Soccer Football - Women's Champions League - Final - Arsenal v FC Barcelona - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - May 24, 2025 Arsenal's Katie McCabe celebrates with the trophy after winning the Champions League REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Jan 19 (Reuters) - Arsenal became the highest-earning women's football club in 2025, generating more revenue than any other team according to figures from Deloitte released on Monday.
The 2025 Champions League winners climbed from second to first with revenue of 25.6 million euros ($29.80 million), an increase of 43% from the previous year as leading women's football clubs collectively surpassed 150 million euros in income, according to the Deloitte Football Money League.
Arsenal drew crowds of more than 35,000 at the Emirates Stadium for five matches during the 2024-25 season helping the club generate the highest match-day revenue among the clubs analysed, at seven million euros.
Chelsea ranked a close second at 25.4 million euros, while last year's leaders Barcelona dropped to third at 22 million euros.
Chelsea also recorded the biggest revenue jump overall — up 90% from 2024, driven largely by commercial income with 19.1 million in revenues in that category alone, more than any other club in the study.
The top 15 women's clubs brought in a record 158 million euros. English teams continued to lead the field, with eight Women's Super League sides featuring in the top 15 for the second straight year.
Deloitte's knowledge and insight lead, Jennifer Haskel, pointed to ongoing innovation and how clubs are meeting the needs of their emerging fanbases for the revenue growth.
"The women's game is beginning to carve its own path with new and expanded brand partnerships, new ticketing strategies, and dedication to truly understanding the evolving fanbase," she said.
Haskel noted less growth in teams lower down the list. The revenue of the top three comprised 46% of the top 15. Everton made less than they had in 2024.
"As average revenues reach a new high, there is a meaningful gap forming between the top ranked clubs and the rest of the pack," Haskel said.
The biggest climber in the list was Bayern Munich, whose revenue doubled from 3.6 million euros in 2024 to 7.2 million in 2025.
($1 = 0.8590 euros)
(Reporting by Lori EwingEditing by Christian Radnedge)
