From traditional superpowers to a new generation of top clubs. Football clubs all compete for the emotion of supporters. Football, like most sports, is as much about the fans as it is about what happens on the pitch. Football’s business relies heavily on support from the stands in the form of ticket sales and more recently from the retail market, selling merchandise such as replica shirts.
Successful clubs are usually the best supported, but history and cultural meanings play a big role, so success doesn’t immediately translate into support. However, it does help.
Which clubs have the most fans?
Real Madrid and Barcelona were according Forbes the two most valuable football clubs in the world in 2020, each valued at more than €3.7 billion. Manchester United was not far behind with €3.5 billion, while Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Chelsea rounded out the top five.
It’s almost impossible to get an exact number of fans for each club, but by looking at things like shirt sales, stadium size and social media following, you can get a rough idea of popularity .
Which football clubs have the most followers on social media?
Real and Barça are the football clubs with the most social media followers across all major channels, with no other team even close to their Clásico rivals. United, a club that only had an official Twitter account in April 2012 (three years after Liverpool), are the second most popular club online, but they are well behind Real and Barça.
Juventus follows the Red Devils a long way off, no doubt courtesy of the Cristiano Ronaldo effect, with just over 100 million followers. Chelsea and Liverpool are next, where the Bluesperhaps surprisingly, have a small lead over the six-time Champions League winner.
Despite their relatively new status among football’s traditional top clubs, Paris Saint-Germain’s online presence is significant, with just under 100 million followers. The French powerhouse has a social media influence comparable to that of Bayern and greater than that of Arsenal and City.
Seven-time Champions League winner AC Milan has to make do with a place outside the top ten, with just over 40 million followers. Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and Brazilian powerhouse Flamengo have between 37 and 38 million followers.
Which football clubs have the largest stadiums?
It is probably not wise to judge a club’s global popularity by its stadium size alone. While Barça and Real are in the top ten in terms of stadium capacity, clubs such as United, Liverpool, Juventus and Bayern are all conspicuous by their absence.
South Africa’s Kaiser Chiefs and Mexico’s Club America are undoubtedly the biggest clubs in their respective countries, but their appeal doesn’t extend beyond their borders in the same way other clubs do. ATK Mohun Bagan may be able to seat more fans at Salt Lake Stadium than United at Old Trafford, but they aren’t nearly as well supported.
Indeed, only two of the top ten most followed clubs online – Real and Barça – are on the list of clubs with the largest stadiums.
Which football clubs sell the most shirts?
The most popular football shirts vary from country to country, so Flamengo shirts might sell well in Brazil or Aston Villa shirts might do well in parts of England but not so well outside those countries. However, there are some clear winners when it comes to selling football shirts worldwide, with millions being made every year.
Barça, Real, United and Liverpool regularly feature in best-selling shirt lists, as do Arsenal, Chelsea, PSG and Juventus. According to planet football The Liverpool home shirt was the best selling football shirt on Amazon in the 2019/20 season, while United, City and Arsenal’s home and away shirts were all in the top ten.
However, when it comes to the US market alone, Real and Barça shirts are much more sought after than the Premier League clubs and a number of Mexican teams are also proving to be popular.
Which football teams have the most fans?
Real and Barça seem to have the most fans worldwide, with United – once the undisputed number one in the world – a close third behind the Clásico giants.
Not only do the aforementioned trio top the charts when it comes to social media followers, they also have some of the largest football stadiums in the world and sell the most shirts in almost all markets.
Their appeal is truly global and that is reflected in their value. In fact, they are the only football clubs in the top ten Forbes’ most valuable sports teams in the world. Liverpool, Juventus and Bayern belong to a generation of traditional powerhouses that lag behind the top three, while the new generation like Chelsea and Manchester City can also count on significant support.