The World Cup is set to kick off soon in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.A. Key ranking highlights show how lucrative soccer has become.
How much money can be made from soccer?
“An endless amount” is probably the correct answer. A billion-dollar market has emerged around the sport, as developments in Europe illustrate.
Top clubs generate 12 billion
The 2024/25 season set another record, with the top 20 Money League clubs generating over 12 billion euros in revenue for the first time.
This was recently explained by the consulting firm Deloitte in its latest study, “Football Money League,” which has garnered significant global attention.
The cumulative revenue of the Money League clubs rose by 11 percent to 12.4 billion euros within 12 months, according to figures encompassing ticket sales, fan merchandise, stadium marketing, sponsorships, broadcasting rights, and more.
This does not even take into account those many local soccer clubs with their ticket sales and merchandising.
Add to that all of the soccer betting revenue from Swisslos and Loterie Romande etc.
Many clubs generate billions
After Real Madrid became the first soccer club to generate 1 billion euros in revenue during the 2023/24 season, the top Spanish club broke that record once again.
In the 2024/25 season, the Madrid club, as the world’s highest-revenue club, generated nearly 1.2 billion euros in revenue.
Real Madrid generated nearly 600 million euros in commercial revenue alone through increased merchandising and sponsorship, according to Deloitte’s calculations.
For the first time since the 2019/20 season, FC Barcelona returned to the Money League podium in second place.
The spanish club generates nearly a billion euros in revenue at 975 million euros.
It was reported that a key driver of this growth was the introduction of Personal Seat License Arrangements. This brought a one-time injection of 70 million euros into FC Barcelona’s coffers.
Kicking goals with Air Jordan
Bayern Munich generated 861 million euros and rounded out the top three.
Paris Saint-Germain, in fourth place, generated 837 million euros. Backed by the Emirate of Qatar the french club focused primarily on advancing commercial partnerships with international brands such as Air Jordan.
For the first time in the history of the Money League, Liverpool made the list, coming in at No. 5, buoyed by a 34 percent increase in revenue from broadcasting rights which pushed total revenue to 836 million euros.
And so it goes on and on. The soccer business is constantly being presented with new marketing ideas.
Player Well-being Under Strain
The number of match days increased on average from 51 to 57 last season. This is taking a heavy toll on player well-being.
The expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 48 teams for the first time is also likely to place significant demands on the players.
But that is precisely why the world soccer governing body wanted it … more money.
Stagnating Top Salaries
While players’ salaries often rise to astronomical heights, they do not grow infinitely.
At Real Madrid, revenue rose sharply. But the ratio of wages to revenue stood at 44 percent, and for the runner-up, it was as high as 54 percent of revenue.
The Trump Factor for Uncertainty
Whether the World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. will turn out to be a billion-dollar success depends to a large extent on U.S. President Donald Trump.
He generates so much antipathy worldwide that many soccer fans have little desire to watch the World Cup or travel to U.S. stadiums.
This is likely to soon reflect in the coffers of FIFA and the soccer clubs.
04/03/2026/kut./ena.
