Forbes officially name 2025 valuation of Manchester United

The global sports economy continues to accelerate at a staggering pace, with franchise values climbing faster than ever and traditional hierarchies quietly shifting beneath the surface.

Investment from private equity, broadcast deals and global sponsorships has pushed valuations into territory that once felt unimaginable.

American franchises, in particular, are cashing in on commercial certainty and closed-league stability, while European football clubs are feeling the squeeze of regulation, debt and competitive imbalance.

Manchester United’s position in the world’s sporting elite is once again under scrutiny.

The club remain a giant in name and reach, but the numbers now tell a more complicated story.

After years of being held up as the benchmark for footballing value, Manchester United have slipped significantly in the latest global rankings of the most valuable sports teams.

According to the latest valuations, the Red Devils are now tied 24th in the world at a value of £4.9 billion ($6.6 billion), a notable drop from 14th place last year.

That figure places United level with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an NFL franchise that also happens to be owned by the Glazer family, further underlining how American sports continue to dominate the upper reaches of the list.

At the very top sits a familiar name, with the Dallas Cowboys once again crowned the world’s most valuable sports team at a staggering £9.7 billion ($13 billion).

Just six years ago, the Cowboys were valued at £3.7 billion ($5 billion), a figure that would now fail to crack even the top 50.

Collectively, the top 50 most valuable sports teams are now worth more than £264 billion ($353 billion), averaging £5.3 billion ($7.1 billion) per franchise, which represents a 22 per cent increase from 2024 and more than double the combined value from just four years ago.

Eight teams recorded year-on-year growth of at least 30 per cent, underlining just how quickly the landscape is evolving.

From a Manchester United perspective, the most concerning trend is football’s shrinking presence at the top table.

Only four football clubs now feature in the top 50, down from seven in each of the previous two years.

Two come from Spain’s La Liga and two from the Premier League, with Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain all dropping out entirely.

Real Madrid remain the most valuable football club globally, ranked 20th with a valuation of £5 billion ($6.75 billion), just ahead of United.

For United supporters, the drop is symbolic as much as financial.

The decline is widely attributed to the Glazers’ handling of the club’s finances, having loaded United with significant debt after borrowing millions from hedge funds to fund the takeover, a move that has left the club owing around £604 million.

Despite unrivalled global reach, massive commercial revenue and one of the biggest fanbases in world sport, the club’s relative decline reflects years of on-pitch instability and uncertainty around ownership direction.

While the valuation remains enormous, the gap between United and the true elite of global sport is widening rather than closing.

As rival franchises surge ahead and football’s share of the global top 50 continues to shrink, Manchester United face uncomfortable questions about how they restore both sporting dominance and financial momentum in an increasingly competitive global market.