By Annette Ikponmwonba | September 23, 2026
Key Points
· Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada says the club’s Champions League return and strong commercial performance reflect two years of progress
· The club recorded record revenues and adjusted EBITDA despite lacking European football last season
· Berrada credits the results to sustained internal work over the past two years and the club’s enduring commercial strength
· United strengthened both its men’s and women’s squads during the summer transfer window
· The men’s team has now secured a return of Champions League football to Old Trafford
Main Story
Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada has said the club’s return to the Champions League and strong commercial performance underline the progress made over the past two years. In a statement on X on Wednesday, accompanying the club’s latest financial results, Berrada highlighted record revenues and adjusted EBITDA despite the absence of European football last season.
“We are pleased to have secured record revenues and adjusted EBITDA which demonstrates the underlying strength of our business, particularly in a season without European football,” Berrada said. He described the results as a direct reflection of the work the club has been doing over the past two years, while also serving as proof of Manchester United’s enduring popularity and commercial strength, He added that the club had strengthened both its men’s and women’s teams during the summer transfer window, with the men’s side now set to bring Champions League football back to Old Trafford after their period without European competition.
The Issues
The financial results carry particular weight given they were achieved without the revenue boost typically associated with Champions League qualification, historically one of the most significant sources of both broadcasting revenue and commercial appeal for major European clubs. Posting record figures under those conditions suggests Manchester United’s commercial operations, sponsorships, merchandising and other non-matchday revenue streams have remained robust even during a competitively underwhelming period on the pitch.
This context also frames the club’s return to the Champions League as more than just a sporting achievement, positioning it as a financial inflection point that could further strengthen revenues going forward. For a club that has faced sustained scrutiny over on-pitch performance and squad investment decisions in recent seasons, demonstrating both financial discipline and a return to Europe’s top competition offers a rare moment of alignment between business performance and sporting progress.
Berrada’s emphasis on financial sustainability alongside squad investment also reflects the tightrope many major football clubs now walk under financial fair play and profitability and sustainability regulations, where spending on squad strengthening must be carefully balanced against revenue growth and cost discipline to avoid regulatory complications.
What’s Being Said
Berrada was measured in tone, framing the results as validation of a longer-term strategy rather than a singular success. “This shows the direct impact of the work we have been doing over the past two years. It also proves Manchester United’s enduring popularity and commercial strength,” he said, while also cautioning that continued discipline would be necessary to maintain sustainable finances going forward.
On squad investment, he tied the summer transfer window activity directly to this financial sustainability framing, noting that the club had strengthened both its men’s and women’s teams while working within that broader financial discipline, culminating in the men’s team’s return to Champions League competition at Old Trafford.
What’s Next
Attention will likely turn to how Manchester United performs both financially and competitively now that Champions League football has returned to Old Trafford, given how directly Berrada tied the club’s financial trajectory to European competition participation, The club’s continued approach to squad investment during future transfer windows will also be worth watching, particularly given Berrada’s repeated emphasis on maintaining financial discipline even as the club looks to build on this improved financial and sporting position.
Bottom Line
Manchester United’s record financial results, achieved even without European football, combined with the club’s Champions League return, give the club a rare moment to point to genuine alignment between business performance and sporting progress, with CEO Omar Berrada framing it as proof that the club’s two-year rebuilding strategy is beginning to pay off both on and off the pitch.
