Popularity of Premier League clubs
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The Premier League, the top division of English football, is the most watched sports league in the world,[1] with up to 643 million viewers per game and a television audience of over 3.2 billion.[2] As a result, many people both in and outside England support an English football club, most commonly one that plays in the Premier League, though Championship clubs, as well as (to a lesser extent) League One and League Two clubs also have supporters around the world.
The most popular clubs worldwide are those in the Big Six grouping. The single most popular club varies by country. In many countries such as Australia, Japan and South Korea, clubs with players or managers from that country are among the most popular clubs. Additionally, successful clubs are popular worldwide.
Manchester United is the most followed Premier League club on social media, with 182.6 million total followers on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter).[3]
In the 2023–24 season, Liverpool had the highest global television audience, with a total of 471 million viewers for all 38 Premier League games involving Liverpool.[4]
By country
[edit]
Africa
[edit]
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are the most popular football clubs in Africa, largely due to the large number of African players from these clubs.[5]
By region, Arsenal is the most popular club in East and North Africa, Chelsea is the most popular in West Africa and Manchester United is the most popular in Southern Africa.[5]
Algeria
[edit]Arsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Algeria.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 43% |
| Chelsea | 19% |
| Manchester United | 11% |
Egypt
[edit]Premier League player Mohamed Salah, who captains the Egypt national team, has been decisive in Egypt's choice for the most popular Premier League club in the country. Currently, Salah's current club, Liverpool, is the most popular Premier League club in Egypt.[6] Previously, Salah's former club (Chelsea) was the most popular.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 17% |
| Chelsea | 26% |
| Manchester United | 18% |
Ethiopia
[edit]Arsenal is by far the most popular Premier League club in Ethiopia.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 52% |
| Chelsea | 8% |
| Manchester United | 22% |
Ghana
[edit]Chelsea is the most popular Premier League club in Ghana.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 15% |
| Chelsea | 26% |
| Manchester United | 18% |
Ivory Coast
[edit]Chelsea is the most popular Premier League club in Ivory Coast.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 23% |
| Chelsea | 36% |
| Manchester United | 15% |
Kenya
[edit]Arsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Kenya.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 31% |
| Chelsea | 17% |
| Manchester United | 23% |
Malawi
[edit]Arsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Malawi.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 29% |
| Chelsea | 19% |
| Manchester United | 26% |
Morocco
[edit]Arsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Morocco.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 55% |
| Chelsea | 14% |
| Manchester City | 10% |
Nigeria
[edit]The most popular football clubs in Nigeria are Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, all of which are more popular than even the most popular Nigerian Premier League club (Kano Pillars).[7]
Polling
[edit]| NOI Polls, 2024[7] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 21% |
| Chelsea | 28% |
| Liverpool | 6% |
| Manchester City | 7% |
| Manchester United | 23% |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1% |
| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 26% |
| Chelsea | 25% |
| Manchester United | 18% |
Senegal
[edit]Chelsea is the most popular Premier League club in Senegal.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 22% |
| Chelsea | 26% |
| Manchester United | 15% |
South Africa
[edit]Manchester United is the most popular Premier League club in South Africa.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 21% |
| Chelsea | 18% |
| Manchester United | 23% |
Tanzania
[edit]Manchester United is the most popular Premier League club in Tanzania.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 22% |
| Chelsea | 17% |
| Manchester United | 25% |
Tunisia
[edit]Arsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Tunisia.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 33% |
| Chelsea | 22% |
| Manchester City | 13% |
Uganda
[edit]Arsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Uganda.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 36% |
| Chelsea | 12% |
| Manchester United | 23% |
Zambia
[edit]Manchester United is the most popular Premier League club in Zambia.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 27% |
| Chelsea | 18% |
| Manchester United | 30% |
Zimbabwe
[edit]Manchster United is the most popular Premier League club in Zimbabwe.[5]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 17% |
| Chelsea | 19% |
| Manchester United | 28% |
Asia
[edit]Manchester United are the most popular Premier League club in Asia, followed by Liverpool.[8]
In the Middle East, Chelsea is the most popular Premier League club, according to Twitter research from 2015, despite Chelsea being owned by Russian Jewish oligarch Roman Abramovich at the time.[9]
China
[edit]The most popular Premier League clubs in China are Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.[8][10][11][12]
As of 2024, Manchester City is the most popular Premier League club online in China.[13]
India
[edit]Manchester United is the most popular Premier League club in India.[10][14] The next most popular clubs are Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.[15]
Indonesia
[edit]Manchester United is the most popular Premier League club in Indonesia.[8][10][16]
As of 2024, Manchester United is also the most popular club on X (formerly known as Twitter) in Indonesia.[13]
Iran
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Arsenal was found to be the most popular Premier League club in Israel, followed by Manchester United and Chelsea.[9]
Iraq
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Chelsea was found to be the most popular Premier League club in Iraq.[9]
Israel
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Chelsea was found to be the most popular Premier League club in Israel. At the time, Chelsea was owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who is Jewish and pro-Israel.[9]
Japan
[edit]The most popular Premier League club in Japan has changed over the years.[8]
Manchester United was formerly the most popular, largely due to Japanese player Shinji Kagawa; however, as Manchester United became less successful following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 and after Kagawa moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2014, support for Manchester United in Japan decreased.[8]
Currently, the most popular Premier League club in Japan is Liverpool, largely due to the signing of Takumi Minamino in 2020. However, Minamino only made 30 appearances for Liverpool during his time there and was loaned to Southampton in 2021 before moving to Monaco in 2022.[8]
As of 2024, Manchester City is the most popular club on X (formerly known as Twitter) in Japan.[13]
Jordan
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Chelsea was found to be the most popular Premier League club in Jordan.[9]
Lebanon
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Chelsea was found to be the most popular Premier League club in Lebanon.[9]
Malaysia
[edit]Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are the four most popular Premier League clubs in Malaysia.[17][18][19]
Oman
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Chelsea was found to be the most popular Premier League club in Oman.[9]
Palestine
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Chelsea was found to be the most popular Premier League club in the West Bank.[9]
Saudi Arabia
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Chelsea was found to be the most popular Premier League club in Saudi Arabia.[9]
Singapore
[edit]Manchester United is the most popular Premier League club in Singapore, followed by Liverpool and Arsenal.[8]
South Korea
[edit]Tottenham Hotspur is the most popular Premier League club in South Korea (with approximately 11 million fans in South Korea), followed by Manchester United. The large support for Tottenham in South Korea is largely due to Son Heung-min, who is South Korean, while support for Manchester United is largely due to former player Park Ji-sung, who is also South Korean.[8][20] Before Son signed with Tottenham in 2015, the club had few supporters in the country.[21]
As of 2024, Tottenham Hotspur is also the most popular club on X (formerly known as Twitter) in South Korea.[13]
Syria
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Chelsea was found to be the most popular Premier League club in Syria.[9]
Thailand
[edit]Liverpool and Manchester United are the most popular football clubs from any country in Thailand, with more fans in Thailand than even the most popular Thai League 1 club (Buriram United).[22][23]
As of 2024, Liverpool is the most popular club on X (formerly known as Twitter) in Thailand.[13]
Polling
[edit]| NIDA Poll Research Centre (2023)[23] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 5.27% |
| Chelsea | 7.09% |
| Liverpool | 31.79% |
| Manchester City | 5.72% |
| Manchester United | 34.59% |
| Other | 1.37% |
| None | 14.17% |
| The Nation (2022)[22] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 3.85% |
| Chelsea | 9.37% |
| Leicester City | 2.82% |
| Liverpool | 31.32% |
| Manchester City | 2.95% |
| Manchester United | 30.42% |
United Arab Emirates
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Arsenal was found to be the most popular Premier League club in the United Arab Emirates, followed by Chelsea and Manchester City, the latter of which is owned by the City Football Group which is mostly owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, with Emirati business leader Khaldoon Al Mubarak being the chairman of Manchester City.[9]
Polling
[edit]Teams in italics do not currently play in the Premier League.
| Twitter research (2015)[24] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
 Arsenal
|
19.04% |
| Aston Villa
|
1.31% |
| Burnley
|
0.26% |
| Chelsea
|
18.10% |
| Crystal Palace
|
0.59% |
| Everton
|
1.90% |
| Hull City
|
0.66% |
| Leicester City
|
0.31% |
| Liverpool
|
11.25% |
| Manchester City
|
17.57% |
| Manchester United
|
16.00% |
| Newcastle United
|
1.71% |
| Queens Park Rangers
|
0.94% |
| Southampton
|
1.19% |
| Stoke City
|
1.06% |
| Sunderland
|
1.09% |
 Swansea City
|
1.16% |
| Tottenham Hotspur
|
3.77% |
| West Bromwich Albion
|
0.78% |
| West Ham United
|
1.30% |
Vietnam
[edit]Manchester United is the most popular Premier League club in Vietnam.[8]
Yemen
[edit]According to Twitter research from 2015, Chelsea was found to be the most popular Premier League club in Yemen.[9]
Europe
[edit]Liverpool is known to have a large fanbase in Scandinavia.[25]
Denmark
[edit]Liverpool and Manchester United are the most popular Premier League clubs in Denmark. Liverpool is also the most popular club in the Faroe Islands.[26]
France
[edit]Arsenal is the most popular Premier League club in France, largely due to the fact that Arsenal has had several French players (most notably Thierry Henry) and was formerly managed by Arsène Wenger, who is French.[27] Arsenal is also the most followed club on Twitter in France.[28]
Ireland
[edit]Liverpool are the most popular Premier League club in Ireland.[29]
Polling
[edit]| Twitter research (Off the Ball, 2022)[29] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 11.86% |
| Aston Villa | 2.56% |
| Chelsea | 8.27% |
| Everton | 3.10% |
| Liverpool | 25.67% |
| Manchester City | 4.84% |
| Manchester United | 23.20% |
| Newcastle United | 2.30% |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 4.75% |
| West Ham United | 1.95% |
Sweden
[edit]Liverpool is the most popular Premier League club in Sweden. In 2014, a poll of 13,000 Swedish Premier League fans found that 34.1% of them supported Liverpool, by far more than any other club.[25]
United Kingdom
[edit]The most popular Premier League club in the United Kingdom varies by area, as the league is local to England and fans often support their local team. However, the Big Six clubs are known to have large fanbases across the United Kingdom.
In Wales, the most popular football club from any league is Liverpool.[30][31]
Polling
[edit]Nationwide
[edit]Clubs in italics do not currently play in the Premier League.
| Statista (2023)[32] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 23% |
| Aston Villa | 7% |
| Bournemouth | 3% |
| Brentford | 2% |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 4% |
| Burnley | 3% |
| Chelsea | 17% |
| Crystal Palace | 4% |
| Everton | 4% |
| Fulham | 2% |
| Leeds United | 6% |
| Leicester City | 4% |
| Liverpool | 27% |
| Luton Town | 2% |
| Manchester City | 19% |
| Manchester United | 29% |
| Newcastle United | 9% |
| Nottingham Forest | 4% |
| Sheffield United | 3% |
| Southampton | 4% |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 11% |
| West Ham United | 7% |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3% |
| None | 6% |
Wales
[edit]Clubs in italics do not currently play in the Premier League.
| Facebook followers (2017)[30] | |
|---|---|
| Club | Followers |
| Arsenal
|
50,000 |
| Cardiff City
|
70,000 |
| Chelsea
|
57,000 |
| Everton
|
40,000 |
| Liverpool
|
125,000 |
| Manchester City
|
32,500 |
| Manchester United
|
95,000 |
| Swansea City
|
60,000 |
| Tottenham Hotspur
|
45,000 |
| West Ham United
|
20,000 |
| Facebook followers in Cardiff (2017)[30] | |
|---|---|
| Club | Followers |
| Arsenal
|
7,000 |
| Cardiff City
|
25,000 |
| Chelsea
|
6,500 |
| Liverpool
|
15,000 |
| Manchester United
|
12,500 |
| Swansea City
|
3,000 |
| Tottenham Hotspur
|
5,500 |
North America
[edit]United States
[edit]Manchester United is the most popular Premier League club in the United States,[10] followed by Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.[33]
Manchester City are the most watched Premier League club on television in the United States, with 36.9 million viewers in all competitions throughout 2023. The only football club in the world that received a higher viewership in the United States in 2023 was Liga MX club Club América.[34][33]
Oceania
[edit]Australia
[edit]In Australia, the most popular Premier League clubs are Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United. All of these clubs have had at least one Australian player on their men's and/or women's teams. Virtually every Premier League and Championship club has a supporters' group in Australia.
Support for Tottenham Hotspur in Australia grew drastically when Ange Postecoglou became the club's manager. Postecoglou is a successful Australian manager and is the first Australian to ever manage a Premier League club.[35][36][37]
Liverpool is widely regarded as the most popular Premier League club in Australia, with over 600,000 fans in Australia as of 2015.[38] Several Australians have played for Liverpool in the past, most notably Craig Johnston and Harry Kewell, the latter of whom is the only Australian to have played in the UEFA Champions League final, being part of Liverpool's squad that won the 2005 UEFA Champions League final. Additionally, Australian Teagan Micah currently plays for Liverpool's women's team.
Polling
[edit]| Online survey (Reddit, 2024)[39] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 17.2% |
| Chelsea | 6.9% |
| Ipswich Town | 5.2% |
| Liverpool | 19.0% |
| Manchester City | 5.2% |
| Manchester United | 6.9% |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 20.7% |
| Other | 18.9% |
South America
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References
[edit]- ^ "The Most Watched Sports Leagues in the World". 21 July 2022.
- ^ "Top 10 most watched football leagues in the world".
- ^ "LFC most-watched club in Premier League with global audience of 471 million last season - Liverpool FC". 10 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah "Which is Africa's favourite Premier League team?". 7 August 2015.
- ^ "Liverpool growing in Egypt thanks to Salah".
- ^ a b "Football League Followership". 13 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Most Popular Premier League Clubs in Asian Countries · BUSINESSFIRST". 16 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-owned-chelsea-is-mideast-top-team/
- ^ a b c d "FootballIndex: Premier League clubs in China, India, US and Indonesia".
- ^ "The Popularity of the Premier League in China". 17 May 2021.
- ^ "China: Most popular European football clubs by estimated number of fans 2019".
- ^ a b c d e "Red Card 2024: Asia Digital Performance Index". 29 April 2024.
- ^ "India: Most popular football teams by brand health index 2022".
- ^ "The 5 Most Popular English Premier League Clubs in India".
- ^ "Most popular soccer clubs in Indonesia 2016".
- ^ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2024/03/22/liverpool-fcs-impact-on-malaysian-football-culture/amp/
- ^ https://www.justarsenal.com/arsenals-growing-popularity-in-malaysia/362884/amp
- ^ https://www.statista.com/statistics/860057/most-popular-soccer-clubs-in-malaysia/
- ^ "Tottenham pass Man Utd as most popular club in South Korea".
- ^ "Son helps Spurs to become most popular club in South Korea - Sports".
- ^ a b "Liverpool FC most popular team in Thailand, says poll". 25 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Manchester United and Buriram United emerge as Thailand's most loved football clubs". 8 August 2023.
- ^ https://www.esquireme.com/culture/supported-team-uae
- ^ a b "Exploring Scandinavia's love affair with Liverpool Football Club". 19 February 2018.
- ^ https://www.islandecho.co.uk/why-the-english-premier-league-is-loved-by-the-danish/
- ^ "The French Connection: Why Popularity in France Gives Arsenal a Transfer Edge". Bleacher Report.
- ^ https://www.eurosport.fr/economie/arsenal-est-lequipe-de-premier-league-la-plus-populaire-sur-twitter-en-france_sto4865773/story.shtml
- ^ a b "PIC: Which Premier League clubs are in the Top 10 most followed in Ireland?".
- ^ a b c https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/most-supported-football-team-wales-12862174
- ^ https://www.ccmb.co.uk/showthread.php?424075-10-most-supported-clubs-in-Wales
- ^ "Fandom for Premier League clubs in the UK 2023".
- ^ a b Sheldon, Dan. "How Manchester City became the most popular Premier League team in America". The New York Times.
- ^ "Manchester City Becomes USA's Favourite Premier League Club with Nearly 3X Viewership as Manchester United". 8 February 2024.
- ^ Kilpatrick, Dan (13 June 2023). "Tottenham: How 'Ange-mania' took over Australia after Postecoglou's move to Spurs". The Evening Standard.
- ^ "Tottenham in Australia: 'Spurs and Ange Postecoglou Could Go Stratospheric'". New York Times. 20 July 2023.
- ^ Samios, Zoe (27 March 2024). "The Aussies taking charge at an English soccer icon". Financial Review.
- ^ "Liverpool FC confirm return to Australia". 3 February 2015.
- ^ "Most popular Premier League club in Australia?". 30 September 2024.