For better or worse, social media is engrained as a part of everyday modern society. And the soccer world is no exception. Fans flock to the accounts of their favorite teams to get the latest news and show support. Which soccer clubs have the most social media followers?
Here are the numbers.
Per data put together by Football Benchmark, we can see who the most popular clubs are on social media. The top 20 has many of the sport’s biggest names and has a heavy European slant.
All but three clubs on the list hail from UEFA. The only non-European sides are from Brazil, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
The total numbers below, as of September 2023, are an aggregate of followers from Facebook, Instagram, X(Twitter), YouTube, TikTok, and Weibo.
So which clubs have the most people glued to their phones? Here they are:
| Club | Total Followers (Millions) |
| 1. Real Madrid | 415 |
| 2. FC Barcelona | 391.7 |
| 3. Manchester United | 224.5 |
| 4. Paris Saint-Germain | 189.6 |
| 5. Manchester City | 156.3 |
| 6. Chelsea | 151.7 |
| 7. Juventus | 147.1 |
| 8. Liverpool | 136.9 |
| 9. Bayern Munich | 130.7 |
| 10. Arsenal | 104.1 |
| 11. Tottenham Hotspur | 95.3 |
| 12. AC Milan | 70.3 |
| 13. Inter Milan | 64.1 |
| 14. Borussia Dortmund | 57.1 |
| 15. Flamengo | 52.5 |
| 16. Atlético Madrid | 50.9 |
| 17. Ah Ahly SC | 46.9 |
| 18. Galatasaray | 44.9 |
| 19. Al Nassr | 43.8 |
| 20. AS Roma | 35.1 |
Is it astounding that Real Madrid and Barcelona lead the way? With over 800 million total followers between the two, they are far and away the most popular teams on social. After Barça, it’s a steep drop off, with a difference of over 160 million followers between their spot at number two and Manchester United in third.
England’s six teams, the “Big Six” unsurprisingly, are the most of any league or country. Italy has four, Spain three, Germany two, and there is one each from France, Brazil, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
We can see the Messi/Ronaldo effect in full force, too. Even though they don’t play for them anymore, Man United, Juventus, and PSG all occupy places in the top seven. And while they normally would not be anywhere near this list, Al Nassr, Ronaldo’s current club, sneak in at #19.
Messi’s Inter Miami, meanwhile, are not in the top 20. However, he experienced astounding growth since he signed. They gained 24.2 million followers, that’s +1197%, between September 2022 and September 2023. Most of those followers popped in after the legend signed in the summer of 2023. The Herons will no doubt make the cut before too long.
While El Clásico is the headliner on the list, two other massive rivalries appear here in the realm of social media.
North London neighbors Arsenal and Tottenham are back-to-back at 10th and 11th place, respectively. Then we have AC Milan and Inter Milan adjacent to one another in 12th and 13th.
While many of these clubs are huge and would be on the list no matter what, it’s interesting to see how the numbers shift as the game’s biggest personalities move from club to club.
