Women’s Football Finances: Top Teams Ranked for 2026

Arsenal have overtaken Barcelona Femeni to become the richest women’s football team in Europe, according to Deloitte’s latest annual rankings.

Last season’s Champions League winners topped the list of women’s football clubs ranked by revenue for the first time, with Arsenal earning €25.6m (£21.5m) in 2024-25.

Women’s Super League holders Chelsea are a close second in the rankings with revenue of €25.4m (£21.3m), while Barcelona slipped to third in the rich list with income of €22m (£18.5m).

The top three teams accounted for almost half of the total generated by the top 15 in Deloitte’s list, which does not include franchises from the US because their accounts are private.

Estimates suggest that Kansas City Current and LA-based Angel City FC both earned more than any European women’s team in the financial year ending 2025.

Arsenal increased their income by 43 per cent year on year as they benefited from staging more games at the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium and a more sophisticated ticketing strategy.

They drew crowds of over 35,000 on five occasions last season and introduced tiered pricing to encourage repeat attendance, resulting in by far the highest matchday takings of €7m (£5.9m).

Chelsea, who were valued at around £200m when Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian invested in them last year, enjoyed the biggest commercial revenue of any team in the list, €19.1m (£16m).

Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid completed the top six, who all earned €12m-€13m – at least 50 per cent more than seventh-ranked Aston Villa.

The 15 teams in Deloitte’s list earned an aggregate €158m, a 35 per cent increase on the previous year’s rankings and further sign of the growth of the women’s game.

“The topline revenue growth across women’s football clubs reflects the ongoing innovation and commercially focussed mindset in some of the games’ leading markets,” said Deloitte Sports Business Group knowledge and insight lead Jennifer Haskel.

“The women’s game is beginning to carve its own path with new and expanded brand partnerships, new ticketing strategies, and dedication to truly understanding the evolving fanbase.

“As average revenues reach a new high, there is a meaningful gap forming between the top ranked clubs and the rest of the pack.

“However, what is clear across the ranking, is that there is no one-size-fits-all blueprint for how to reach and engage fans, or how to deliver on a club’s business objectives.

“While clubs will continue to benefit from on-pitch success, expanding and improving business operations can further develop the club’s global brand value and ultimately provide funds that can be reinvested back on the pitch to improve the overall product.”