Real Madrid have once again emerged as the most valuable football club in the world, while Barcelona moved ahead of Manchester United to secure second place in Forbes’ 2026 rankings.
The Spanish giants were valued at $9.5 billion (£7.06bn), marking a significant increase from last year’s valuation of £6.75bn (£5.02bn). Barcelona followed with a valuation of $7.5bn (£5.57bn), while Manchester United dropped to third with $7.2bn (£5.35bn).
Despite a disappointing 2024-25 campaign that saw Manchester United finish 15th in the Premier League and lose the Europa League final, the club still generated revenue of $865 million (£643m).
Liverpool retained fourth position with a valuation of $6.2bn (£4.61bn) after winning the Premier League title, while Paris Saint-Germain climbed from seventh to fifth following their European success during the 2024-25 season.
Bayern Munich remained sixth on the list with a valuation of $5.7bn (£4.24bn), while Manchester City dropped from fifth to seventh at $5.5bn (£4.09bn).
Arsenal ranked eighth with a valuation of $5.4bn (£4.01bn), ahead of Chelsea in ninth place and Tottenham Hotspur in 10th.
Arsenal could climb even higher in next year’s rankings after ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League title and reaching the UEFA Champions League final against PSG.
The Premier League continued to dominate the rankings with 11 clubs featured in the top 30, more than any other league in the world.
Other English clubs included Aston Villa in 16th position, Newcastle United in 19th, Everton in 25th, Fulham in 26th, and Brighton & Hove Albion in 27th.
Although Real Madrid and Barcelona occupied the top two spots, Spain’s La Liga had only one additional representative in the rankings, with Atletico Madrid placed 11th.
Major League Soccer contributed seven clubs to the list, while Serie A had four representatives. The Bundesliga featured three clubs, while Ligue 1 and Portugal’s Primeira Liga had one representative each.
According to Forbes, the average valuation of the top 30 football clubs now stands at $2.9bn (£2.15bn), reflecting a 21 percent increase from last year’s previous record average of $2.4bn (£1.78bn).
Top 30 Most Valuable Football Clubs in the world in 2026
1. Real Madrid
2. Barcelona
3. Manchester United
4. Liverpool
5. Paris Saint-Germain
6. Bayern Munich
7. Manchester City
8. Arsenal
9. Chelsea
10. Tottenham Hotspur
11. Atletico Madrid
12. Juventus
13. Borussia Dortmund
14. AC Milan
15. Inter Milan
16. Aston Villa
17. Inter Miami
18. Los Angeles FC
19. Newcastle United
20. LA Galaxy
21. New York City FC
22. Atlanta United FC
23. Benfica
24. AS Roma
25. Everton
26. Fulham
27. Brighton & Hove Albion
28. Stuttgart
29. Seattle Sounders
30. Austin FC