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Real Madrid and Barcelona neck-and-neck as world’s most valuable football brands in the face of COVID-19
- Real Madrid remain world’s most valuable football brand, but Barcelona narrow the gap to just €6 million
- COVID-19 causes total brand value of top 50 clubs to decrease for the first time in 6 years – €751 million or 3.7% is knocked off
- English clubs dominate the ranking with six brands in top 10 and 19 in top 50
- Liverpool inches two spots up into 4th place, following historic Premier League win
- Bundesliga’s 1. FC Köln is this year’s fastest-growing brand, followed by Leicester City and RB Leipzig – all recording over 40% growth
- Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium takes top spot in Buro Happold’s Venue Performance Rating
Real Madrid remain the most valuable football club brand in the world for 2020, according to the latest edition of the Brand Finance Football Annual. Boosted by winning the LaLiga title for the first time since 2017, the club retained its position at the top of the table in the football industry, but against a backdrop of economic and social disruption, caused primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic, Real Madrid’s brand value has declined by 14% to €1,419 million.
Real Madrid’s disappointing on-pitch performance prior to 2019-20, which saw an earlier-than-normal exit from the UEFA Champions League in 2018-19 and a second successive season adrift of LaLiga champions Barcelona, eroded the club’s dominance of the Brand Finance ranking. The situation was exacerbated by COVID-19, along with a lack of stability around the management of the team. Barcelona, Real’s fierce rivals, are just €6 million behind Real with a brand value of €1,413 million, supported by strong and diverse revenue generation and continued domestic performance in Spain.
COVID-19 knocks off €751 million of brand value
Real Madrid is not the only club to see a drop in brand value this year. COVID-19 has caused the total value of the top 50 football brands to decrease for the first time in 6 years. Through its effect on the three main revenue streams – Matchday, Broadcasting, and Commercial – €751 million or 3.7% has been knocked off the cumulative brand value of the world’s top 50 most valuable football clubs.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged professional football worldwide and across all levels. Matchday income for the 501 games remaining in the big 5 leagues dropped to zero, but it is often the smaller clubs and leagues which are more reliant on this revenue stream – in Scotland it makes up 43% of total revenue, compared to only 13% in England.
There have been some positive signs, as Southampton vs Manchester City on BBC broke the Premier League TV audience record with 5.7 million viewers, but the longer-term damage to the game’s economic structure has yet to be revealed.
Richard Haigh, Managing Director of Brand Finance, commented:
“Top-level football has been confronted with the largest existential threat since the Second World War. Loss of income, coupled with health concerns about mass gatherings, have raised question marks about the future of the industry and the financial resilience of clubs across all levels. The full damage of the COVID-19 crisis has yet to unfold and it is not inconceivable there will be casualties in the form of club bankruptcies and changes in ownership.”
Despite the huge implications of COVID-19 for football clubs and their financial results, the majority of the brand value is secured by the clubs’ long-term future – provided they can survive the initial shock. For example, only 21% of Real Madrid’s brand value is delivered by the next five years’ financial results.
Premier power
Real Madrid and Barcelona are followed by a cluster of English Premier League clubs in the Brand Finance Football Annual 2020 ranking, with Manchester United in 3rd position after their brand value fell by 11% to €1,314 million. Liverpool, who won their first league title since 1990 in runaway style, are in 4th spot jumping above Manchester City in terms of brand value, rising from €1,191 million in 2019 to €1,262 million, a 6% increase. Chelsea dropped one place in the table to 8th after their value fell for the fourth consecutive year to €949 million. This was arguably due to the club being absent from the UEFA Champions League and also suffering a transfer ban after being charged with breaking Financial Fair Play Regulations.
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Dominic Sawyer VP Growth at Tequity
Tequity and iBankroll forge strategic partnership
Tequity, the technology partner behind some of the industry’s most scalable and customisable gaming solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with iBankroll that brings together two complementary engines of operator growth: high-performance Originals content and a liquidity support solution designed to remove exposure and empower operators to scale responsibly.
The partnership reflects a shared ambition to help operators overcome both creative and capital constraints. Through iBankroll’s Bankroll-as-a-Service solution, partners gain access to Tequity’s modular Remote Game Server (RGS) and its expanding portfolio of fully customisable Originals – a suite of provably fair, streamer-friendly, brandable titles engineered for next-generation engagement.
By aligning liquidity support with cutting-edge content delivery, the partnership aims to remove longstanding barriers in the iGaming sector – whether related to volatility, differentiation, or the technical bandwidth required to launch new experiences at speed.
Operators will now be able to offer bigger limits, streamline withdrawals, and deploy fully brandable Originals, supported by a capital-efficient foundation that enhances consistency and theoretical value.
With operators increasingly seeking adaptable content frameworks and operational models that support higher limits and smoother user experiences, the collaboration introduces an integrated pathway to growth.
The joint rollout marks the beginning of a broader collaboration, with both companies focused on accelerating innovation across fintech and gaming technology.
Dominic Sawyer, VP Growth at Tequity, said: “iBankroll removes the capital constraint for ambitious operators. Tequity does the same on the content side with high-performance, fully brandable house games. Together, we give partners the confidence to offer bigger limits and smooth withdrawals on games that players genuinely love.”
Hayden Bowman, Co-Founder of iBankroll, added: “Tequity’s engineering expertise, scalable infrastructure, and standout Originals portfolio make them an ideal partner. Bringing their technology together with our Bankroll-as-a-Service gives operators a compelling foundation to grow, innovate, and future-proof their business.”
The post Tequity and iBankroll forge strategic partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
Christos Zoulianitis Chief Commercial Officer at ENJOY
ENJOY expands distribution through SoftGamings partnership
Collaboration marks a key step in ENJOY’s ongoing growth strategy
ENJOY, the dynamic iGaming content developer, has broadened its market access through a new partnership with SoftGamings, bringing its slot and live casino portfolio to one of the industry’s leading aggregation platforms.
The deal sees ENJOY’s content, including standout releases Hotfire Diamonds, Bison Strike and Grand Lightning, made available to SoftGamings’ extensive network, reinforcing the studio’s strategy to deliver its titles across multiple markets.
The integration is the latest in a string of alliances with key industry stakeholders, and reaffirms the studio’s commitment to innovative design, technical reliability and long-term commercial impact.
Christos Zoulianitis, Chief Commercial Officer at ENJOY, said: “This new partnership firmly places ENJOY’s games in front of a wider audience seeking proven, high-quality entertainment.
“SoftGamings has established itself as a trusted distribution partner, and this collaboration supports our focus on sustainable, global growth.”
Inna Lukina, Head of Partnerships at SoftGamings, added: “ENJOY delivers strong, player-focused content that stands out for both its technical execution and playability.
“Adding its titles to our platform offers our clients access to a brand with clear creative direction and momentum.”
The post ENJOY expands distribution through SoftGamings partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
Fortune of Olympus
PRAGMATIC PLAY STRIKES GOLD WITH FORTUNE OF OLYMPUS
Pragmatic Play, a leading content supplier to the iGaming industry, unleashes a thunderous new entry in its iconic Greek Gods series with Fortune of Olympus – an electrifying 7×7 cluster-pays slot charged with random multipliers, dynamic special bets, and a 10,000x max win.
Fortune of Olympus is the latest feature-packed addition to the industry-leading Gates of Olympus universe. The blockbuster slot delivers explosive action as clusters of 5-15+ matching symbols reward players with wins of up to 150x in the base game.
On any spin, mighty multiplier symbols worth 2x-500x can strike the grid. When multiple multipliers hit, their values combine and detonate into a single, supercharged payout at the end of the tumbling sequence.
Landing 4-7 scatter symbols triggers the bonus game, awarding 15-30 free spins. During this striking feature, every multiplier that appears is added to a growing total multiplier, which is applied to all subsequent wins in the round, building tension and potential with every spin.
Players in certain markets can also amplify the action with special bets. Ante bets boost the chance of triggering Free Spins or Super Free Spins. The two Super Spins options guarantee at least one multiplier on every spin, with the second raising the minimum multiplier value to 50x.
Those eager for instant power can jump straight into Free Spins or Super Free Spins via 100x or 500x bonus buys, with the latter ensuring all multipliers start from 5x and above.
Fortune of Olympus marks the triumphant return of Pragmatic Play’s legendary Zeus character, following the success of Gates of Olympus Super Scatter and Gates of Olympus 1000, and pushes the fan-favourite series into thrilling new territory.
Irina Cornides, Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play, said: “Fortune of Olympus is a stunning addition to Pragmatic Play’s popular Greek Gods series and a distinctly different kind of outing for Zeus. Taking the iconic Gates of Olympus series in a thrilling new direction, this feature-rich slot delivers a standout experience with epic win potential.”
The post PRAGMATIC PLAY STRIKES GOLD WITH FORTUNE OF OLYMPUS appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
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