While bitter rivals Liverpool have become the highest earning English club for the first time, Manchester United now find themselves eighth in the 2026 Deloitte Football Money League
Manchester United co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) and Avram Glazer (centre)
Manchester United co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) and Avram Glazer (centre)(Image: PA)
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Manchester United have fallen to their lowest ever position when it comes to the league table of club revenue. And the news could prove to be a blow to interim manager Michael Carrick, in terms of being able to make top class signings.
While bitter rivals Liverpool have become the highest earning English club for the first time, United have slumped to eighth in the 2026 Deloitte Football Money League. United have seen broadcast revenue fall almost £50m to £179.4m, due to the lack of Champions League football.
The fallen giants are also set to generate less matchday revenue this season, due to the team not being in Europe at all. While United's failure to get past the first hurdle in both domestic cup competitions means there will be fewer fixtures - and will also hit the club in the pocket.
Tim Bridge, Sports Business Group Leader at Deloitte, said: "If you went back 10 or 15 years, and you looked at Manchester United’s matchday revenue, it was the industry leader. If you looked at their ability to generate commercial revenue, it was the benchmark by which everybody then went to market and set their strategy.
"I don't think that remains the case. The opportunity remains for Manchester United. They are arguably still the biggest global football club brand, and therefore they have the opportunity to maximise that in a way that is only possible for a select few.
"But to do that requires fit-for-purpose facilities. As the industry evolves, clubs should ask themselves whether there is a need to rethink how they engage with fans and how that relationship works.
"With reports of the new stadium, it is clear they have started to do some of that, so it’s very clear they’re thinking in that way."
United are the fourth-placed English club in the latest Money League, behind Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Real Madrid are top, after becoming the first club to record revenue over more than one billion pounds. Liverpool are fifth overall, following their return to the Champions League in 2024-25.
It is the first time there has not been an English team in the top four, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain all benefiting from doing well in the newly-expanded Champions League, and the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the summer.
City’s sixth place is their lowest since the Covid-19-impacted season of 2019-20. In total, nine Premier League clubs made it into the top 20 of the Money League, with Tottenham (ninth), Chelsea (10th), Aston Villa (14th), Newcastle (17th) and West Ham (20th).