Similarweb Traffic League: Who Was the Most Popular Football Club in April 2024?

We are excited to present the second edition of the Similarweb Traffic League, a comprehensive and ongoing report on the top online traffic-generating football clubs in the world. Similarweb Traffic League ranks the leading clubs based on their average monthly global website traffic from mobile and desktop devices between May 2021 and April 2024.

And the winner is…

Manchester United generated the most website visits over the last three years. This is another attribute of the organization’s exceptional marketing capabilities, the opposite of its complete sporting failure. This award comes at the end of a disastrous season on the pitch, which saw United finishing 8th in the Premier League, their worst position since its inauguration in 1992.

Manchester United’s traffic peaks occur during the summer months during which the club goes on international tours in the US and the Far East, connecting with its global fanbase. June through August are also the months of the summer transfer window, during which the club supposedly strengthens its ranks with new players. In United’s case, fans’ hopes, and subsequently website traffic, plummet after the season starts and the disappointing performances stack up.

The 2024 Champions League Final: Clear knockout for Real Madrid

According to the bookmakers, Real Madrid is the clear favorite to win this season’s Champions League Final. In addition, they have a much more expensive squad and are the record holders of the Champions League trophy with 14 wins.

They are also a much more popular club than their opponents, Borussia Dortmund, who finished 5th in the German League, and 13th in Similarweb’s Traffic League, behind clubs from lesser-known leagues, such as Turkish-side Fenerbahçe and Portuguese powerhouse, Benfica.

However, the difference in performance between the two finalists isn’t only attributed to wealth. Whereas Madrid aspires to be the most powerful and popular club in the world, Dortmund, like most German clubs, is much more entrenched in its community, unwilling to compromise its local identity for the sake of global commercial appeal.

Is Leverkusen building its global brand?

One of the biggest sensations in world football this year came from Bayer Leverkusen, who won its first-ever Bundesliga title, usurping Bayern Munich from the throne after 11 consecutive championships. The club’s sporting success trickled from the pitch to the digital realm, with a peak of 1.435M visitors to its website in April 2024.

Alt text: All worldwide traffic to bayer04.de, April 2021-April 2024

Leverkusen also grew its international fanbase. Between April 2021 and August 2023, visits from Germany accounted for 66.8% of the club’s total traffic. In the following months leading up to April 2024, the amount dropped to 62.2%. Between March to April 2024, it went down further to 60.6%.

PSG and Manchester City are at a stalemate

Despite heavy investment and another season at the top of European football, PSG and Man City have not been able to advance their position in the Traffic League ranking this season. Man City became the first club to win four Premier League titles in a row this season, securing the title on the last match day against Arsenal, but when it comes to website traffic, the Gunners still maintain the upper hand.

PSG’s situation is even worse. The French champions fell behind Tottenham, who lifted their last major trophy in 1991. Considering that they’ve already lost international icons Leo Messi and Neymar and that they are bound to bid farewell to Kylian Mbappe this summer, it remains to be seen how the lack of stardust will impact the club’s digital appeal.

Mbappe was not only a leader on the pitch but also a driving force in search. It will be interesting to see how PSG will fill the void ahead of the next season.

Looking ahead to the 2024-25 European football season

Despite growing financial gaps, football continues to surprise us. This summer is expected to bring a lot of changes, all of which might impact club’s popularity as reflected in their digital performance:

• At least five of the top 10 clubs in the Traffic League are expected to change their managers. How will it affect the club’s performance on the pitch and online?
• Will Leverkusen, unlike Italian 2023-sensation, Napoli, maintain their level of performance and continue building their online presence?
• Can Mbappé’s expected move to Madrid help Los Blancos challenge the English clubs at the top of the Traffic League?