Real Madrid named world’s most valuable football brand for third consecutive year

Abdullateef Fowewe

Real Madrid has been named the world’s most valuable football brand for the third consecutive year and the strongest for the fifth year running, according to the latest Brand Finance ranking.

The Spanish club announced in a statement on Thursday that its brand value increased by 25 per cent to a record €2.4 billion, while it achieved a brand-strength score of 95.8 out of 100 in the consultancy’s Football 50-2026 report.

“Real Madrid is, for the third consecutive year, the most valuable football brand in the world and, for the fifth year, the strongest brand,” the club said.

Brand Finance described Real Madrid as the first football club to surpass €2 billion in brand value in the more than 20-year history of the ranking.

The consultancy attributed the record valuation partly to the club’s strong financial performance, including revenues of €1.221 billion during the 2025/26 fiscal year.

The report noted that the club had recorded “the third consecutive year in which the club has set global revenue records in football.”

Brand Finance also highlighted the impact of the redevelopment of Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on the club’s commercial growth.

“Real Madrid strengthened its commercial position thanks to the completion of the Bernabéu renovation,” the consultancy said.

According to the report, the 2025/26 season was the first full campaign in which the renovated stadium operated at near-full capacity.

This contributed to increased revenue from matchday activities, hospitality, museum visits and tourism.

Brand Finance assesses football brand strength using indicators including marketing investment, stakeholder perceptions and commercial performance.

Real Madrid retained the top position in the brand-strength category with a score of 95.8 out of 100, the highest rating in the ranking.