Real Madrid Reigns as Most Followed Club Globally, Al-Ahly SC Leads Africa
Spanish giants Real Madrid continue to dominate the global football scene—not just on the pitch, but also in the digital space. The LaLiga powerhouse boasts an incredible 470 million followers across major social media platforms, keeping them at the top of the football world. Their eternal rivals, Barcelona, follow closely behind with 424 million, highlighting their enduring popularity.
According to the 508th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post, Manchester United completes the global top three with 234 million, while PSG sits in fourth with 199 million. The rest of the top ten features English clubs Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal, alongside Bayern Munich from Germany and Juventus from Italy.
On the African continent, Egyptian side Al-Ahly SC holds the crown as the most-followed club, amassing 57.7 million followers. Their compatriots, Zamalek, sit in second with 17.2 million, followed by Tanzania’s Simba FC at 13.1 million. Moroccan club Raja Casablanca (12.3 million) and South African sides Kaizer Chiefs (9.5 million) and Orlando Pirates (8.3 million) also feature among the world’s 100 most-followed clubs.
Despite Nigeria’s rich football heritage, no Nigerian club appears on the global ranking, highlighting a potential area for growth in digital engagement.
For non-European teams, the report notes Brazil’s Flamengo and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr—home to global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo—as standout clubs in terms of social media reach.
