- The 20 largest European clubs generated a total turnover of more than 11 billion euros in 2024.
- Real Madrid is the first club with a turnover of more than one billion euros.
- Commercial and sponsorship are the main sources of income.
It wasn’t long ago that Football stadiums in Europe were empty. During the Corona period, a number of games had to be canceled. Now the big football clubs have recovered and money is flowing like never before. In the last football season, the 20 largest clubs in Europe generated sales of 11.2 billion euros, six percent more than in the previous year. This is shown by a study published by the consulting firm Deloitte.
Commerce and sponsorship
The fact that the largest European football clubs are generating more income is mainly due to their commercial business, which is becoming increasingly important. Football is no longer just a sport, but also a business. The clubs are looking for new sources of income and concluding lucrative contracts – for example in sponsorship, advertising and also the sale of fan articles.
We also succeeded in attracting 23/24 additional spectators to the stadiums last season. These revenues have climbed above the two billion euro mark for the first time. The clubs have increased the capacity in the stadiums and tickets have become more expensive.
Full football stadiums fill the coffers of the big European clubs.
Keystone/Christopher Neundorf
Broadcasting rights, in turn, are stagnating. This has to do with the fact that the clubs have concluded long-term contracts with the media companies that run until at least 2027.
Real Madrid is the biggest club
In terms of sales, Real Madrid is the largest club in Europe. For the first time, a club has generated more than a billion euros in sales in one year. There are six clubs from Great Britain among the ten largest clubs.
In the business of European football, not only are revenues increasing, but expenses are also huge, for example for player transfers and salaries. This is also evident at the biggest club, Real Madrid. The Spanish club is generating more revenue than ever before, but the bottom line is only a meager profit of 16 million euros.
-Swiss clubs far behind
In terms of revenue, Swiss football clubs cannot keep up with the titans from Europe. The most successful Swiss club in recent years is YB – the Young Boys achieved sales of 104 million francs in 2023. The most important source of income for YB are the broadcasting rights, followed by admissions and only then come the income from sponsorship and commercial activities.
Won the cup and therefore the big money. Real Madrid in June 2024.
Keystone/Frank Augstein
FC Basel, on the other hand, achieved sales of 132 million francs in its best times. That was in 2016 when the club celebrated great success in the Champions League. Since then, sales have collapsed.
Despite growth, women’s football is a niche
While sales are booming in European men’s football, things are looking meager in women’s football. The two most successful women’s football clubs are FC Barcelona Femeni and Arsenal Women – with revenues of almost 18 million euros each.
The other clubs with the highest turnover are Chelsea Women, Manchester United Women and Real Madrid Femenino, with revenues of just over 10 million euros each. The European Championship in Switzerland could provide some impetus for women’s football; the Women’s European Championship begins on July 2nd.
