Key facts
- Premier League clubs' pre-tax losses ballooned to £948 million (€1.1 billion) in the 2024/25 season.
- This is a more than 600% increase from the previous season's £135 million (€158 million) loss.
- Premier League revenue hit a record £6.8 billion (€7.9 billion) in 2024/25, up 8%.
- Matchday income exceeded £1 billion for the first time.
- Combined net debt for Premier League clubs rose to £3.6 billion (€4.2 billion).
Premier League clubs experienced a dramatic surge in pre-tax losses during the 2024/25 season, reaching £948 million (€1.1 billion), a more than 600% increase from the previous campaign's £135 million (€158 million) shortfall. This occurred despite revenues climbing to a record £6.8 billion (€7.9 billion), with matchday income surpassing £1 billion for the first time and commercial revenue up 13%.
Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance attributed the widening losses to increased spending on player transfers and the absence of significant one-off sale profits that had boosted the prior season's accounts. The clubs' combined net debt also edged up to £3.6 billion (€4.2 billion).
Globally, European football revenue surpassed €40 billion for the first time, but the big five leagues collectively saw their pre-tax losses widen to €1.5 billion. Tim Bridge, lead partner at Deloitte Sports Business Group, cautioned that football cannot rely solely on adding more content for sustainable growth, as a saturated fixture calendar risks short-term gains over long-term prosperity.
The financial strain is more pronounced in the lower leagues, with Championship clubs experiencing a revenue fall and a 12% increase in pre-tax losses to £355 million (€415 million). Bridge noted that external funding is now critical for liquidity across most English Football League divisions.