• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 5, 2025

Real Madrid Sets Single-Year Record With $1.16 Billion in Revenue

  • The football club recorded more than $1.1 billion in revenue last year.
  • Only two other franchises have recorded more than $1 billion in revenue: Barcelona FC and the Dallas Cowboys.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Real Madrid is a few weeks away from beginning its defense of the LaLiga crown, but it’s already been awarded a new title.

The football club announced revenue of $1.16 billion for the 2023–2024 season, the largest in a fiscal year for any sports franchise in history. The figure is up 27% versus 2022–2023 ($913.97 million), even though it already topped all European football clubs in revenue last year.

Two other sports franchises have breached the $1 billion mark in revenue—FC Barcelona in 2017–2018 and 2018–2019, and the NFL’s Cowboys in 2022–2023—but Real Madrid is the first to pass the billion-Euro mark (€1.073 billion).

A key driver to the revenue jump was the renovations to its stadium, Santiago Bernabeu. The club has spent nearly $2 billion on improvements to the stadium, which includes a retractable roof and turf.

Real Madrid also noted that Santiago Bernabeu renovations drove a “progressive increase in terms of capacity and commercial operations” last year, though the stadium will only be fully operational by the 2024–2025 fiscal year. One of the main goals of the renovation was to open up the stadium to non-soccer events—and the team already announced that it will host an NFL game in 2025.

All of this revenue growth comes before Kylian Mbappé has played even a minute for the club. The French superstar will debut for Real Madrid this season after leading Paris Saint-Germain to six Ligue 1 titles in seven seasons. 

A Growing, Beautiful Game

It’s no secret that sports franchises have experienced a spike in valuation over the last several decades, and European soccer is no exception.

The five big European soccer leagues—the Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A, and Ligue 1—were hit hard by the COVID-19 global pandemic; Real Madrid’s revenue was down nearly 14% from 2018–2019 to 2020–2021. But last year, the five leagues combined to generate a record $20.93 billion, up 14% from the previous season.

According to Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance 2024, the uninhibited return of fans to stadiums in Germany and Italy, coupled with an increase in the international broadcasting-rights of the Premier League, drove last year’s revenue spike.

However, the figure also illustrates the great divide in European soccer. There are 98 teams across the Big Five, but the top 20 teams, which Deloitte refers to as the “money league,” combined to generate more than half of last year’s total revenue.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Donald Trump

Trump Bill Has $1.6 Billion for Olympics, World Cup Security

Host cities have lobbied for federal funding to help with security costs.

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
Jul 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) heads to the dugout prior to the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Dodger Stadium.

MLB Changes Are ‘Showing Great Results’: Former CFO

Big stars playing in major markets “make a real difference.”
Bill Ackman
exclusive

Billionaire Bill Ackman Prepares for ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Tennis Match in..

Ackman says he’s “peaking next week” at the Hall of Fame Open.

Featured Today

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
June 29, 2025

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.

Rogers Takes Control of Canada’s Top Teams in MLSE Buyout

The Canadian media giant now has an arguably unrivaled sports portfolio.
Manchester City
July 1, 2025

Manchester City Pockets $50 Million for Early Club World Cup Elimination

Saudi side Al-Hilal will bank at least $35 million in its quarterfinal run.
Myles Turner
July 1, 2025

Pacers Sour on Paying Luxury Tax and Let Myles Turner Walk

The team had seemed willing to cross the threshold for their center.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
July 1, 2025

Bucks Shock NBA World By Waiving Lillard’s $113M Deal, Signing Turner

Damian Lillard had two years left on his deal.
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena
July 1, 2025

Panthers Lock Up Stanley Cup–Winning Core With Long-Term Deals

Hours before free agency, Florida cemented terms with their essential players.
June 30, 2025

Nuggets, Rockets Make Aggressive Moves to Challenge Thunder

Denver took the Thunder to seven games in the conference semifinals.
June 30, 2025

Cohen’s $331M Mets Spiral Into June Swoon Despite Soto Surge

Frustrations rise as the high-spending Mets have lost 13 of 16 games.