The latest figures of the world’s highest revenue-generating clubs have been unveiled.
Manchester City are the richest football club in the world, according to the Deloitte Football Money League’s latest figures from a 2020/21 campaign affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s the first time City have topped the Money League. The Abu Dhabi-owned Citizens climbed six places, with revenue of €644.9 million. They are the fourth club to top the list of the world’s highest revenue-generating clubs after Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United.
Real Madrid (€640.7m) came in second, Bayern Munich (€611.4m) third, previous leaders Barcelona (€582.1m) dropped to fourth, and Manchester United (€558m) suffered their lowest finish down in fifth.
Paris Saint-Germain (€556.2m), Liverpool (€550.4m), Chelsea (€493.1m), Juventus (€433.5m), and Tottenham (€406.2m) completed the top 10.
The 20 richest football clubs in the world
| # | CLUB | REVENUE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Manchester City | €644.9m |
| 2. | Real Madrid | €640.7m |
| 3. | Bayern Munich | €611.4m |
| 4. | FC Barcelona | €582.1m |
| 5. | Manchester United | €558m |
| 6. | PSG | €556.2m |
| 7. | Liverpool | €550.4m |
| 8. | Chelsea | €493.1m |
| 9. | Juventus | €433.5m |
| 10. | Tottenham | €406.2m |
| 11. | Arsenal | €366.5m |
| 12. | Borussia Dortmund | €337.6m |
| 13. | Atletico Madrid | €332.8m |
| 14. | Inter Milan | €330.9m |
| 15. | Leicester City | €255.5m |
| 16. | West Ham | €221.5m |
| 17. | Wolves | €219.2m |
| 18. | Everton | €218.1m |
| 19. | Zenit | €212m |
| 20. | Aston Villa | €207.3m |
How did COVID-19 impact the revenues?
In the report, Delta stated that clubs around Europe lost revenue made from matchdays. But on the upside, they enjoyed more revenue through their blockbuster broadcast deals.
“The impact of COVID-19 is stark with the lack of fans in stadia unsurprisingly causing the lowest matchday revenue in the 25 years of the publication,” the report said.
“Broadcast revenue is at a record high as a result of deferrals in distributions related to the delayed 2019-20 season.”
Money League clubs eventually lost over €2 billion in revenue from the middle of the 2019/20 season to the end of the 2020/21 season, restoring revenue levels back to those of almost five years ago.
The report added: “Looking ahead to the 2023 Money League covering the 2021-22 season, we expect revenue of Money League clubs to reach record levels, as they bounce back from the effects of the pandemic and push towards collective revenues of €10 billion.”
Premier League broadcast rights values are also set to pull further away from the top five European leagues from next season onward.
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