WORLD'S 50 MOST VALUABLE FOOTBALL CLUBS IN 2024

Prices in football tend to fluctuate, whether that be the price of the new home shirt in the club megastore or a certain players’ valuation – but one thing that doesn’t tend to go either up and down significantly is the price of a football club as an entity. But who, in world football, has the highest value as a club? Is it one of the English top flight sides that take the crown, or will it be either of Spain’s top dogs – most notably Real Madrid or Barcelona – who come out on top?

With the help of using figures compiled by Sportico, the beautiful game’s 50 most valuable clubs have been ranked from 50th to 1st. Sportico calculates a club’s revenue stream based on figures published in their annual accounts, with revenue broken down into three separate categories: broadcast, commercial and matchday. Let’s get into the numbers.

50-41

Aston Villa 44th, Eintracht Frankfurt 46th

Let’s start at 50, shall we? Major League Soccer duo Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes are the first two clubs on the list with respective valuations of £440.10m and £448.10m – and they are closely followed by Liga MX’s Monterrey (£452.10m) and Brazilian side Flamengo, who are valued at £456.10m.

The first side from Europe’s top five leagues to be included are 2022/23 Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt. The German side is the 46th-most valuable football club and would’ve been boosted by their aforementioned triumph.

Serie A’s Atalanta and RB Leipzig of the Bundesliga follow as football’s 45th and 43rd most valuable clubs with respective valuations of £476.11m and £488.11m, all while the high-flying Aston Villa, who looked poised to secure Champions League football for next term under Unai Emery's tutelage, are sandwiched inbetween the previous duo at £480.11m.

Rounding the first section off similarly to how it began, MLS duo NY Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City are two of the division’s 20 listed teams that are included in Sportico’s list – one each side of the £500m-mark. The former are valued at £492.11m, while the latter’s valuation stands at £504.11m.

40-31

Six MLS outfits feature

From the 10 teams in this section, a total of six of them ply their trade in the MLS. Nashville FC – valued at £508.11m – kick off proceedings but are sharply followed by Minnesota United and FC Cincinnati, whose respective valuations are separated by a mere £4m.

Columbus Crew (£520.11m) and Charlotte FC (£524.11m) then follow before 35th-ranked Benfica, who won their domestic league last campaign. Philadelphia Union are the sixth and final MLS side to feature in this category and boast a valuation of £548.12m.

The second outfit from Italy to feature are Napoli, whose finances would have been given a boost after their 33-year wait to be crowned champions came to an end last term. Currently valued at £552.12m, the Naples-based side are pipped to the post by the Premier League’s Newcastle United.

The Saudi-backed Magpies, whose resurgence back into Europe has not gone unnoticed, are also the second team from their division to feature with them valued at a healthy £560.12m. Valued at £6 million more and ranked at 31st is Guadalajara (£568.12m).

30-21

AS Roma above Ajax and West Ham

The plethora of high-valued MLS teams does not dwindle as Portland Timber, valued at £572.12m, is 30th, while DC United (£576.12m) and Toronto FC (£580.12m) are 29th and 28th, respectively.

The first non-MLS side of this category is east London-based outfit West Ham United, whose value is the same as Toronto FC. West Ham, who are regular fixtures in the Premier League, were victorious in last term’s rendition of the Europa Conference League and their accounts would have seen a sizeable boost for the continental exploits.

Eredivisie’s Ajax, the most recognisable team from the Netherlands, are valued ever so slightly higher than West Ham at £592.13m but are worth less than £600.13m-worth Club America, who play their football in Liga MX. Roma, Lyon and MLS duo Seattle Sounders and Austin FC round off the category.

20-11

Inter and AC Milan separated by 110m

Half of the teams in this category ply their trade in the MLS – and, at first glance, that may be surprising. However, MLS clubs are boosted by factors such as “cost controls, modern stadiums and a single-entity structure that fosters ownership collaboration”. New York City FC (£672.14m) and LA Galaxy (£800m) kick off this section but are quickly followed by Inter Miami, whose £820m can be largely attributed to Lionel Messi’s arrival.

The pair from the Italian capital, AC and Inter Milan, despite sharing the same city, have their differences in valuation. On this occasion, the bragging rights go to AC Milan – valued at £960m – despite their blue counterparts reaching the Champions League semi-final last season.

Based on Sportico’s MLS team valuations from January, 15th-ranked Los Angeles FC, who are sandwiched between the Milan duo, is the highest-valued club among those residing in the United States – with them being valued at £920m. Atletico Madrid (£1.30bn), Borussia Dortmund (£1.31bn), a side who recently reached the final of the 2023/24 Champions League, and Juventus (£1.42bn) are the trident of European behemoths that round off the section overseeing the 20-11.

10-1

Includes six clubs from the Premier League

Starting off with Premier League trio Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur – who will be financially boosted by potential Champions League qualification – and Arsenal, who are ranked 10th, 9th and 8th, respectively, a clear pattern begins to emerge. Unsurprisingly, the top 10 is largely controlled by teams who reside in the English top flight.

Next up in seventh are Qatar-owned French outfit Paris Saint-Germain, whose main revenue comes thanks to them being perennial winners of Ligue 1. Current holders of the Premier League and Champions League, Manchester City, are valued slightly higher than PSG at £3.80bn and are only poised to become more valuable as they continue to add more silverware to their well-stacked cabinet.

Far and away as the Bundesliga’s best-valued club is, by no surprise, Bayern Munich. Despite not retaining their status as German champions this season, the magnitude of the Bavarians stands them in good stead in this list – stationed in 5th at £3.84bn.

Liverpool are ranked fourth with a valuation of £4.09bn but are still worth less than Barcelona and Real Madrid, two of the world’s most recognised sides. Los Blancos (£4.85bn) take second spot while the Catalan outfit will have to settle for third with a value of £4.22bn.

It is, however, 13-time Premier League champions, Manchester United, who are currently crowned as the most valuable asset in the world of football at a staggering £4.96bn. Despite the Red Devils’ on-the-pitch struggles, they are so commercially robust that they’ll always be nearing the summit of these lists.

2024-05-09T06:46:20Z dg43tfdfdgfd