The English Premier League (EPL) boasts of having hosted many teams since its reboot in the early 1990s. A number of these teams are homegrown and naturally have large followings especially at or around the areas they are situated. There are however some clubs who have distinguished themselves from the rest and boast of a cult-like following both locally and internationally.
Which Premier League team has the most fans in the world? According to recent statistics, Manchester United is the EPL club with the most fans with a mind-boggling fan base of over 1.6 billion supporters and over 160 million social media followers spread out across every continent in the world and over multiple platforms respectively.
Other teams who round off the top five list include Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Liverpool (in no particular order). The five aforementioned teams (particularly the latter four) often climb up and down the rankings but have remained to be the most popular EPL clubs over the last decade or so.
The Main Reason Certain EPL Teams Are Popular
In as much as so-called diehard fans would want to chalk their support for their preferred team down to some misguided sense of unquestionable loyalty or a multitude of other reasons, a common thread runs through them all – their favorite teams happen to be winning teams.
No one likes to be associated with a loser. This is especially true in high stakes matters such as professional sports like football where victory equals silverware, bragging rights and respect and defeat invites ridicule and constant reminders of one’s team’s shortcomings.
If a trip down memory lane were to be taken, one would quickly discover that all of the top five most popular teams have won the coveted Premier League title at least once in the last decade or so. The only anomaly during this period was Leicester City, who shocked the world by clinching the EPL trophy in their maiden campaign in their 2015-16 season.
The same could be said if the timeline were to be extended back another decade or (almost) two to the league’s maiden season in 1992-93 as only the Blackburn Rovers fail to make the cut having edged out Manchester United to win the title in their 1994-95 outing.
Teams like Manchester City and Liverpool, who have jointly won three of the last four EPL titles, have witnessed a sizeable increase in the number of their supporters on account of their recent success proving the comfort of being able to relive their team’s glory days and the possibility of attaining new success are the ultimate motivating factors for fans.
United’s “Loaded” Trophy Cabinet
United owe most of their following to the constant success they’ve managed to amass since they won the EPL’s maiden trophy in their 1992-93 campaign. In total, the Red Devils have accumulated 66 major trophies across all competitions, including a record 13 Premier League titles alongside three UEFA Champions League cups– most of which were worn during legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure.
The English giants continue to reap the fruits of former manager’s success, which continue to maintain and grow their fan base despite having won their last EPL crown during Fergie’s last hurrah in their 2012-13 season.
Ferguson’s successors have since tried and failed to replicate the tactician’s success. In recent years, only former bosses Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal managed to scratch the surface by securing the Europa League and League Cup trophies and the FA Cup in United’s 2016-17 and 2015-16 seasons respectively.
History only serves to toot United’s horn since a look beyond the league’s rebirth in the early 1990s reveals that victory (and thus popularity) is in the juggernaut’s DNA and takes their tally of league titles to 20.
United the Brand
United have worked hard over the years to be the winning brand that everyone would want to be associated with. The English side has taken to running its affairs almost like a corporation to ensure that fans literally buy into their culture. For many seasons, tickets to most United home games have been sold out.
Tickets to away games also fetch high prices for the hosting team since it gives their fans the opportunity to watch some of the team’s stars like the recently returned Cristiano Ronaldo, who is often featured in the conversation of the greatest footballer ever.
The club’s shops and authorized distributors have also made team jerseys, merchandise and memorabilia available for purchase by its supporters worldwide. These items contribute to the club’s revenue and net worth, which was recently listed at around £2.7 billion.
United’s jerseys have proven to be perennial top sellers and have even gone on to set and break a number of records. A good example is a record which was set during United’s last title-clinching season in 2012-13 in which the club accounted for just shy of 40% of EPL jersey sales in the UK.
The team similarly has over 72 commercial partners worldwide and is often spoiled for choice in terms of shirt sponsorships with multinational companies often engaging in bidding wars to have their logos on the club’s jerseys.
Social media has also helped United maintain their position as the team with the most fans in the world. Recent tallies put the club’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter followers at over 75 million, 48 million and 27 million respectively. YouTube and TikTok additionally contribute around 4.9 million and 7.6 million subscribers and users respectively.
Worthy Opponents
Only two other teams have come close to challenging United’s popularity – Liverpool and Manchester City. The Reds have experienced a resurgence over the past few years thanks to the tactical brilliance of manager Jurgen Klopp and a squad including one of the most potent attacking trios in EPL history in Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool’s stellar 2019-20 campaign, which saw them clinch the EPL title, together with the UEFA Champions League trophy they clinched a season earlier, has seen the numbers of their fans grow in leaps in bounds particularly internationally.
Manchester City have on the other hand also looked to challenge United dominance in the larger Manchester area after bagging three of the last four EPL crowns – a feat that has attracted scores of younger fans.
United nonetheless appear poised to weather the storm as the multitudes of near-religious supporters look to their recent form, bolstered squad and overall future as a sign of better things to come.