Barcelona’s Light and Shadows in UEFA’s Report: Commercial Prowess Amid Sporting Challenges

In 2023, FC Barcelona stood as the world’s third-highest-earning club with total revenues of €815 million, as highlighted in the UEFA European Club Finance and Investment Landscape Report, illuminating both achievements and challenges.

Despite sporting setbacks, Barcelona remains a commercial powerhouse, ranking first in ticket sales revenue, second in commercial revenue, and possessing the eleventh most expensive squad in terms of transfers (behind Tottenham and Inter).

The commendable commercial figures have propelled Barcelona from the seventh position in total revenues in the 21/22 season to the third in the 22/23 season, also advancing from seventh to second in commercial revenues.

However, Barcelona is the second-highest spender on player salaries (behind PSG and ahead of Manchester City and Real Madrid) and holds the top spot in salary disparity (78%).

Economically, the recent sporting downturn in Europe, marked by Barcelona’s elimination in the group stage of the previous Champions League, distances the club from privileged positions in the UEFA rankings, a scenario not encountered since the 2019/20 season.

The economic gap between the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League is substantial. Winning the UCL yields nearly €85 million, whereas winning the UEL amounts to barely €20 million. Barcelona, having received €9.6 million for reaching the UCL round of 16, settled for only €500,000 for competing in the Europa League round of 32. This setback has posed a significant handicap in competing with City (champion) and Madrid (semifinalist).

A Gulf Away from the Premier League The English Premier League dominates in revenue generation, surpassing other leagues with €6.5 billion, doubling the earnings of La Liga (€3.3 billion) and the Bundesliga (€3.2 billion). This is evident in the presence of nine English clubs among the top 20 revenue-generating clubs.

Furthermore, in TV revenue (€3.029 billion), the Premier League significantly outperforms other leagues. La Liga ranks second again (€1.462 billion), followed by the Bundesliga (€1.048 billion) and Serie A (€1.022 billion). Ligue 1 trails somewhat behind (€500 million).

The English dominance in TV revenue is so pronounced that among the top 20 clubs earning the most from it, 18 are from the Premier League, with only two Spanish clubs (Real Madrid – 10th and FC Barcelona – 15th).