Deloitte: European Football Hits Record €40bn in Revenue

Bangla Press Desk:  European football surpassed 40bn euros (USD46bn) in revenue for the first time in the 2024-25 season, but growth is showing signs of stalling, Deloitte said in its annual review of football finance.

Football across the continent generated 40.2bn euros in the season that ended in mid-2025, up from 38bn euros the previous year. The "Big Five" European leagues -- the ‌Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 -- generated 21.6bn euros of that amount.

But Deloitte's analysts said that cramming more matches into an already packed calendar may not be the answer, with aggregate club revenue set to plateau or even fall in 2025-26 and 2026-27.

"The expansion of UEFA and FIFA competitions has delivered financial benefits across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues, but football cannot rely on simply adding more content to deliver sustainable growth," Tim Bridge, lead partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group, said.

"An ⁠increasingly saturated market may not be good for players or fans, particularly if it weakens the on-pitch spectacle.

"This approach, without a collective mindset from all rightsholders, risks prioritising short-term gain over long-term prosperity."

EPL GENERATES HIGHEST REVENUE

The Premier League remained Europe's highest-earning top division, with clubs generating 6.8bn pounds (USD9.1bn) in revenue -- an 8% rise that is projected to push them past the 7bn pounds mark for 2025-26.

"Revenues were boosted by an increase in the number of clubs reaching the final stages of European competitions, rising ticket prices and increased stadia capacity," Deloitte wrote.

However, the financial picture was mixed. Pre-tax losses ballooned from 135m pounds to 948m pounds, driven by heavy transfer spending and the absence of profitable player sales that had cushioned the previous year's results.

Elsewhere in Europe's top leagues, the Bundesliga broke 4bn pounds for ‌the ⁠first time with 12% growth, while LaLiga posted 4.1bn pounds in revenue - with Real Madrid and Barcelona accounting for 52% of clubs' aggregate revenue.

Serie A managed a modest 4% increase to 3bn euros, but Ligue 1 dropped 15% to 2.2bn euros as commercial revenue fell 0.4bn euros.

CHAMPIONSHIP CLUBS SEE REVENUE DECLINE

England's second-tier Championship clubs recorded their first revenue decline since the COVID pandemic.

Aggregate income fell 2% to 942m pounds while pre-tax losses climbed 12% to 355m pounds, with only ⁠three clubs managing to turn a profit.

"The cumulative financial position and worsening club losses across all three English Football League divisions underline a continuing trend; one where external funding is now critical to liquidity in the vast majority of cases," Bridge said.

"Upcoming regulatory changes could support future improvements, but ⁠the focus must now shift to stronger commercialisation and sustainable growth, or a plan to bridge the gap to the Premier League."

England has established the Independent Football Regulator through the Football Governance Act to strengthen the financial sustainability, governance and ownership oversight of professional ⁠clubs.

The Women's Super League (WSL) provided a clear contrast, posting 39% revenue growth to 90m pounds, marking the second consecutive season in which all 12 clubs exceeded 1m pounds in income.

But the revenue gap between the highest- and lowest-earning WSL clubs stretched to 16 times from 13 times the previous year.