Investing in Football Stocks

These days, football is more than just a sport, it’s a multi-billion dollar industry. Whilst the vast majority of football clubs are private companies, there are a number which are listed on stock exchanges, meaning that they are accessible for retail investors to buy shares in. 

In this article, we will examine investing in football clubs, highlight what football clubs you can buy shares in, and take a closer look at some of the top football stocks available to investors.

The information in this article is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Investing in Football Clubs

Whilst the share prices of football clubs can be influenced by many of the same factors that influence other stocks, there are a number of additional considerations for investors to bear in mind. 

• Match Results: The only results most investors worry about are financial and, whilst these are obviously important for football teams as well, match results also have the potential to move share price. If a team is playing well, this can cause positive sentiment around the stock and elevate its price. However, a string of losses can have the exactly opposite effect. 
• Competition Progression: The further teams get through knockout competitions the more revenue they stand to earn from broadcasting and matchday sales. 
• Transfers: The arrival or departure of players and managers can have a knock-on impact on a football club’s share price. 
• Match Rights: A significant chunk of a football club’s revenue tends to be generated from broadcasting, with the bigger competitions typically generating more in terms of match rights. Announcements of new broadcasting deals as well as the qualification, or elimination, for top tier competitions can affect share prices. 

What Football Clubs Can You Buy Shares In?

Whilst the vast majority are private companies, there are some options for those interested in buying shares in football clubs. In the table below, we’ve highlighted a number of football clubs which are currently listed on stock exchanges and can be invested in. 

• Manchester United 
• Celtic 
• Juventus 
• Lazio 
• Borussia Dortmund 
• Olympique Lyonnais
• AFC Ajax 
• SL Benfica 
• SC Braga 
• Sporting CP 
• FC Porto 
• FC Copenhagen 

Top Football Stocks to Watch

Of the 20 football clubs in the 2025 edition of the Deloitte Football Money League, which profiles the highest revenue generating clubs in world football, four are currently listed on stock exchanges.  

In the following sections, we will take a quick look at each of these top football stocks. 

Manchester United

Manchester United is one of the most historically successful football teams in the world and the largest football stock on this list. At the time of writing, its market capitalisation is around $3.1 billion and it is ranked fourth in the aforementioned Football Money League.

In the year ended 30 June 2025, Manchester United generated £666.5 million in revenue. However, high operating expenses resulted in an operating loss of £18.4 million for the year. In fact, this was the fifth consecutive year that the club reported an operating loss.

Manchester United identifies three different sources of revenue:

• Commercial: accounts for revenue generated through the “exploitation of the Manchester United brand”, in other words, merchandise sales and sponsorship deals. This typically makes up the bulk of the team’s revenue. 
• Broadcasting: comprises revenue received from broadcasting contracts. 
• Matchday: accounts for all revenue generated on Manchester United matchdays, including season ticket sales. 

The chart below shows each of these sources of revenue as a percentage of the total revenue generated in 2025.

Manchester United shares previously paid a dividend twice a year, but it suspended payments in 2022. 

Borussia Dortmund

German club Borussia Dortmund (BVB) ranks eleventh in the Football Money League. Its notable success in the German Bundesliga is somewhat overshadowed by rivals Bayern Munich, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is one of the most successful German teams in history. 

In the year ended 30 June 2025, Borussia Dortmund generated €526.0 million consolidated revenue and recorded an operating profit of €10.5 million.  

BVB’s consolidated revenue is broken down into five segments: 

• Match Operations: revenue generated from matchdays, including season ticket sales. 
• Advertising 
• TV Marketing: broadcasting revenue. 
• Merchandising: which is handled by BVB’s fully owned subsidiary, BVB Merchandising GmbH. 
• Conference, Catering, Miscellaneous 

The chart below shows these sources of revenue as a percentage of total consolidated revenue in 2025.

BVB shares currently pay an annual dividend and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. In terms of dividend policy, the club’s stated aim is to “distribute a dividend to its shareholders every year, provided it generates a net profit”; which highlights that future dividends are not guaranteed. 

Juventus

Juventus is one of the most successful football clubs in Italy and is ranked number 16 in the Deloitte Football Money League. 

In the year ending 30 June 2024 (figures for 2025 were not yet available at the time of writing, 24 October 2025), Juventus generated €394.6 million in revenue but recorded an operating loss of €175.4 million.  

The club identifies six sources of revenue: 

• Audiovisual Rights and Media Revenues: Essentially revenue generated from broadcasting. 
• Sponsorship and Advertising 
• Revenues from Player’s Registration Rights: Revenue generated from player transfers. 
• Ticket Sales 
• Revenues from Sales of Products and Licenses 
• Other Revenues: This includes club membership fees and revenue from stadium tours and the club’s museum. 

The chart below shows these sources of revenue as percentages of total revenue in 2024. 

Despite the club’s historical on field success and comparatively high revenue generation, the club has a recent history of financial issues. Indeed, the last time the Italian club reported an operating profit was in 2017.  

These financial issues have been exacerbated by a number of scandals in recent years: 

• Plusvalenza (Capital Gains) Scandal: In 2023, Juventus was handed a 10-point deduction after the club was found guilty of inflating player transfer values. 
• Prisma Case: Also in 2023, the club was handed a €718,000 fine as part of a plea bargain in a case of alleged fraud over the way the club handled player salary cuts during the pandemic. 
• UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) Breaches: Again, in 2023, Juventus was found guilty of breaking FFP regulations and punished with a one-year ban from all European competitions and a €20 million fine. 

Olympique Lyonnais

Olympique Lyonnais, or Lyon, is ranked 20th in the Deloitte Money League and holds the record for most consecutive league titles in France, winning Ligue 1 seven times between 2001 and 2008.

The club is owned by Eagle Football Group, formerly OL Groupe, which is listed on the Euronext Paris. Besides wholly owning Olympique Lyonnais, the group also partially owns ASVEL Basket and ASVEL Féminin - male and female basketball clubs from the Lyon suburb Villeurbanne. 

In the year ending 30 June 2024 (at the time of writing, figures for 2025 were not yet available), the group generated €264.1 million in revenue and recorded an operating profit of €26.5 million. However, despite the operating profit, the group reported a net loss of €25.7 million. 

The club identifies five main sources of revenue:

• Media and Marketing Rights  
• Ticketing 
• Sponsoring and Advertising 
• Events 
• Brand-Related Revenue: Revenue from merchandise and miscellaneous products. 

The chart below shows these sources of revenue as a percentage of total revenue in 2024.

How to Buy Shares in a Football Club

In order to buy shares in a football club, investors will need to register with a broker that offers access to the relevant market. Here’s how to buy shares in Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund with Admirals: 

• Register for an investing account, complete the onboarding process and log in to the Dashboard.
• Open the web trading platform. 
• Search for the desired stock and open the instrument page. 
• Enter the number of shares you want to purchase and click ‘Buy’ to send the order to the market. 

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