Manchester United fall to their lowest position in Deloitte Football Money League
The Red Devils were once regarded as the blueprint for commercial success in football and have topped the Money League in 10 of its 29 editions, most recently in 2017.
LONDON - Manchester United have dropped to their lowest-ever position in the Deloitte Football Money League, while Liverpool have become the highest-earning English club for the first time, reported PA Media/dpa.
The Red Devils were once regarded as the blueprint for commercial success in football and have topped the Money League in 10 of its 29 editions, most recently in 2017.
However, United are down in eighth in the 2026 table, in part due to broadcast revenue dropping from €258 million (US$301 million) to €206 million (US$241 million) because of their absence from the Champions League in 2024-25.
The club are set to generate even less matchday revenue in the current season due to their total absence from European competition, and their failure to go past the first hurdle in either domestic cup means they will play only 20 competitive fixtures at Old Trafford in 2025-26.
Tim Bridge, the Sports Business Group Leader at Deloitte, told the Press Association: "Clubs with the biggest brands and strongest market positions have an opportunity to broaden their reach - offering more to fans on matchdays and non-matchdays - and to become a more consistent, 365-days-a-year touchpoint.”
"United are probably only just starting that journey now, because of the reported stadium development."
"If you went back 10 or 15 years, and you looked at Manchester United's matchday revenue, it was the industry leader. If you looked at their ability to generate commercial revenue, it was the benchmark by which everybody then went to market and set their strategy. I don't think that remains the case."
"The opportunity remains for Manchester United. They are arguably still the biggest global football club brand, and therefore, they have the opportunity to maximise that in a way that is only possible for a select few."
"But to do that requires fit-for-purpose facilities. As the industry evolves, clubs should ask themselves whether there is a need to rethink how they engage with fans and how that relationship works."
"With reports of the new stadium, it is clear they have started to do some of that, so it's very clear they're thinking in that way. Their timing of making that change is behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, but the opportunity remains."
United are the fourth-highest English club in the 2026 Money League, behind Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, while Real Madrid top the rankings after becoming the first team to generate more than one billion euros in revenue - €1.161 billion (US$1.36 billion).
Liverpool sit fifth after their return to the Champions League in 2024-25, and a seven per cent increase in commercial revenue from non-matchday events at Anfield.
For the first time, no English club features in the Money League top four, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain all benefiting from deep runs in the newly expanded Champions League and the enlarged FIFA Club World Cup over the summer.
Deloitte reported that participation in the Club World Cup led to an average 17 per cent increase in broadcast revenues for the 10 Money League clubs involved.
Premier League clubs can expect to perform better overall in the 2027 Money League, the first edition to reflect the new broadcast deal running until 2029. However, Bridge noted that the top-performing clubs will remain those that combine on-field success with diversified revenue streams off the pitch.
"The trick to staying in the top five is maintaining both of those. It used to be that you only had to maintain one. Now, in 2026, we’re at a point where the highest-revenue-generating clubs are probably broader than football,” he said.
Manchester City’s sixth place was their lowest since the Covid-19-impacted 2019-20 season.
In total, nine Premier League clubs made it into the Money League top 20, including Tottenham (ninth), Chelsea (10th), Aston Villa (14th), Newcastle (17th), and West Ham (20th).
The Deloitte Football Money League is an annual ranking published by Deloitte that lists the world’s highest-ranking football clubs, based on the revenue they generate in a single season. - BERNAMA-PA Media/dpa
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