Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich are the three richest football clubs in the world. However, there are a few other teams, which participate in other sports that are notably more valuable than these football clubs.
According to the current rankings of the world’s wealthiest sports teams, The Dallas Cowboys (NFL), the New York Yankees (MLB), and the New York Knicks (NBA) are more valuable than Barcelona, with each of them valued at $5.7 billion, $5.25 billion and $5 billion respectively.
This article discusses the world’s 20 most valuable football clubs. Nine of these teams are from England. The rest of them come from Italy (4), Spain (3), Germany (2), France (1), and the Netherlands (1).
Do you think your favorite team is one of the richest football clubs in the world? Continue reading to find out.
In this article
20. Ajax
| Value | $413 million |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Owner | AFC Ajax N.V. |
| Revenue | $172 million |
| Operating income | $2 million |
| Debt | $8.26 million |
| Nickname (s) | Sons of the Gods, the Jews, Lucky Ajax |
AFC Ajax is the most successful football club in the Netherlands having won 35 Eredivisie titles and 20 KNVB Cups. According to the current rankings by Forbes, the club is also the most valuable and the richest in the Netherlands.
With approximately 7 million supporters, Ajax boasts having the most fans in the Netherlands and is one of the clubs with the most fans across Europe.
Founded in 1900, Ajax was the 7th most successful football club in Europe in the 20th century. They last won the Champions League in 1995 and have lifted the trophy 4 times. Ajax was the World’s Club Team of the Year in 1992.
19. Leicester City
| Value | $455 million |
| Country | England |
| Owner | The King Power International Group |
| Revenue | $189 million |
| Operating income | $ -49 million |
| Debt | $77.35 million |
| Nickname(s) | The Foxes |
Leicester City is one of the richest football clubs in the world with a value of $455 million. It’s the 9th most valuable club in England. The Foxes, who call the 32,000 capacity King Power Stadium home have won the premier league once, in the 2015-2016 Premier League season. They are one of 7 clubs to have won the title since its inception in 1992.
In March 2017, Leicester City became the 50th football club to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
18. West Ham United
| Value | $508 million |
| Country | England |
| Owner | David Sullivan, Daniel Kretinsky, David Gold, Albert ‘Tripp’ Smith |
| Revenue | $175 million |
| Operating income | $ -24 million |
| Debt | $91.44 million (18% of value) |
| Nickname(s) | The Hammers, The Cockney Boys, The Irons |
Founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks and later as West Ham United in 1900, the club is the 8th most valuable football team in England.
The Hammers have not won a premier league trophy so far and have never competed in the Champions League. They have however won the FA Cup 3 times in 1964, 1975, and 1980. West Ham is one of 8 teams in England that have never been relegated below the Championship.
Also Read: The only 7 teams that have won the English Premier League
17. Roma
| Value | $548 million |
| Country | Italy |
| Owner | The Friedkin Group |
| Revenue | $156 million |
| Operating income | $ -108 million |
| Debt | $306.88 million |
| Nickname(s) | Little Cubs, The Magic One, The Yellow and Reds, The She-Wolf |
They are the 6th most successful football club in Italy having won the Serie A title thrice, in 1942, 1983, and 2001. Roma is the 4th most valuable club in Italy and is one of the 20 richest football clubs in the world.
The Little Cubs play their home matches at the Stadio Olimpico stadium which they share with rivals Lazio. With a capacity of 70,000, Stadio Olimpico is the 2nd largest stadium in Italy after San Siro (AC Milan and Inter Milan) which has a capacity of 80,000.
16. AC Milan
| Value | $559 million |
| Country | Italy |
| Owner | Elliott Management Corporation |
| Revenue | $165 million |
| Operating income | $ -92 million |
| Debt | $22.36 million |
| Nickname(s) | The Red and Blacks, The Devil |
Milan has played 88 seasons in the Serie A since the league began in 1929. It has only been relegated twice, in the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons. It’s also the 3rd most successful football club in Italy having won a total of 15 Serie A titles. They last won the Serie A title in the 2010-11 season.
The club was founded in 1899 and is the 3rd richest football club in Italy after Juventus and Inter Milan.
15. Everton
| Value | $658 million |
| Country | England |
| Owner | Farhad Moshiri |
| Revenue | $235 million |
| Operating income | $ 15 million |
| Debt | 0 |
| Nickname(s) | The Toffees, The People’s Club, The School of Science, The Blues |
Everton is the seventh-most valuable football club in England with a valuation of $658 million. The club has won 9 league titles (the last one being in 1986-87 season), 5 FA Cups (the most recent one being in 1995), one European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1985, and 9 Community Shields, the most recent one being in 1995.
Everton last qualified for the Champions League in 2005 after finishing 4th in the premier league.
14. Inter Milan
| Value | $743 million |
| Country | Italy |
| Owner | Suning Holdings Group, LionRock Capital |
| Revenue | $323 million |
| Operating income | $ 13 million |
| Debt | $59.44 million |
| Nickname(s) | The Black and Blues, The Well-Cherished One, The Big Brass Snake |
With a current valuation of $743 million, Inter Milan features at #14 on the list of the richest football clubs in the world. It’s also the 2nd wealthiest club in Italy after Juventus.
The club has won 17 Serie A titles and is the 2nd most successful club in Italy, again after Juventus. Inter has always competed in Serie A since its inception in 1909 and is the only Italian club to never have been relegated from this top league in the country.
13. Atletico Madrid
| Value | $1 billion |
| Country | Spain |
| Owner | Atletico HoldCo, Idan Ofer |
| Revenue | $368 million |
| Operating income | $ 62 million |
| Debt | $260 million |
| Nickname(s) | Mattress Makers, Indians |
It’s the 3rd most valuable and third most successful football club in Spain after Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Atletico Madrid owns Atletico Ottawa (a football club in Canada) and Atletico San Luis (a football club in Mexico).
The club plays its home matches at the 68,000 capacity Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. It has won the La Liga title 11 times, including in the 2020-21 season. Atletico Madrid has never won the Champions League.
12. Borussia Dortmund
| Value | $1.9 Billion |
| Country | Germany |
| Owner | Club Members |
| Revenue | $405 million |
| Operating income | $ 15 million |
| Debt | 0 |
| Nickname(s) | The Black and Yellows, The BVB |
With 5 Bundesliga titles, Borussia Dortmund is the 2nd most successful football club in Germany. It’s also the second wealthiest club in Germany and one of the richest football clubs in the world with a value of $1.9 billion.
The Black and Yellows last won the Bundesliga title in the 2011-12 season. They have lifted the Champions League trophy only once, in 1997, and won the Intercontinental Cup the same year. They have also won the DFB-Pokal 5 times including in the 2020-21 season.
11. Juventus
| Value | $1.95 Billion |
| Country | Italy |
| Owner | Agnelli Family |
| Revenue | $441 million |
| Operating income | $ -14 million |
| Debt | $312 million |
| Nickname(s) | The Old Lady, The Black and Whites, The Zebras, The Killer Lady, The Girlfriend of Italy |
According to the current rankings by Forbes, “The Old Lady” is Italy’s richest football club. With 36 Serie A titles, the club is the most successful soccer team in the country followed by Inter Milan with 17.
Juventus was founded in 1897 as Sport-Club Juventus by a group of students from Turin. The club with over 12 million fans in Italy, is the most supported football team in the country. This represents about 30% of the total number of football fans in Italy. Globally, Juventus has about 300 million fans which makes it one of the clubs with the most supporters.
10. Tottenham Hotspur
| Value | $2.3 Billion |
| Country | England |
| Owner | ENIC International Ltd |
| Revenue | $494 million |
| Operating income | $ 134 million |
| Debt | $897 million (39% of its value) |
| Nickname(s) | The Lilywhites |
Valued at $2.3 billion, Tottenham Hotspur is the 6th most valuable soccer team in England and one of the richest football clubs in the world.
The Lilywhites have won 2 Europa League titles, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 8 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and are 7-time FA Community Shield winners.
The club is owned by ENIC Group which bought the sports team from Alan Sugar, a British business mogul in 2001.
9. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
| Value | $2.5 Billion |
| Country | France |
| Owner | Qatar Sports Investments |
| Revenue | $599 million |
| Operating income | $ -5 million |
| Debt | 0 |
| Nickname(s) | The Red and Blues, The Parisians |
PSG was founded in 1970 after the merger of Stade Saint-Germain and Paris FC. The club has the 7th highest revenues among football clubs and is the most valuable team in France.
PSG is owned by Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the monarch and the head of the state of Qatar through Qatar Sports Investments, a state-run shareholding company. This means that the club is owned by the state of Qatar, a reason why it’s very rich. Tamim bought the team in 2011 from DigitalBridge Group and reportedly paid $100 million according to Forbes.
Since 2011, PSG has spent more than $1.4 billion on player transfers, with the most notable one being the signing of Neymar from Barcelona for a world-record transfer fee of 222 million euros in 2017.
The club is yet to lift the prestigious Champions League trophy.
Also read: The 50 Most Expensive Football Transfers of All Time
8. Arsenal
| Value | $2.8 Billion |
| Country | England |
| Owner | Kroenke Sports & Entertainment |
| Revenue | $430 million |
| Operating income | $ 47 million |
| Debt | $196 million |
| Nickname(s) | The Gunners, The Arsenal |
Worth about $2.8 billion, Arsenal is the 5th wealthiest club in England and one of the richest football clubs in the world.
Arsenal is owned by Stan Kroenke, an American billionaire businessman. He bought the team in 2011 for $1.1 billion. Kroenke also owns the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL among other sports teams.
Arsenal holds the record for the most FA Cup titles with a total of 14 the most recent one being in 2020. From 1998 to 2017, the Gunners qualified for the Champions League for 19 consecutive seasons.
7. Chelsea
| Value | $3.2 Billion |
| Country | England |
| Owner | Roman Abramovich |
| Revenue | $520 million |
| Operating income | $ 35 million |
| Debt | 0 |
| Nickname(s) | The Blues |
Chelsea is one of the most successful football clubs in England. It has won 2 UEFA Champions League trophies, 2 EUFA Europa League titles, 2 EUFA Super Cups, and one FIFA Club World Cup. Domestically, the club has won 6 premier league titles, 8 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, and 4 Community Shield trophies.
Roman Abramovich who’s a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, bought Chelsea in 2003 from Ken Bates for $233 million.
Chelsea is the fourth-most valuable football club in England.
6. Manchester City
| Value | $4 Billion |
| Country | England |
| Revenue | $609 million |
| Operating income | $ -2 million |
| Debt | 0 |
| Owner | City Football Group |
| Nickname(s) | Cityzens, The Citizens, The Sky Blues, City |
It’s one of the richest football clubs in the world and the 3rd most valuable team in England. The Citizens have won the premier league 7 times so far. In the 2017-18 season the club won the premier league title with 100 points and became the only premier league team to reach 100 points in a single season.
The team has also won 6 FA Cups, 8 League Cups, and 6 Community Shield trophies. In 2020-21, City reached the UEFA Champions League final for the first time. They however lost 1-0 to Chelsea.
5. Liverpool
| Value | $4.1 Billion |
| Country | England |
| Owner | Fenway Sports Group |
| Revenue | $619 million |
| Operating income | $ 62 million |
| Debt | $82 million |
| Nickname(s) | The Reds |
The Reds are with no doubt the most successful football club in the history of English football, a joint-record together with Manchester United. Both teams have won a total of 66 trophies each. Liverpool has won the UEFA Champions League 6 times and is the 4th most successful club in the competition.
The Reds also boast 4 UEFA Super Cups, 3 UEFA Europa League titles, one FIFA Club World Cup title as well as 19 League titles. Since the inception of the premier league in 1992, the club has won the title once, in the 2019-20 season.
4. Manchester United
| Value | $4.2 Billion |
| Country | England |
| Owner | Malcolm Glazer family |
| Revenue | $643 million |
| Operating income | $ 167 million |
| Debt | $672 million |
| Nickname(s) | The Red Devils |
Fourth on the list is Manchester United, the most valuable, and the most successful football club in England. With revenues of more than $600 million, the club is one of the world’s most profitable football clubs.
The Glazer family owns the club which was bought by Malcolm Glazer in 2005 for a reported $1.4 billion according to Forbes.
With a total of 13 titles, United holds the record of the most premier league title wins followed by Chelsea and Manchester City who have 5 titles each.
3. Bayern Munich
| Value | $4.215 Billion |
| Country | Germany |
| Owner | Club members |
| Revenue | $703 million |
| Operating income | $ 49 million |
| Debt | 0 |
| Nickname(s) | The Reds, Star of the South, The FCB, The Bavarians |
Founded in 1900, Bayern Munich is the most successful football team in the history of German football. It has won the Bundesliga title 30 times followed by Borussia Dortmund with a total of 5 titles.
The Bavarians are one of only 5 football clubs (including Juventus, Ajax, Chelsea, and Manchester United) to win all three main UEFA competitions (the Champions League, the Europa League, and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup). It’s the only German soccer team to do so.
2. Real Madrid
| Value | $4.75 Billion |
| Country | Spain |
| Owner | Club members |
| Revenue | $790 million |
| Operating income | $ 92 million |
| Debt | $285 million |
| Nickname(s) | Los Blancos (The Whites), The Vikings, The White House |
Real Madrid is the 2nd most profitable football club in the world after Barcelona. Since its founding in 1902, the club’s members (socios) have always owned and managed the club. With a total of 13 Champions League trophies and 34 La Liga titles, The Los Blancos are Spain’s most successful football team.
Real Madrid is one of the richest football clubs in the world right now.
1. Barcelona
| Value | $4.76 Billion |
| Country | Spain |
| Owner | Club members |
| Revenue | $792 million |
| Operating income | $62 million |
| Debt | $285.6 million |
| Nickname(s) | Team, Supporters |
Barcelona is the most profitable, and the most valuable football team in the world. It’s one of 3 Spanish clubs (alongside Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid) that have never been relegated from La Liga since its inception in 1929. The club is owned and operated by its members.
According to Wikipedia, 26% of Spanish football fans are Barcelona supporters. In Europe, many football fans support Barcelona as their second favorite club.
The club has won a total of 26 La Liga titles coming in second after Real Madrid which has won 34 titles.
