Real Madrid have been named the world's most valuable football club brand for a third consecutive year, according to Brand Finance's Football 50 2026 report.

The club's brand value has risen to €2.4 billion, making it the first football club to surpass €2 billion since the ranking was first published more than two decades ago.

Why Real Madrid's Brand Value Rose 25% in 2026

Real Madrid's brand value rose by 25% year on year, reaching €2.4 billion in 2026 from an already record figure in 2025.

Brand Finance links the increase to the club's revenue performance. Real Madrid generated €1.221 billion in the 2025-26 financial year, a world record for a football club.

It is the third consecutive year that Los Blancos have broken the global revenue record for a football club. The renovated Santiago Bernabeu is another factor highlighted by Brand Finance. The 2025-26 season was the first full campaign in which the renovated stadium operated at close to full capacity.

According to Brand Finance, the increased capacity helped drive revenue from matchdays, hospitality, museum visits, and tourism.

Why Real Madrid Has Football's Strongest Brand

Brand Finance measures brand value and brand strength separately. Brand value reflects a club's financial worth, while brand strength considers factors including marketing investment, stakeholder perception and commercial performance.

Madrid scored 95.8 out of 100 for brand strength, the highest of the 281 clubs analysed. It means the club has been named the world's strongest football brand for a fifth consecutive year, separate from its position in the brand-value rankings.

Barcelona sit second after a 15% increase in brand value, taking them close to the €2 billion mark, according to the report.

Brand Finance attributes part of that growth to Barcelona's return to a fully renovated Camp Nou after more than two years away, as well as two consecutive La Liga titles.

Arsenal made the biggest jump among the leading clubs, climbing five places to third with a brand value of €1.5 billion, up 28%. Bayern Munich are fourth, also at €1.5 billion after a 21% rise, while Paris Saint-Germain sit fifth.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United follow in sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund complete the top 10, according to the report.

The 10 clubs have a combined brand value of €14.9 billion, close to two-thirds of the total value across the top 50.

What Real Madrid's Brand Dominance Means for La Liga

Brand Finance ranks La Liga as the world's second-strongest league brand, behind the Premier League and ahead of the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1. Real Madrid and Barcelona hold a wide lead over the rest of La Liga in brand value.

Atletico Madrid climbed to 11th globally after a 22% rise. Real Betis made one of the biggest jumps in the rankings, climbing five places to 33rd after a 14% increase. Athletic Club, Villarreal and Real Sociedad also feature in the top 50, ranking 39th, 45th and 50th respectively.

Brand Finance says the next step for Spanish football is to turn Real Madrid and Barcelona's global reach into greater value for the rest of La Liga.

The report also points to the 2030 World Cup, which Spain will co-host with Portugal and Morocco, as an opportunity to raise the profile of Spanish football around the world.