Revealed: Premier League Fair Market Sponsorship Values 2026
This morning, The Sponsor published the fifth annual Premier League FMV Index, covering the fair market value of all 20 Premier League clubs' front-of-shirt and sleeve sponsorship assets. This year's results reveal a widening gap between the league's most commercially powerful clubs and the rest of the market in a post-gambling-ban era.
Fair market value (FMV) refers to the income a team or event can reasonably expect to achieve for its sponsorship on the open market in an arm's-length transaction. Grounded in commercial market evidence, The Sponsor's FMV Index provides brands, rights holders and agencies with an independent assessment of sponsorship value.
Tottenham Hotspur’s sponsorship value falls by 40%
The 40% decline in Tottenham Hotspur’s front-of-shirt sponsorship value is the cumulative effect of two consecutive 17th-place finishes.
Last year, losses were mitigated by qualification for European football and the increased exposure that came with it. A second relegation battle, coupled with the loss of exposure for club sponsors in European competitions, has exposed a significant decline in sponsor value as the club enters the final year of its partnership with shirt and sleeve sponsors AIA and Kraken.
The club’s primary sponsorship assets have a current FMV of £29.8m for the front-of-shirt, £7.2m for the sleeve and £11.2m for stadium naming rights.
Over the last three years, Tottenham’s sponsorship value has fallen from £49.3m in 2024 to £29.8m in 2026. That fall in value is predominantly driven by on-pitch performance, the loss of star players Harry Kane and Son Heung-min and lack of sponsor exposure through European competitions.
Despite this, Tottenham remains one of the most valuable sponsorship opportunities in English football. The club’s fanbase, infrastructure, global recognition and reputation for quality still carry enormous weight with sponsors. Those attributes do not disappear after a couple of difficult seasons.
Visit The Sponsor FMV Index for up-to-date valuations across all European football clubs and other major sports sponsorship assets.
Chelsea’s sponsorship valued at £33.6m as search for a partner goes on
Chelsea’s sponsorship value has fallen by £16.7m to £33.6m, following a disappointing campaign that culminated in the absence of any European football, thereby significantly reducing exposure for club sponsors.
While the club still offers its commercial partners access to a huge global audience and star players such as Cole Palmer, that significantly reduced exposure has weakened the commercial value of the opportunity at a time when the club continues to search for a long-term partner.
Arsenal's sponsorship value increases 19% to £59.2m
Despite losing the Champions League final, Arsenal’s sponsorship value continues to rise, driven not only by winning the title but by the club’s consistent reputation for high-quality over recent years.
Since 2023, the FMV of Arsenal’s front-of-shirt sponsorship has risen from £31.3m to £59.2m.
A partnership with Arsenal provides sponsors with access to an affluent, global audience within the context of a high-quality, winning brand. These are premium attributes for which sponsors are prepared to invest significant sums to acquire. The club’s reputational scores would have risen further had they secured the Champions League trophy.
Manchester United sponsorship breaks £60m as Champions League qualification provides sponsors greater exposure
Manchester United remains one of the most powerful sponsorship brands in world football with a front-of-shirt value of £60m and sleeve value of £16.7m.
Following a return to Europe’s elite competition under Michael Carrick, the club’s improved visibility, audience reach, and performance perception have combined with its existing reputational scores to push its FMV above £60m, placing it second only to Liverpool.
If Manchester United can demonstrate consistent exposure to this larger audience in the coming years, that value could begin to rival Real madrid's £63.1m valuation, currently the most valuable shirt sponsorship asset in Europe.
Brighton, Bournemouth and Sunderland surge following European qualification
Brighton, Bournemouth and Sunderland have all seen substantial increases in sponsorship value following qualification for European competition.
Bournemouth’s front-of-shirt sponsorship value has risen from £3.1m in 2025 to £7.3m in 2026, the single largest percentage increase of any club in this year’s valuation. While the increase in sponsorship value is predominantly driven by increased reach and exposure it also reflects improvements in the club's reputational scores, particularly around quality and performance, driven by consistent growth and increasingly strong Premier League finishes
For Sunderland, the return to European football after 52 years is the latest impressive on-pitch contribution that has materially increased the club's sponsorship value in recent years. Unlike many clubs promoted from the Championship, Sunderland already possessed strong scores across digital and physical infrastructure, a rich history, a passionate fanbase and deep community roots. Those attributes are now combining with increased visibility to drive the fair market value of Sunderland's front-of-shirt sponsorship to £10.2m.
Liverpool retains its position at the top with a fair market sponsorship value of £61m despite incurring losses and falling behind Real Madrid in Europe
It was a season to forget for Liverpool fans, but thankfully their qualification into next year’s Champions League has prevented major losses in sponsorship value.
Liverpool's strong history and global fanbase are enough to weather most storms on the pitch; however, the absence of star player Mo Salah has already affected sponsorship value this year. There will be little cause for concern amongst the club's sponsorship roster for now.
The great gambling reset: Values hold but demand dives
The Premier League’s gambling sponsorship ban was widely expected to trigger a significant collapse in sponsorship values. However, this year’s FMV Index shows values have broadly held steady, thanks in part to strong deals secured by clubs across the continent.
The data shows that there are still sponsors active in the market which are willing to pay fees at a similar level to gambling brands.
The real impact of the gambling ban has therefore not been a collapse in value, but a collapse in demand.
The pool of sponsors willing to spend £5m- £25m annually on Premier League sponsorship has shrunk dramatically since gambling sponsors were removed from the market. Clubs now face an increasingly fierce battle to find and secure the relatively small number of sponsors that remain in the market.
The dilemma for clubs yet to agree a new partnership and even some of those that have, is locking themselves into a deal that undervalues their most valuable commercial asset. That fear is being balanced against the very real possibility of starting the season without a sponsor at all.
Valuation methodology statement
The valuation is conducted using a market regression approach, in accordance with the principles of IVS 105 Valuation Approaches and Methods.
The valuation date is 1st June 2026.
The Sponsor is an independent valuer with no vested or commercial interest in the outcomes of the valuations. The Sponsor does not buy, sell or recommend sponsorships on behalf of brands, agencies or rights holders, and is entirely privately owned - under no pressure from parent organisations or shareholders with a stake in the result.
A full market-based regression methodology can be viewed here.
For further information regarding any valuation, please contact info@thesponsor.com.
