(The 2026 FIFA World Cup started yesterday. June 11th)
England created the rules for modern soccer in 1863, but there was a problem: another popular sport, rugby football, was also called football. To tell them apart, British students nicknamed rugby football “rugger” and Association Football (named after England’s Football Association) “assoccer,” which was eventually shortened to “soccer.” Over time, most of the world dropped the nickname and simply called the sport football. But in countries where other sports also called football became popular – such as American football in the United States, Canadian football in Canada, and Australian rules football in Australia – “soccer” remained the easiest way to distinguish Association Football from the other versions of football still being played. It is also largely referred to as soccer, or both soccer and football, in New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa.
The world’s most valuable football (soccer) club globally, Real Madrid, which plays in Spain’s La Liga, is worth US $9.5 billion, according to Forbes. And no wonder it’s worth so much. Real Madrid brought in $1.27 billion in revenue in the 2024-25 season. That not only beats every other soccer team, it also surpasses the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys’ $1.23 billion in 2024 season revenue, which previously set the record for highest revenue from a sports team.
Here’s a ranking of the net worth of some of the clubs that supply the national teams with players…
Real Madrid — $9.5 billion
FC Barcelona — $7.5 billion
Manchester United — $7.2 billion
Liverpool — $6.2 billion
Paris Saint-Germain — $5.8 billion
Bayern Munich — $5.7 billion
Manchester City — $5.5 billion
Arsenal — $5.4 billion
Chelsea — $4.2 billion
Tottenham Hotspur — $3.0 billion
Hartley Reede has called Yarmouth County home for most of his life and has a deep passion for his community, the events and people within it. Hart is a veteran of radio, spending over 25 Years behind the mic at Y95, strongly supporting the importance radio plays in the lives of his listeners within the Tri Counties and online. He is the host of The Tri County Morning Show on Y95.
He is also the owner of a mobile DJ Company, Hart Productions. When not talking on radio or playing music at dances, he enjoys spending time outdoors, trout fishing, playing pool & golf, taking road trips, and being around family and friends.