CIES SPORTS INTELLIGENCE PUBLISHES NEW REPORT ON THE EVOLUTION OF CLUB OWNERSHIP ACROSS ENGLISH FOOTBALL

Focusing on the top four divisions of English football, the report provides a detailed analysis of the investment trends that have reshaped the club ownership landscape across the country.

Tracing this evolution back to the start of the century, the analysis examines three closely interconnected trends - foreign investment, private capital and multi-club ownership - and the extent to which they have transformed the profile of the individuals and entities at the helm of English clubs.

Some of the key findings include:

• Nearly two-thirds of the 92 clubs in the 2026/2027 Premier League, EFL Championship, EFL League One and EFL League Two have at least one non-British shareholder, with 51 clubs (55.5%) currently under foreign majority ownership.
• US capital is now directly represented in 40 clubs, more than double the number recorded in 2020/2021, with 29 majority-owned by American investors.
• More than 40% of clubs across the top four divisions are currently involved in multi-club ownership, representing an increase of nearly 60% over the past three completed seasons.
• One fifth of clubs now have private capital directly represented within their ownership structures, a proportion that rises to nearly one third when indirect involvement is also considered.

The full report is available now — read it.

CIES Sports Intelligence is a research and analysis division of the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) specialized in sports governance, policy and regulations. By focusing on the dissemination of research and knowledge, CIES Sports Intelligence’s goal is to support stakeholders in the implementation of strategic decisions based on data and information and promote the development of best governance and management practices across the sports industry.