Real Madrid hold major financial advantage over Barcelona, according to La Liga analysis

Over the past few decades, Real Madrid and Barcelona have gone head-to-head in their pursuit of dominance in La Liga and across Europe, often contending for the biggest titles each season. However, off the field, the gap between the two clubs has grown increasingly wide.

This week, La Liga published detailed figures regarding the budgets of all 20 clubs in the league. The report is based on a financial analysis of income and expenses to determine each team’s squad cost limit for the current season.

In that breakdown, Real Madrid hold a massive lead over the rest of the Spanish clubs. Based on their revenue, Los Blancos are permitted to spend €761 million (nearly $900 million) on their squad this year. That figure puts them at the top of the rankings, more than doubling their closest competitors.

Barcelona are second on the list with an allowance of €351 million. What stands out is not just the massive gap with Real Madrid, but also the sharp decline from last season’s figure. In the 2024-25 season, according to the same La Liga analysis, Barcelona’s squad cost limit was €463 million, meaning a drop of €112 million compared to this year.

The significant drop in funds available to Barcelona can partly be attributed to the club’s severe financial issues over the past decade—but that’s not the whole story. In recent years, their numbers had been improving steadily, a trend that has now been disrupted.

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When asked about the situation, La Liga corporate general director Javier Gomez pointed to the delayed renovation of Camp Nou as a key factor. “Barcelona are functioning without their stadium, they have a ton of revenue there. We’re talking about €70–80 million a year,” he explained. “They’re going to recover, the question is whether it will be in 10 months or when it’ll be.”