American funds flow to European football with a high club evaluation

European football is a greater work than ever, as clubs in the five major league championships on the continent have achieved 20.4 billion euros (23.7 billion dollars) as revenues in the 2023-2024 season-American investors were looking forward to a piece of that pie.

American investors now have, completely or partially, the majority of football teams in the Premier League. This now includes four traditional clubs, with Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, all of whom attract American investment.

The rapid growth in revenue was the main attraction.

In the 1996-1997 season, when the English Premier League was established in England, its total revenue reached the five largest European championships 2.5 billion euros, according to what he said. Deluette analysis.

In 2023-24, this number swells by 750 %.

This growth has led to sharp increases in assessments of the largest football teams in Europe. The GLAZER family, which also owned Tampa Bay Bucaneers at the US Football Association, Manchester United for 790 million pounds ($ 1.07 billion) in 2005. In 2024, the minority share was sold to billionaire Jim Ratcliffe at about 5 billion pounds, or the largest rating in the world.

Kiran Maguire, associate professor of football financing at the University of Liverpool, told CNBC on Wednesday that the increasing levels of US ownership of European football were driven by the assembly of high wealth.

“It is actually a little thinking … What can you do with your money?

According to Maguire, the small number of the best professional sporting teams available for purchase has also contributed to the high demand, with investors’ inability to meet price signs of billions of dollars associated with NFL or NBA teams in the United States who are looking for European football as a substitute.

Private property rights

More than 36 clubs in the five largest league championships in Europe now have private stocks, investment capital or private debt participation through a majority or minority of shares, including the majority of clubs in the Premier League, according to Pitchbook research.

The data shows a sharp increase in the activity of confronting the integration and purchase in European football clubs, from only 66.7 million euros in 2018 to nearly 2.2 billion euros in 2024.

Many football stock investors looked at the multi -divorce ownership to enhance their investments. Speaking to CNBC, Nicholas Mora, chief private capital of Pitchbook, said that many American investors want to “build a variety of different football clubs”, and that the model can have marketing and financial benefits.

But the increase in the spread of multi -divorce ownership has risked the spread of the organizers, as Mora said that the European Football Association “UEFA” began to eliminate clubs. “

This summer, Crystal Palace in England was prevented from participating in the European Union League competition due to the violation of multiple royal rules. American businessman John Textor has a stake in the English club as well as in Lyon in France, who also qualified to compete.

Mora says that the decision-which can become the Crystal Palace decision as “injustice”-is more than one case because more clubs involved in multi-move structures to the highest sections in Europe.

What next?

The growth of football revenues has slowed in recent years, as Deloitwita said it sees the “plateau” of income in the 2025-26 season against the background of slowing growth in the value of sports media rights.

This left commercial revenues-an increase of 6 % in the 2023-24 season, for DELOTTE-as a major engine, as the clubs reached new care deals and looked to benefit from stadiums for non-rear events.

Mora says that many private stock investors “are looking forward to doing their positions and their entire games” in an attempt to diversify away from the broadcast income.

The search for growth in the revenues of the match can witness more clubs that maintain regular matches abroad. The Spanish League in Spain will take the first match in its normal season abroad this season, as the current Barcelona champions are preparing for Villarreal in Miami. The Italian First Division is also studying an international game, as the ruling body in the country agrees to a match in Australia. So far, games have not been allowed to play in local league championships outside their home country, as the World ruling body FIFA is considering an official change in its rules in foreign matches.

Maguire says that the Premier League clubs will eventually look forward to holding matches abroad to compete with the competing European Championships, and that the money created will mean the games “will be sold to the fans base … effectively as a fatal leader.”

The Premier League publicly did not enjoy the idea of making regular seasonal matches from England, where CEO Richard Master told CNBC “completely different” from American peers when it comes to international games.