Football is the biggest sport in the world because of the number of followership the game attracts. How popular football is can be determined by the fan base of the major club sides in the world. In this article, you will learn about the football clubs with the biggest fan base in the world.
To give a credible list of the football clubs with the biggest fan base, we have used the number of followers the clubs have on the three major social media platforms, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as yardsticks.
Note that in the last 8 years, new clubs have joined the league of clubs that have a big fan base because of the performance of the clubs in major competitions in recent years. For instance, clubs like Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain don’t use to have the worldwide acceptance they currently enjoy. But due to the number of superstars they have been able to sign and how consistent they are in major competitions, they have added a lot of numbers to their followers.
In the same vein, clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United that have not been performing as well as they used to, are still commending a high number of following despite their years of poor performance. The clubs have a very loyal fan base that have stuck with them no matter the weather.
Below are the football clubs with the biggest fan base in the world
- Arsenal – 78,544,584
*Facebook – 37,744,584
*Twitter – 19.1 million
*Instagram – 21.7 million
Arsenal are the 10th football club with the biggest fan base despite not being as prominent as they used to be. Recall that Arsenal have not qualified for the Champions League for years and they have not won the Premier League years before Arsene Wenger left the club over five years ago, yet, most of their fans remained loyal to the north London.
The fact that Arsenal play beautiful football and are one of the most successful football clubs in London have earned them a lot of fans that seem unmovable. No matter how bad the results are, the Emirates Stadium is always filled ahead of any game involving the Gunners.
8. Manchester City – 84,403,015
*Facebook – 40,603,015
*Twitter – 12.3 million
*Instagram – 31.5 million
In the last 7 years, Manchester City have been one of the most consistent clubs in the world, especially in the Premier League. Their consistency especially after coach Pep Guardiola became the manager of the club in 2016, has earned the club a lot of league titles.
At the time of publishing this report, Manchester City were on the verge of winning their 4th Premier League title in five years. They have also played in the semi-final round successively and they are always regarded as favorites to win.
Though they are yet to win the Champions League despite their consistency, Manchester City are now the 9th football club with the biggest fan base in the world, thanks to their consistency in major competitions in Europe and the number of superstar players they attract to the club.
- Bayern Munich – 88,403,107
*Facebook – 54,103,107
*Twitter – 1.9 million
*Instagram – 32.4 million
Bayern Munich have won the German Bundesliga title ten successive times and play one of the most positive types of football in the world. These have not only made them the biggest football club in Germany, Bayern Munich are one of the biggest football clubs in the world.
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— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) April 23, 2022
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TEN IN A ROW 🔴⚪#MISS10N #MiaSanMeister pic.twitter.com/WY8ByqjNcL
The caliber of players they attract to the club, their dominance in the German Bundesliga, and their consistency in European club competitions have won the club a lot of hearts. Currently, Bayern Munich have the biggest fan base in Germany and is the 8th football club in the world with the biggest fan base.
7. Liverpool – 97,326,558
*Facebook – 38,826558
*Twitter – 20.5 million
*Instagram – 38 million
Liverpool are one of the traditional teams in England and indeed in Europe. Between 2013 and 2017, they lost their reckoning in the world of football due to poor performance. Yet, their prestige remains intact.
The arrival of coach Jurgen Klopp and their patience with him helped to build a fierce Liverpool side that have been very consistent in Europe, especially in the Champions League in the last four seasons. Note that in the last four years, they have played in the Champions League final twice winning once. They are on the verge of playing in another final on May 28, 2022, against Real Madrid.
Based on their consistency, they have been able to maintain their loyal fan base and added a good number of followers to the community. Currently, the Premier League side is the 7th football club in the world with the largest fan base.
- Juventus – 100,446,444
*Facebook – 44,246,444
*Twitter – 2.9 million
*Instagram – 53.3 million
Juventus is one of the traditional European clubs that has enjoyed a lot of good days in the past. Though since the 2020-2021 season, they have been struggling to return to their years of dominance in Italy, they remain the most loved Italian club in the world.
The fact that Juventus decided to sign the most followed human being in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018, has helped to boost the fan base of the Italian club. Even though Ronaldo left for Manchester United in 2021, the club remains the 6th football club with the biggest fan base.
- Chelsea – 104,438,498
*Facebook – 49,738,498
*Twitter – 20.7 million
*Instagram – 34 million
Chelsea have been very consistent in the world of football in the last 18 years. Their consistency has made them a force to be reckoned with not only in the Premier League but in Europe at large.
Aside from winning two Champions League in the last 10 years and consistently competing very tightly for European titles, the caliber of coaches and players they have signed in the past have made them one of the most followed football clubs in the world.
Due to how successful they have been, the club is still attracting some great players across the world and their fan base has never stopped rising despite all the controversies surrounding the former owner of the club, Roman Abramovich. Currently, Chelsea are the 5th club in the world with the biggest fan base.
- Paris Saint Germain – 107,472,212
*Facebook – 45,872,212
*Twitter – 2.1 million
*Instagram – 59.5 million
The arrival of Lionel Messi to Paris Saint Germain in August 2021, has helped to increase the fan base of the French club. Also, the likes of Neymar Junior and Kylian Mbappe who are also very loved in the world of football have attracted that love to PSG and helped to maintain the club’s fan base.
Aside from that, PSG have been dominating the world of football in France to the extent that winning the French Ligue 1 is no longer a big deal to the club’s fans. Their attention is on winning the Champions League, a feat they have been very close to achieving in the last three seasons. Due to the aforementioned, PSG are currently the 4th football club with the biggest fan base in the world.
- Manchester United – 163,742,719
*Facebook – 75,042,719
*Twitter – 30.9 million
*Instagram – 57.8 million
Manchester United are still the most successful club in England in terms of the total number of titles won despite not winning any major title since 2017. They have been struggling in every competition in recent years to the extent they could not qualify for Champions League football ahead of the 2022-2023 season.
Even though the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo to the club in August 2021 has not yielded much on the pitch, the arrival has attracted renewed love to the club. Aside from that, the club has one of the most loyal fans one can imagine which means that some years of poor performance are not enough to bring down the fan base of the Premier League giants. Manchester United is currently the most followed Premier League club and 3rd football club with the biggest fan base in the world.
- Real Madrid – 241,719,188
*Facebook – 111,719,188
*Twitter – 14 million
*Instagram – 116 million
Real Madrid used to be the most followed club in the world but that has changed slightly lately for no known reason. Currently, Real Madrid is the second football club with the biggest fan base in the world.
Though that has not changed the fact that they are the most successful football club in the world in terms of titles won. However, in terms of social media followers which is used to measure the fan base of major clubs, the Spanish giants have lost a good number of followers, especially after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018 and the club’s active involvement in the failed European Super League.
As of May 13, 2022, Real Madrid have a total number of 241,719,188 followers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook combined.
- FC Barcelona – 252,816,273
*Facebook – 103,316,273
*Twitter – 41.5 million
*Instagram – 108 million
Even though FC Barcelona lost Lionel Messi to PSG in August 2021, the Spanish giants are currently the football club with the largest fan base in the world.
The arrival of coach Xavi did not only spark improved performance on the pitch but also improved the club’s social media engagement which was gradually fading away after the departure of Lionel Messi in 2021. Also, the arrival of football icons like Sergio Aguero from Manchester City in 2021 (now retired), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Arsenal, and Memphis Depay from Lyon helped boost Barca’s fan base.
As of May 13, 2022, FC Barcelona have a total number of 252,816,273 fan bases on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook which made them the most followed football club in Spain and the world.
What a photo! 🥰
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 13, 2022
The @FundacioFCB‘s Barça Genuine team hanging out with the Barça team before beginning the second phase of LaLiga Genuine! pic.twitter.com/mFPFl40DY4
