Football Market Report 2026

The football market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $3.17 billion in 2025 to $3.38 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to global expansion of football leagues, rising participation in amateur football, growth of international tournaments, increasing sponsorship and advertising revenues, widespread grassroots football programs.

The football market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $4.29 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to expansion of digital broadcasting platforms, rising investments in women’s football, growing adoption of performance analytics tools, increasing sustainability initiatives in sports apparel, expansion of football in emerging economies. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing integration of digital fan engagement tools, rising commercialization of football merchandise, growing demand for smart training equipment, expansion of streaming and digital media rights, enhanced focus on sustainable sportswear.

The increasing global television audiences are expected to drive the growth of the football market in the coming years due to enhanced digital accessibility and cross-border content reach. Global television audiences refer to the collective viewership of television content across international markets, encompassing diverse demographic, cultural, and linguistic groups that engage with televised programming through various broadcast and digital platforms. The primary factor contributing to the rise in global television audiences is the widespread digitalization of media distribution, which has expanded accessibility and enabled seamless content delivery across borders, creating a more connected and inclusive viewing experience. Football functions as a unifying global spectacle that attracts extensive international viewership, transcending cultural and geographic boundaries to strengthen the global television audience base. For example, in July 2024, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), a United Kingdom-based independent regulator for telecommunications, internet, and broadcasting industries, reported that people in the United Kingdom spent an average of 4 hours and 31 minutes per day watching television and video content at home in 2023, reflecting a 2 percent (6-minute) increase from 2022. Therefore, the growing global television audience is fueling the expansion of the football market.

Key companies operating in the football market are emphasizing innovative advancements such as high-frequency molded match-ball construction featuring engineered 12-panel aerodynamics to enhance flight stability, durability, and consistency. High-frequency molded construction involves heat or pressure bonding, which replaces traditional stitched seams to fuse panels into a uniform shell, minimizing water absorption and deformation to maintain shape and predictable aerodynamics throughout gameplay. For instance, in June 2025, PUMA SE, a Germany-based athletic apparel and footwear company, launched the PUMA Orbita Ultimate PL, the official Premier League 2025-2026 match ball, featuring 12 evenly sized panels and high-frequency molding. It made its debut at the Premier League Summer Series in the United States before the season kickoff. The PUMA Orbita Ultimate PL provides precise weight distribution through its twelve equal panels and deeper seams that enhance aerodynamics and preserve long-term shape, delivering more consistent ball flight and touch under varied weather conditions. This innovation supports higher-quality play, fairer match outcomes, and broad fan and grassroots adoption through retail availability.

In February 2023, DAZN Group, a United Kingdom-based sports streaming company, acquired ELEVEN Group businesses and Team Whistle for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, DAZN aims to expand its live football rights across additional regions, integrate ELEVEN’s regional production platforms, and leverage Team Whistle’s extensive social video reach to enhance fan engagement, strengthen advertising performance, and accelerate direct-to-consumer growth in live football content. ELEVEN Group is a United Kingdom-based international sports media company, while Team Whistle is a United States-based social media creative agency.

Major companies operating in the football market are Nike Inc., Adidas AG, ESPN, Puma SE, Electronic Arts, New Balance Athletics Inc., Under Armour, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain, Manchester United, FIFA, Chelsea Fc Plc, Juventus Football Club, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Formative Sport, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Baden Sports Inc., Luson Sport.

Europe was the largest region in the football market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the football market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the football market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The football market consists of sales of football jerseys, football shorts, football socks, football boots, goal nets, corner flags, coaching boards, team benches, scoreboards, and turf maintenance equipment. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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