Manchester United have dropped to eighth in the Deloitte Football Money League, their lowest-ever standing in the report's 29-year history. The club generated €793million in revenue for the 2024/25 season, placing them behind domestic rivals Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal. The figure reflects a miserable campaign in which United finished 14th in the Premier League and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham.
While matchday and commercial revenues increased, broadcast income fell sharply year-on-year, and the trend is expected to worsen. United will play only 20 matches at Old Trafford this season and have no European football at all, raising fears they could drop out of the top 10 altogether in next year's edition of the money league.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told the Manchester Evening News that the decline is a major concern. "When Sir Alex was there and even in the initial years [after he left], it was a toss-up at the start of each season whether it would be United or Real or Barcelona as to who would be top of that money list," he said. "I think it's reflective of the tough times that the club's going through and there's a genuine fear that they could fall out of the top 10 next season."
Maguire attributed the slide partly to United's lowly league finish, estimating that finishing 14th rather than in the top six cost the club £30million to £40million. He also noted that the Europa League offers far less financial reward than the Champions League under the current Swiss model, with finalists earning roughly a quarter of what Champions League participants receive. Even reaching the final in Bilbao generated less money than Manchester City earned from being knocked out in the play-off round.
The importance of Champions League football is now clear, and United's recent 1-0 win over Manchester City in Michael Carrick's first game in charge has lifted them to fifth in the Premier League, a position likely to secure qualification. Maguire explained that one successful season could transform the club's finances: "Every match at Old Trafford in the Champions League is worth £8million or £9million in terms of ticket sales... They'll pick up £70million or £80million in prize money... then you get the extra £10million from Adidas and other sponsors will be kicking in as well, so that's the thick end of an extra £200million." He added that United fans should, financially, want City and Liverpool to do well in the Champions League, as that would strengthen the case for fifth place in the Premier League being enough for qualification.
