Manchester United last won the Premier League title in 2012/13. And they haven’t hoisted the Champions League trophy since 2008. The Red Devils are a club in terminal decline on the pitch, but off it they continue to thrive in a commercial sense.
And, despite not getting their hands on a major trophy in more than a decade, they remain the most valuable club in the English Premier League… and the second most valuable on the planet. Whether Ruben Amorim sees out 2026 as Manchester United boss remains to be seen, but one thing that is for sure is that the Old Trafford club – irrespective of their league position – will continue to top the table as far as their global commercial appeal is concerned.
Who Is the Premier League’s Most Valuable Club?
Media outlet The Athletic has run the numbers, combing through financial reports, estimates from industry experts and other analysis – such as the Forbes Football Rich List – to come up with a new set of standings for 2026.
These commercial estimates include income from sponsorships and corporate partnerships, ticket sales, merchandising, TV broadcast deals and other such revenue streams. And the conclusions are, erm, conclusive: Manchester United are British football’s most valuable club.
#1 – Manchester United (£4.4 billion)
With a guide valuation of between £4.2 billion and £4.6 billion, no other EPL club can lay a glove on Manchester United when it comes to commercial success. When Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a healthy 29% ownership stake in the club back in 2024, he paid around £26 per share – that creates a valuation of around £4.3 billion.
Much of Manchester United’s commercial appeal is historic; a legacy of the days in which they were the biggest and best football club in England during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign in charge. Those heady days saw the Red Devils accumulate a mammoth global fanbase, much of which remains intact to this day – delivering consistent annual gains in terms of merchandise revenue and global partnerships with businesses that want to be connected with the club.
It’s testament to their success in the 1990s and 2000s that Manchester United, who are now something of a meme club given their various calamities in recent years, remain the most commercially viable entity in the Premier League.
#2 – Manchester City (£4.2 billion)
Mind you, the gap is closing. Manchester City are a growing force commercially, although you wonder how much of that is due to the fact that they are powered by an entire nation state thanks to their Abu Dhabi ownership.
In 2019, the City Football Group – something of a holding company for the football club – sold a 10% ownership share to investment group Silver Lake. Based upon the price they paid, Manchester City was valued at £3.7 billion then… factoring in other successes since and inflation, a valuation of around £4.2 billion has been noted.
Even with regulatory headwinds, such as the never-ending 115 charges saga, Manchester City continue to be a commercial success. But they, like many sports teams owned by Middle Eastern interests, will be hoping that interest isn’t lost and the money faucet turned off in 2026 and beyond.
#3 – Liverpool (£4.1 billion)
Liverpool’s stellar 2024/25 season, in which they cantered to the Premier League titles, has only served to solidify their status as one of British football’s most valuable assets. They remain well-supported around the globe, while money-spinning commercial deals – like the £60 million a season agreement penned with Adidas in 2025 – continue to bolster their bank balance.
The financial strength of their owners, Fenway Sports Group, is also a helping hand. While cash-rich in their own right through the likes of John W. Henry, Fenway have welcomed further investment from the likes of RedBird Capital, Dynasty Equity and even NBA icon LeBron James.
Although the 2025/26 campaign has been less of a success from a footballing perspective, Liverpool can follow in the footsteps of their bitter rivals Manchester United – that is, enjoying commercial growth even as performances on the pitch regress.
So the two Manchester clubs and Liverpool are the most commercially successful entities in the Premier League, with Arsenal (£3.3 billion), Tottenham (£3.1 billion) and Chelsea (£2.6 billion) considered to be the next most viable.
Who Is the Most Valuable Football Club In the World?
While these Premier League clubs are a formidable presence on the football rich list, they can’t yet hold a candle to the most commercially successful outfit in the beautiful game.
Real Madrid
That honour is bestowed upon Real Madrid, who became the first £5 billion rated football club on the planet in 2025. The Galacticos accrue more revenue than any other side, topping out at more than €1 billion (£870 million) during the 2023/24 season.
Sponsorship deals, merchandising and expansion to the Bernabeu Stadium were cited as just some of the reasons for Real Madrid’s successes, allied to the fact that they are a football club boasting a considerable fanbase on every continent.
The financial strength of Real Madrid is made all the more remarkable by the fact that there are no cash-rich oil barons or American investment conglomerates on the board of directors. This is a fan-owned club, so all spending is an outcome of revenue generated externally. Is this model more sustainable in the long run than leaning on the purse strings of traditional investors and owners?
Manchester Clubs, Liverpool and Barcelona
The two Manchester clubs and Liverpool slot in behind Real Madrid in terms of the global football rich list league table, while Barcelona – ranking in third or fourth, depending on whose data you use – are also a considerable commercial force, despite all of the shenanigans they have faced financially in recent years.
According to Forbes, six of the ten most valuable football clubs on the planet are from the Premier League, with La Liga duo Real and Barca joining them.
Bayern Munich & PSG
That top ten is rounded out by Bayern Munich (£3.8 billion) and PSG (£3.4 billion), respectively.
