2nd April 2026
April 2 – English Premier League side Chelsea revealed pre-tax losses of £262.4million during their latest financial release for the 2024/25 season – a new record from English domestic football.
The deficit surpasses the loss of £197.5million posted by Manchester City in 2011. Chelsea attributed the record loss to “increased operating costs.”
Revenue reached £490.9m, the second-highest on record for the London club and included part of the prize money from the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup which Chelsea won. The club also clinched the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, and finished fourth in the Premier League.
Under American ownership, the club have spent more than £1billion on players – a mammoth amount that has brought sanctions under UEFA’s Squad Cost Ratio regulations – earning a fine of £27million.
Chelsea met the Premier League’s more lenient financial requirements for the 2024/25 assessment cycle, which caps permitted losses at £105 million across three years. In determining whether clubs stay within that limit, the league excludes specific categories of spending, including investment in infrastructure, academy systems and the women’s game.
Chelsea also reported that their women’s team posted a £17.1million loss in 2024–25, while generating £21.3million in revenue.
The club project record revenue again next season with £84.8million bookmarked from the Club World Cup and £79.5million from broadcast revenues earned from the UEFA Champions League. The club are yet to publish full accounts on Companies House.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [moc.l1775122248labto1775122248ofdlr1775122248owedi1775122248sni@i1775122248tnuk.1775122248ardni1775122248mas1775122248](javascript:;)