Pre-season tours: Inside the economics of football’s summer money-spinners
Football’s summer tours have turned into travelling commercial platforms bringing together big fees, sponsors, merchandise, media and global fan growth, explains Simon Dent. For most football supporters, pre-season used to mean low-key friendlies against a local non-league team, some heavy-legged players and a chance to see the new signing for 30 minutes. For clubs, it [...]
Pre-season football tours have evolved into lucrative commercial ventures, bringing in substantial fees, sponsors, merchandise, media, and global fan growth, according to Simon Dent. In the past, pre-season meant friendly matches against local non-league teams, but now, Premier League clubs are touring the United States, Australasia, and Asia.
Manchester City played in Hong Kong and Seoul, Aston Villa visited Indonesia, Thailand, and Hong Kong, and Tottenham Hotspur played in New Zealand and Australia. These tours are carefully designed to reach audiences in major markets worldwide, as clubs are competing not only for trophies but also for attention and commercial partnerships.
Deloitte's 2026 Football Money League revealed that the world's 20 highest-earning clubs generated €12.4 billion in 2024-25, with €5.3 billion coming from commercial revenue, exceeding broadcasting and matchday income. Clubs now have more control over various revenue streams, including sponsorship, retail, licensing, content, and direct-to-consumer products. Pre-season tours can support multiple aspects of these revenue categories.
For instance, Manchester United's May 2025 trip to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong reportedly earned more than $10 million in revenue. Liverpool's 2025 tour to Hong Kong and Japan generated fees worth £8 million to £10 million. Manchester City's 2026 Asia friendlies will be streamed through their paid direct-to-consumer service, CITY+.
Additionally, sponsorships, merchandise, hospitality, and local partnerships can generate substantial returns. Manchester City's 2026 Asia friendlies will be streamed through CITY+, their direct-to-consumer service, while Liverpool's Hong Kong match against AC Milan was sponsored by Standard Chartered, and Japan Airlines used the tour for its global marketing.
Written by urgent.news from City AM's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
