SL Benfica has been named the world’s most profitable football academy of the last decade by CIES, while Chelsea FC faces a record-breaking £262.4 million pre-tax loss despite high homegrown sales.
The CIES Football Observatory has identified SL Benfica as the global leader in academy monetization, generating €589 million in transfer revenue over the last ten years.
Followed by Ajax (€454m) and Chelsea (€442m), the study highlights a strategic shift where elite youth systems function as vital revenue streams.
Benfica’s consistent production line and Ajax’s defined football identity continue to set the gold standard for sustainable talent exportation.
While Chelsea ranks third globally for academy profit, the club simultaneously announced a staggering £262.4 million pre-tax loss for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
This figure marks the largest deficit in Premier League history, fueled by aggressive transfer spending and rising operating costs.
To mitigate these losses, the London club has relied heavily on selling “pure profit” homegrown talents, including high-profile departures like Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher.
Beyond the top three, the report underlines the financial dominance of the Premier League, with Manchester City following Chelsea as England’s most profitable academy.
French clubs Lyon and Monaco, along with Real Madrid and Brazil’s Palmeiras, also feature in the top ten.
This globalization of the development market shows 19 different associations represented, proving that identifying and well-timing the sale of young assets is now a universal strategy.