Top 5 most popular football clubs in the world in 2023

German philosopher Karl Marx once said, “Religion is the opiate of the people.” The only sport that has the same effect is football. Other sports can’t even come near when it comes to passion, devotion, and the thrill that football produces.

Of course, the most important are the most popular clubs, so MightyTips provide this list of the top football clubs worldwide in 2023.

1. Real Madrid (136 million followers on Instagram)

The Spanish Giants are the most popular football club in the world. On Instagram, they have an astonishing 136 million followers. Stadia are full of white Real Madrid jerseys whenever they play worldwide.

Also, football fans voted for Real Madrid as the FIFA Club of the 20th century, receiving 42.35% of votes. Last year, the Spanish Giants sold more than 3.1 million jerseys.

2. Barcelona (120 million followers on Instagram)

With 120 million followers on Instagram, Barcelona are the world’s second most popular football club.

Barcelona has had some bad years as they haven’t won the title since the 2018–19 season, but they still compete with Real Madrid in popularity around the globe. In 2022, Barcelona sold 1.8 million jerseys.

3. PSG (70 million followers on Instagram)

Although making enormous investments in the last ten years, PSG are still without the Champions League title. They are dominating the French Ligue 1 but also climbing worldwide in popularity.

A few years ago, PSG were barely in the top 10 most popular clubs, but right now they are third and with more than 70 million followers on Instagram. Also, they are improving in jersey sales, reaching 1.1 million sales in 2022.

4. Manchester United (61 million Instagram followers)

Manchester United hasn’t won the Premier League title since legendary manager Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013. Still, they are by far the most popular English team, with 61 million Instagram followers.

Manchester United have had bad results by their standards in recent seasons but, if we look up the jersey sales, they are still among the best in the world, with 3.2 million sold last year. Winning or losing, it doesn’t mean too much for Red Devils fans as their numbers stay steady even in the bad years.

5. Juventus (58 million followers on Instagram)

This season, Juventus are not on the level their fans expect them to be. Still, they are Italy’s most popular football team and number five worldwide. Juventus have almost 58 million followers on Instagram.

Having received punishment from the Italian FA, Juventus are again facing one of the worst moments in their history, but the love of their fans will always be there. In 2022, Juventus have 1.2 million jerseys sold, so they shouldn’t worry too much about the future. They are a big club and will stay big.