38 football leagues ranked by market value, Premier League players average €24.2m, La Liga’s €11.48m
The report shows that the Premier League is in a category of its own, with a total player value of €13.16bn. That is €1.42bn more than La Liga and Serie A combined, which are valued at €5.88bn and €5.86bn respectively. The Premier League also leads by average player value at €24.19m, more than twice La Liga’s €11.48m and well ahead of Serie A (€10.16m), the Bundesliga (€9.69m) and Ligue 1 (€8.33m).
The top five remain in exactly the same order in both rankings, but below them the positions begin to change. Brazil ranks sixth by total market value at €1.97bn but fall to eighth by average player value, allowing Portugal and Türkiye to move ahead. Liga Portugal rises from seventh to sixth, while the Süper Lig moves from eighth to seventh.
Some leagues move much further. Scotland, Denmark and Austria each rise six places, the biggest gains in the study. Scotland moves from 22nd to 16th, Denmark from 23rd to 17th and Austria from 26th to 20th. Croatia also climbes four places, while Russia, Switzerland, Qatar and Israel each gains three.
At the other end, Poland’s Ekstraklasa records the biggest fall, dropping seven places from 19th to 26th. Czechia and Japan each fall six positions, while MLS drops from ninth to 14th. The US league has a total market value of €1.48bn, but that figure is spread across 868 players, compared with 487 in Liga MX, which remain 12th in both rankings.
The number of players helps explain many of these changes. Argentina has the most registered footballers in the study with 893, while Croatia has the fewest with 321. Argentina ranks 15th by total value but falls to 18th by average player value, while Croatia moves in the opposite direction, from 32nd to 28th.
The study includes only top-flight leagues, which means the English Championship is excluded despite being valued at €2.24bn across 666 players. If included, it would rank sixth by total market value and seventh by average player value, ahead of many first divisions covered in the report.
Key Takeaways:
- The Premier League leads all 38 top-flight competitions with a combined player market value of €13.16bn, ahead of La Liga at €5.88bn and Serie A at €5.86bn
- England’s top flight alone is valued €1.42bn higher than La Liga and Serie A combined.
- Europe’s big five occupy exactly the same top-five order in both rankings: England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France
- Premier League players average €24.19m in market value, more than twice La Liga’s €11.48m and far ahead of Serie A (€10.16m), the Bundesliga (€9.69m) and Ligue 1 (€8.33m)
- There are 16 top flights with a combined player valuation above €500m, while 21 have players averaging more than €1m in market value
- Brazil ranks sixth by total valuation at €1.97bn but falls to eighth when player numbers are taken into account, allowing Portugal and Türkiye to move ahead
- MLS drops from ninth to 14th, one of the biggest declines in the study, as its €1.48bn valuation is spread across 868 registered players. Liga MX, by comparison, remains 12th
- Scotland, Denmark and Austria record the largest gains, each climbing six places Croatia rises four, while Russia, Switzerland, Qatar and Israel each gain three
- Poland records the biggest fall of all 38 leagues, dropping seven places from 19th to 26th. Czechia and Japan each lose six positions
- Argentina has the largest player pool in the study with 893 registered footballers, while Croatia has the smallest with 321 – a difference that helps explain why the two rankings can produce substantially different results
- Ten competitions do not move at all between the two rankings, including all of Europe’s big five as well as Mexico, Belgium, Sweden, Ecuador and Chile
- At the bottom of the second ranking, China has the lowest average at €0.31m, while Uruguay moves above it despite having the lowest overall league valuation in the study
