Arsenal top Premier League club: Highest revenue from ticket sales

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6 English clubs in top ten 

©TM/IMAGO

The importance to football clubs of maximising different revenue streams has never been greater, due to the implementation of stricter financial regulations across recent seasons. UEFA’s financial sustainability rules impose limitations on how much clubs are allowed to spend on transfer fees, wages and agent costs in relation to their turnover.

Historically, fans coming through the turnstiles every matchday would be the main source of income for clubs but the landscape has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Broadcast deals have superseded gate revenue for the biggest clubs in Europe but matchday money remains important. UEFA’s European Club Finance and Investment Landscape report – released yearly – provides a comprehensive breakdown of clubs’ finances and we’ve analysed which European clubs generated the highest gate revenue during the 2023/24 season.

Real Madrid generated more gate revenue than any other club last season, bringing in €185 million. Renovation work on the iconic Santiago Bernabeu got underway in 2019 but it’s now almost fully operational with the capacity now standing at 80,000. Madrid, however, want to increase the capacity by a further 5,000 in recently revealed plans; they still generated an impressive amount of revenue through ticket sales – helped by their run to the Champions League final.

As the graphic above illustrates, PSG rank second with €168m raised, which is perhaps surprising given the capacity of the Parc de Princes is under 50,000. Ticket pricing is naturally a major factor in these findings and PSG generates eye-watering amounts through hospitality ticketing. Arsenal’s gate revenue last season of €153m is comfortably higher than any other English club with Manchester United (€129m) and Tottenham (€123m). Six English clubs feature in the top ten with Bayern Munich fourth (€131m) and Barcelona seventh (€116m) – Barca’s gate revenue is diminished massively by playing at the Olympic Stadium, while the Camp Nou undergoes renovation.