UEL) for the 2024/25 campaign off the back of their performance in the league in the previous season, which will give them additional revenue streams.
Lyon did win that appeal though, and so will continue to play in Ligue 1 in the 2025/26 season, as well as in the UEL at the expense of Premier League side Crystal Palace. Nonetheless, their chances of bringing in fresh new players to improve their squad will still be damaged by the uncertainty surrounding the club.
They have also enjoyed a great start to the new 2025/26 season in Ligue 1, picking up a total of 12 points in total from their first five games. Nonetheless, they will hope to continue that level of form into their next few matches.
19. Marseille – £242.3m
However, Marseille did not qualify for any major European competition in the 2024/25 campaign, which could hinder them financially in terms of the next update. They did well in Ligue 1 though, finishing in second place and qualifying for the UCL for next season.
In the summer transfer window, Marseille brought star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back to the club, along with a number of other high-profile names. This represents a significant investment, and could also improve their fortunes on the pitch.
The second new entry after the last update is Aston Villa, becoming the ninth club from the Premier League to join the list. Their revenue streams have been significantly boosted after qualifying for the UCL for the 2024/25 campaign, and they also reached the quarter-final stage of the competition having beaten Belgium Pro League side Club Brugge in their last-16 tie.
The big-money sale of Colombia international striker Jhon Duran to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr in the January transfer window will also give the Villans a significant financial boost. Forward Evann Guessand has been brought in from Ligue 1 side Nice in the summer transfer window as his replacement, but a poor start to the new 2025/26 Premier League campaign has seen Villa fail to win their opening four games, scoring just one goal.
17. West Ham – £272.0m
However, unlike the last few seasons, West Ham have failed to qualify for any European competition this campaign. They also spent heavily on new recruits last summer, and given they did not do well this season finishing in 14th, their value could plummet.
West Ham are already off to a poor start, currently sitting near the bottom of the table after losing both of their opening two games. The Hammers did pick up a morale-boosting 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground just before the international break in September though, but followed that up with further defeats against London-based rivals Tottenham and Crystal Palace on home soil.
Juve are another team who were competing in the UCL this campaign, which they would have hoped to maximise revenue from, but they got knocked out 4-3 on aggregate in the play-off round to Dutch side PSV. Alongside that is their bread and butter of the league, which they finished in fourth place and saw them qualify for the UCL for next season.
Juve are unbeaten in their opening four matches, picking up a total of 10 points, as they currently sit pretty at the top of the table at the time of writing. Nonetheless, even in the division's early stages, they really look set for a title push.
15. Newcastle – £313.9m
Newcastle finished in fifth place in the Premier League and so qualified for the UCL again for the second time in the last three seasons. That will boost revenue streams for the Magpies, while they also won the Carabao Cup final after impressively beating current Premier League leaders Liverpool 2-1 in the final at Wembley Stadium, their first major trophy in 70 years.
Inter won the Scudetto last season just behind their Milan rivals. Indeed, this would have helped boost their revenues, and we could see them overtake AC Milan in terms of riches in the next update.
Inter also competed in this summer's CWC, which has given them further riches. However, they are already off the pace in Serie A with two defeat from their first four games in the new 2025/26 campaign.
13. AC Milan – £335.6m
Like their city rivals, the Rossoneri were also competing in this year's UCL, which has helped generate a little extra revenue for the club with a rich history in the competition. However, they were knocked out in the play-off round 2-1 on aggregate to Dutch team Feyenoord, and so will take no further part in this season's competition.
The likes of Joao Felix and Kyle Walker from the Premier League were also brought to the San Siro on loan in the January transfer window, but have since returned to their parent clubs. Sales of Theo Hernandez and Tijjani Reijnders to both Al Hilal and Manchester City respectively have yielded significant profits for Milan, but are difficult players to replace.
Being based in the Spanish capital of Madrid, Atletico have been able to take advantage of plenty of revenue opportunities, especially given their rivalry with perhaps the biggest club in the world in Real Madrid. They have also had notable success on the pitch, winning La Liga in 2013/14 and 2020/21 when it is so often dominated by Real and FC Barcelona.
Diego Simeone's side were also competing in the CWC, but were knocked out at the group stage. They also failed to win any of their opening three games of the new 2025/26 La Liga season.
11. Borussia Dortmund – £433.6m
They still manage to generate a lot of revenue from their large Yellow Wall support though, and have sold big in recent years with superstars like Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham leaving for greener pastures. Dortmund also competed in this season's UCL, but after a strong league phase stage, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Barcelona 5-3 on aggregate.
Dortmund were one of a number of sides on this list that were also competing in the CWC, while they also invested in former star player Jude Bellingham's younger brother Jobe from Premier League side Sunderland in the summer transfer window, hoping that the central midfielder can have a similar impact on the pitch. They have picked up a total of 10 points from their opening four games in the new 2025/26 Bundesliga season.
Chelsea did splash the cash again last summer, and were one of the biggest spenders in Europe's top five leagues. They did qualify for the UECL as well, and beat La Liga side Real Betis in the final, which should generate extra revenue streams.
Chelsea have started the new 2025/26 Premier League campaign okay, picking up a total of eight points from their opening five games. Only time will tell though if the Blues will emerge as serious title contenders.
9. Tottenham – £519.2m
Like many others in this list, Spurs invested heavily in last summer's transfer window, spending a club-record £65m to sign striker Dominic Solanke from fellow Premier League side Bournemouth, who earned an England call-up under then interim Three Lions boss Lee Carsley. The North London also generated revenue from winning the UEL last season which gained them a place in the UCL, while they will also hope to improve on their performance in the Premier League as they finished in 17th spot.
With their Anfield expansions, Premier League performances and UCL success all driving numbers up, Liverpool’s finances are healthy, though Reds supporters would like to see owners FSG allocate more of their cash to the recruitment department. Liverpool missed out on UCL qualification for 2023/24, however, so their income dipped.
They were also knocked out of the UCL after eventual winners PSG beat them in a penalty shootout in their last-16 clash, while the tie was finely poised at 1-1 on aggregate. Liverpool invested heavily in the summer transfer window, with their standout signings being Germany international midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for what was a reported British-record fee of £115m, before Sweden international striker Alexander Isak also came through the doors from Newcastle for a reported £125m.
7. Arsenal – £604.8m
Arsenal are one of six Premier League representatives in the top 10 and the Gunners’ recent UCL involvement could allow them to climb the rankings even further. Matchday revenues from the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium in London are among the league’s loftiest.
But should the Gunners ever win it for the first time in their illustrious history, a swarm of new revenue opportunities would be expected to come their way. They finished in second place in the Premier League for a third season in a row.
Arsenal are in second place in the Premier League table at the time of writing, picking up a total of 10 points from their opening five games.
More UCL revenue should be generated this season, while they have also snatched the La Liga title back away from bitter rivals Real Madrid. Transfer business was fairly quiet in the summer window although Barca did Spanish goalkeeper Joan Garcia from bitter rivals Espanyol and Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United.
5. Bayern Munich – £646.1m
Bayern Munich is Germany’s most popular team by far. Despite losing out to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023/24, their tight stronghold over the domestic game there has allowed them to build a rock-solid financial platform.
Bayern have done just that, recently claiming the Bundesliga title. In their opening CWC match, the Bavarians made a statement by beating New Zealand based Auckland City 10-0, but ultimately crashed out at the knockout stage.
Manchester United have been slipping down the rankings in recent years, possibly due to financial mismanagement from their owners. With a huge principal debt to service, interest payment responsibilities, and soaring salaries paid to second-tier talent, United have been a bit of a mess.
It certainly highlights the dire state that they are in financially, and further reports have suggested that they are also on the brink of the Premier League's PSR rules as well. They were one of the biggest spenders in Europe's top five leagues last summer, but none of the new signings have really been able to hit the ground running properly.
To try and improve their squad, United splashed out a reported £62.5m on Wolves and Brazilian star Matheus Cunha and an extra £71m on Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo as well, while Slovenia international striker Benjamin Sesko also joined the club for a substantial transfer fee. The new arrivals have not had a major impact so far though, as the Red Devils have picked up just seven points from their opening five games in the new 2025/26 Premier League season, and were embarrassingly knocked out of the second round of the Carabao Cup by League Two side Grimsby via a penalty shootout after being held to a 2-2 draw in normal time.
3. PSG – £680.3m
Marketable players like Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Lionel Messi have also contributed to earning PSG the big bucks. However, they have all now left the club, and less marketable names need to step up.
PSG just missed out on what would have been yet another piece of silverware to their trophy collection in the CWC, after losing 3-0 to Chelsea in the final. However, they have started the new 2025/26 campaign well, winning all four of their opening matches in Ligue 1.
Nevertheless, City’s success on the pitch continues to create new wealth off it, regardless of what happens in their upcoming hearing. Indeed, the City Football Group injected £210m into the club in the final week of August 2024, to give Man City an optimal chance of ensuring that they can avoid financial rule breaches in 2024/25.
That significant financial outlay not only made them the biggest spenders in world football in January, but they also spent more than the other 19 clubs did in the Premier League combined (£177m)! On top of a relatively poor league finish by their usual sky-high standards, City's revenue figures could well have plummeted by the time the next update comes.
1. Real Madrid – £882.6m
The world’s biggest club, Real Madrid have been listed among the globe’s richest outfits for an age, and Los Blancos can draw from one of football’s deepest funds whenever a new superstar catches their eye. A series of UCL triumphs over the past decade have added more zeros to their account balance, with Real earning a lot from La Liga TV and prize money on top.
Overall, Real made 16m euros (approximately £13.5m) in profit during the 2023/24 financial year. They finished in second place in the La Liga table, and were knocked out of the UCL by Arsenal 5-1 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage.
They have enjoyed a perfect start to the new 2025/26 La Liga campaign so far, winning each of their first five games. The same cannot be said for their main rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid though.
What is the Deloitte Money Football League?
Deloitte itself is the biggest professional services network in terms of revenue and number of employees in the world. It is considered to be one of the “Big Four” accounting firms. They have released 28 Deloitte Money Football League profiles in total now, with the latest edition coming in January 2025.
They calculate the clubs' “riches” by revenue generated in the previous footballing season, so for example, the 2025 profile focuses on the revenues generated from the 2023/24 campaign. Revenue can be generated in various ways, from tickets and products sold on matchdays to commercial and broadcast revenue, and all of the figures are calculated to form a total revenue for each club.
Hence then, the article about the top 20 richest football clubs in the world was published today ( ) and is available on Football Whispers ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The top 20 richest football clubs in the world )
Also on site :