Steady as she goes: For the second consecutive year, New York City FC is the 20th most valuable football club in the world according to Sportico.
This comes after the sports publication valued NYCFC at $1 billion earlier this year. It’s significantly more than the $875 million valuation made by Forbes in February.
NYCFC is one of 19 clubs from Major League Soccer to make Sportico’s Top 50. That’s down from the 20 that made the cut last year — St Louis City debuts this year at #42, but San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo both dropped off the list.
Here are 5 takeaways.
1. MLS dominates the list…
Even if MLS representation in the Top 50 slipped to 19 clubs, it’s still the most of any football league in the world.
MLS is followed by the English Premier League (14), Italy’s Serie A (5), Germany’s Bundesliga (3), and Spain’s La Liga (3). France’s Ligue 1 (2), Mexico’s Liga MX (2), Holland’s Eredivisie (1), and Portugal’s Primeira Liga (1) round out the Top 50. No clubs from Argentina or Brazil made the list.
Sportico | World’s 50 Most Valuable Soccer Clubs 2025
| Rank | Club | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Real Madrid | $6.53 billion | +$470 million |
| 2. | Manchester United | $6.09 billion | -$110 million |
| 3. | FC Barcelona | $5.71 billion | +$430 million |
| 4. | Liverpool | $5.59 billion | +$480 million |
| 5. | Bayern Munich | $5.21 billion | +$421 million |
| 6. | Manchester City | $5.16 billion | +$410 million |
| 7. | Arsenal | $4.49 billion | +$580 million |
| 8. | Paris Saint-Germain | $4.26 billion | +$210 million |
| 9. | Tottenham Hotspur | $3.68 billion | +$230 million |
| 10. | Chelsea | $3.57 billion | -$100 million |
| 11. | Atletico de Madrid | $1.85 billion | +$230 million |
| 12. | Borussia Dortmund | $1.83 billion | +$190 million |
| 13. | Juventus | $1.81 billion | +$40 million |
| 14. | AC Milan | $1.34 billion | +$140 million |
| 15. | Inter milan | $1.30 billion | +$240 million |
| 16. | LAFC | $1.28 billion | +$130 million |
| 17. | Inter Miami | $1.19 billion | +$170 million |
| 18. | LA Galaxy | $1.11 billion | +$110 million |
| 19. | Atlanta United | $1.08 billion | +$30 million |
| 20. | New York City FC | $1.00 billion | +$160 million |
| 21. | West Ham United | $940 million | +$215 million |
| 22. | Newcastle United | $930 million | +$230 million |
| 23. | Austin FC | $865 million | +$65 million |
| 24. | Aston Villa | $850 million | +$250 million |
| 25. | Seattle Sounders | $825 million | +$30 million |
| 26. | Everton | $825 million | New |
| 27. | Napoli | $775 million | +$105 million |
| 28. | Club América | $770 million | +$20 million |
| 29. | Olympique Lyonnais | $750 million | +$30 million |
| 30. | AS Roma | $750 million | -$20 million |
| 31. | Brighton & Hove | $750 million | New |
| 32. | Guadalajara | $730 million | +$20 million |
| 33. | Columbus Crew | $730 million | +$80 million |
| 34. | Toronto FC | $725 million | No Change |
| 35. | FC Cincinnati | $725 million | +$80 million |
| 36. | DC United | $720 million | No Change |
| 37. | Portland Timbers | $720 million | +$5 million |
| 38. | AFC Ajax | $710 million | -$30 million |
| 39. | Charlotte FC | $705 million | +$50 million |
| 40. | Philadelphia Union | $700 million | +$15 million |
| 41. | SL Benfica | $675 million | No Change |
| 42. | St Louis City SC | $655 million | New |
| 43. | Minnesota United | $655 million | +$15 million |
| 44. | Sporting Kansas City | $650 million | +$20 million |
| 45. | New York Red Bulls | $645 million | +$30 million |
| 46. | Nashville SC | $640 million | +$5 million |
| 47. | Eintracht Frankfurt | $640 million | +$60 million |
| 48. | AFC Bournmouth | $630 million | New |
| 49. | Brentford | $615 million | New |
| 50. | Crystal Palace | $610 million | New |
2. But England dominates the Top 10
MLS might have the most representation in the Top 50, but EPL clubs dominate the Top 10. Fully five of the world’s most valuable clubs play in England: Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea. This is despite Manchester United and Chelsea both losing significant value in the past year, $110 million and $100 million, respectively.
3. Legacy clubs still sit at the top
Even more to the point, the Top 5 teams are still the legacy clubs that are the traditional apex predators. No matter that Bayern Munich finished last year in third place in the Bundesliga, or that Manchester United are a dismal 15th place as of the publication of this post, they remain financial heavyweights along with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool.
4. The Top 10 is its own category
Look at the valuations, and you see a steep drop-off between 10th-place Chelsea ($3.57 billion) and 11th-place Atletico de Madrid ($1.85 billion). While MLS teams such as LAFC ($1.28 billion), Inter Miami ($1.19 billion), and even New York City could climb a few spots in the coming years, that Top 10 is a long way off.
5. A grain of salt
As always, club valuations from Sportico are to be taken with a grain of salt.
To its credit, Sportico is transparent about its methods. The list is followed by a long disclaimer that includes the following statement: “We conducted interviews with those knowledgeable of team finances, including sports bankers and attorneys who actively work on soccer transactions, as well as 10 individuals at firms investing in global soccer franchises. We traded candor for anonymity.”
In other words, this is a best-guesstimate based on available figures, insider info, and some approximations.
It’s a vibe.
