Top football brands are some of the most loved clubs all over the world irrespective of the region they belong to or compete in. Brand recognition and strength of the high-profile biggest brands or clubs are based on metrics like strong performance, sponsorships, crowd attendance, stadium quality, perception of the club and the draw of the broadcasters and partners.
College football playoff clubs are equally popular amongst the masses. Some of the biggest college football playoff clubs in recent years are Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeyes, LSU Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Auburn Tigers, Clemson Tigers, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Oregon Ducks, Miami Hurricanes and Maryland Terrapins.
High school football players are part of college football programs and play season after season in national championships to gain recognition and fame. The national championship is also known as the mythical national championship.
The top football brands in the football industry are the strongest, most valuable and biggest brands that are playing for some of the top clubs in the world. Let us go through the top 10 football brands based on brand value.
Table of Contents
An Overview of 10 Top Football Brands in the World in 2022 Based on Brand Value and Brand Strength
1. Real Madrid CF
- Origin Country: Spain
- Founded: 1902
- Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
- Stadium Capacity: 81,044
- League: La Liga
- Head Coach: Carlo Ancelotti
- Total Revenue: 895.5 million USD
- Brand Value: 1.768 billion USD
The Spanish football brand Real Madrid CF is a professional club based in Madrid that has men, women’s and under-19 teams playing football and basketball for the club. With on-field and off-field business success, the club has become one of the strongest football club brands for the first time. The club has got the top spot and been ranked first as the Best Club in the World in 2022. It has been placed 4th in the 2022 UEFA club rankings.
With an up of 19% in brand value and improved brand strength, Real Madrid became one of the most valuable football club brands in the world for the fourth year running. The football club has won 2 UEFA Cups, 5 UEFA Super Cups, 14 European Cup/UEFA Champions League and in domestic football, it is the winner of 68 trophies.
2022 has been an advantageous season for the Spanish champions as the club has won the La Liga and Spanish League and was the runner-up team in the European Champions League. Some of the notable players of Real Madrid are Raul, Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
2. Manchester City FC
- Origin Country: England
- Founded: 1880
- Owner: City Football Group Limited
- Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
- Stadium Capacity: 53,400
- League: Premier League
- Total Revenue: 677.9 million USD
- Brand Value: 1.539 billion USD
The English football club Manchester City Football Club, based in Manchester is ranked 2nd in the list of the most valuable brand in the world in 2022 based on brand value. The sky-blue home t-shirts have been associated with the Manchester Club since 1894.
Manchester City FC is one of the most successful clubs in English football as it has won 1 European Cup, 6 FA Community Shields, 6 FA Cups and 8 League Cups and League Titles.
With an increase of 19% in the brand value, the powerhouse club Manchester City FC have been one of the most consistent clubs in the world based on their on-field performances. In the year 2022, the popular brand was the winner of the English Premier League. It was a semifinalist and finalist runner-up of the 2022 and 2021 European Champions League respectively.
Manchester City at the end of the 2021-22 season was at the top of the Deloitte Football Money League, thus becoming the highest revenue earner football club at nearly 644.9 million EUR. Some of the notable players of the football club are Stefan Ortega, Julian Alvarez and Kyle Walker.
3. FC Barcelona
- Origin Country: Spain
- Founded: 1899
- Stadium: Camp Nou
- Stadium Capacity: 99,354
- League: La Liga
- Head Coach: Xavi
- Total Revenue: 823.4 million USD
- Annual Turnover: 582.1 billion EUR
- Brand Value: 1.536 billion USD
The Spanish club FC Barcelona is ranked 3rd in the list of the top 3 most valuable brands of 2022 and has qualified for the next season of the Champions League. It is a professional club based in Barcelona with men, women’s and under-19 teams playing football as well as other sports like volleyball, rugby, handball, beach soccer, roller hockey and basketball for the club.
FC Barcelona is a popular brand that has been winning its game consistently over the years. Domestically the team has won 75 trophies and internationally 22 world titles including those being held in Europe. Based on UEFA rankings for 2022, the football club occupies the 6th rank. Barcelona players have won 7 Player of the Year Awards, 12 Ballon d’Or Awards and 3 Best Players in the World.
The t-shirts of Barcelona team players help in easy brand recognition as it is very distinctive in blue shades and garnet stripes. Some of the notable players of the football club over the years are Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Xavi.
4. Liverpool FC
- Origin Country: England
- Founded: 1892
- Owner: Fenway Sports Group
- Stadium: Anfield
- Stadium Capacity: 53,394
- League: Premier League
- Total Revenue: 612.6 million USD
- Brand Value: 1.475 billion USD
The English football brand Liverpool FC is ranked 4th in the list of the most valuable brand in the world in 2022 based on brand value. The professional club based in Liverpool competes in the English football Premier League.
Liverpool FC is one of the best brands in football winning 16 FA Community Shields, 9 League Cups, 8 FA Cups and 19 League titles domestically and 3 UEFA Cups, 4 UEFA Super Cups, 6 European Cups and 1 FIFA Club World Cup internationally.
Liverpool FC has shown a strong performance in 2022 as it has mostly played all the games. It was the winner of two domestic cups in England and was a finalist in the Champions League. Some of the notable players who have been part of the football club over the years are Jim Beglin, Ned Doig and Frank Becton.
5. Manchester United FC
- Origin Country: England
- Founded: 1878
- Owner: Manchester United Plc
- Stadium: Old Trafford
- Stadium Capacity: 74310
- League: Premier League
- Total Revenue: 794.3 million USD
- Brand Value: billion 1.450 USD
Manchester United FC is ranked 5th in the list of the most valuable brand in the world in 2022 based on brand value. The English club based in Old Trafford plays professional football and competes in the English League System Premier League.
Manchester United FC has won 1 each of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, the Intercontinental Cup, the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup, 3 European Cup/UEFA Champions League, 21 FA Community Shields, 12 FA Cups and 5 League Cups and 20 League titles.
The football club has been one of the most supported clubs and was the highest-earning club in 2016-17. Some of the notable players of Manchester United FC who have been part of the football club over the years are Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Joe Spence.
6. FC Bayern Munich
- Origin Country: Germany
- Founded: 1900
- Stadium: Allianz Arena
- Stadium Capacity: 75,000
- Head Coach: Julian Nagelsmann
- League: Bundesliga
- Total Revenue: 750.4 million USD
- Brand Value: 1.286 billion USD
One of the best brands FC Bayern Munich is ranked 6th in the list of the most valuable brand in the world in 2022 based on brand value. The German club plays professional sports and is widely known for the Men’s football team which takes part in the German Football League System Bundesliga.
FC Bayern Munich is one of the most successful and recognizable teams in the football arena with record wins and team colours of red and white respectively. The football club has won 20 national cups and 32 national titles. Several players from the team have been the recipient of 2 Best FIFA Men’s Players, 5 Ballon d’Or Awards, 3 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year and 4 European Golden Shoe Awards.
In the year 2022, the football club has been placed at the top of the UEFA Club rankings. Some of the notable players who have been part of the football club over the years are Gerd Muller, Sepp Maier and Oliver Kahn.
7. Paris Saint-Germain FC
- Origin Country: France
- Founded: 1970
- Owner: Qatar Sports Investments
- Ground: Parc des Princes
- Ground Capacity: 47,929
- League: Ligue 1
- Head Coach: Christophe Galtier
- Total Revenue: 646 million USD
- Brand Value: 1.191 billion USD
The French club Paris Saint-Germain FC is ranked 7th in the list of the most valuable brand in the world in 2022 based on brand value. The club based in Paris plays professional football and competes in French football Ligue 1.
Paris Saint-Germain FC is one of the most successful clubs in France winning several tournaments over the years. The club team has won 10 league titles and 1 European Trophy. It is one of the easily recognizable football teams because of its red, white and blue kit colours.
As per Forbes magazine, Paris Saint-Germain FC is the World’s 7th Most Valuable Football Club in the world with a net worth of 3.2 billion USD. Some of the notable players who have signed for the football club and have been part of its success over the years are Edinson Cavani, Thiago Silva and Bernard Lama.
8. Tottenham Hotspur FC
- Origin Country: England
- Founded:1882
- Owner: ENIC International Ltd
- Ground: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Ground Capacity: 62,850
- League: Premier League
- Head Coach: Antonio Conte
- Total Revenue: 510.8 million USD
- Brand Value: 1.012 billion USD
With an up of 21% in brand value, Tottenham Hotspur FC is ranked 8th in the list of the most valuable brand in the world in 2022 based on brand value. The professional club plays football and competes in the English football Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur FC football team has been the winner of 8 FA Cups, 2 League titles, 7 FA Community Shields, 4 League Cups, 2 UEFA Cups and 1 European Cup Winners Cup.
In the year 2022, the football club Tottenham Hotspur FC has been ranked 18th in the UEFA Club rankings. Some of the notable players who have signed up for the football club and have been part of its success over the years are Jimmy Greaves, Clive Allen and Tommy Clay.
9. Chelsea FC
- Origin Country: England
- Founded: 1905
- Owner: BlueCo 22 Limited
- Stadium: Stamford Bridge
- Stadium Capacity: 40,341
- League: Premier League
- Head Coach: Graham Potter
- Total Revenue: 603.1 million USD
- Brand Value: 991 million USD
With an up of 11% in brand value, Chelsea FC is ranked 9th in the list of the most valuable brand in the world in 2022. The English professional club plays football and competes in the English Premier League.
Chelsea FC is the 4th successful football club brand that has several titles and wins to its name. Internationally it is the winner of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, UEFA Europa, UEFA Super Cup and League UEFA Champions League twice each and 1 FIFA Club World Cup and domestically 4 FA Community Shields, 8 FA Cups and 5 League Cups and 6 League titles.
Some of the notable players who have been part of the football club over the years are Tommy McDermott, Bob Mackie and George Key.
10. Arsenal FC
- Origin Country: England
- Founded: 1886
- Owner: Kroenke Sports & Entertainment
- Stadium: Emirates Stadium
- Stadium Capacity: 60,704
- League: Premier League
- Total Revenue: 523.8 million USD
- Brand Value: 919 million USD
With an up of 18% in brand value, Arsenal FC is ranked 10th in the list of the most valuable brand in the world in 2022. The club is based in Islington and plays professional football in the Premier League.
Arsenal is one of the best football teams and the 3rd most successful English football cup winning 16 FA Community Shields, 2 League Cups, 14 FA Cups and 13 League titles domestically and 1 each of Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and European Cup Winners Cup internationally.
The club motto is Victory Through Harmony. Some of the notable players who are part of the current squad are Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and Rob Holding.
Conclusion
The global football industry generates huge revenues. FIFA World Cup, Spanish League, UEFA Champions League, Italian Football League and English Premier League are high-money earners making the football brands some of the richest organizations in the world. Even high school football players who are part of college football programs have a huge number of football fans. These universities and high school football players command huge fees and participate in national championships.
Top University and College Football Brands
Some of the popular brands that participate in college football playoff are
- Clemson Tigers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Ohio State Buckeyes,
- LSU Tigers
- Ohio State
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Oregon Ducks,
- Miami Hurricanes
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Florida Gators
- Auburn Tigers
- Michigan Wolverines
- Mississippi State Bulldog
- Maryland Terrapins
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Texas A&M
- Texas Longhorns USA
- UCLA Bruins, USA
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