Over the past two decades, European football clubs grossed tens of billions of euros from broadcasting rights, matchday, and sponsorships, with revenues surging each year. Last season, they hit an all-time high, as financial performances improved across European leagues, led by the “Big Five.”
According to data presented by SportsLens.com, the European football industry hit a €29.5 billion value in the 2021/22 season, showing a 7% increase year-over-year. The “Big Five” leagues generated nearly 60% of that value.
Leagues Outside the “Big Five” Saw the Biggest Growth in 2021/22
For years, Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, and Bundesliga have been leagues where the best players come to hone their skills and make a name for themselves. Having the biggest audience and the most expensive broadcasting rights, the “Big Five” leagues hold the biggest share of Europe`s football market and generate the highest revenue. And while many smaller domestic leagues in Europe don’t get the publicity or the coverage like the “Big Five,” they saw much bigger growth last season.
According to Deloitte`s Annual Review of Football Finance 2023, the combined revenues of Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Serie A hit €17.2bn in 2021/22, 10% more than the season before, outperforming the pre-pandemic benchmark of almost €17bn set in 2018/19. This growth was driven mainly by €815 million increase in commercial revenues.
However, other smaller European leagues saw even more significant revenue growth. The Deloitte survey showed that the combined revenues of non-Big Five top leagues hit €5.4bn in 2021/22, rising by 15.8% from €5.1bn reported the previous season. Non-Big Five other leagues saw a 16% growth last season, with their revenues rising from €600 million to €700 million.
FIFA, UEFA, and National Associations` Revenue Dropped by 5% Season-over-Season
Although 2021/22 marked the introduction of the UEFA Europa Conference League, which helped UEFA boost its broadcasting revenue, the governing body of European football still saw a revenue drop last season. In season 2020/21, when EURO 2020 took place, UEFA revenue peaked at €5.7bn and then dropped by more than 30% the following season.
According to Deloitte data, the combined revenues of FIFA, UEFA, and National Associations amounted to €3.7bn in 2020/2021. Statistics show this figure dropped by 5% to €3.5bn last season, showing the only decline among all leagues in the European football space.
