Even the likes of West Ham United have nearly 20m followers across social media, highlighting how the emergence of sites such as Instagram and X (Twitter) have helped teams become bigger and more popular than ever. Now, a fascinating study from CIES Football Observatory has revealed the 17 English teams with the biggest followings across all social media platforms.

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Including the likes of Crystal Palace and Leeds United

Leeds United are the first team on the list, squeaking in at 17th with 7m followers across all social media platforms. They could see their following grow even more going forward should their upward trajectory continue.

Just ahead of them are Sunderland, whose followers have grown by 55.3% over the last year thanks to their success in the Premier League. The Black Cats finished in an impressive seventh in their first campaign back in England’s top tier as they secured Europa League qualification.

Just ahead of them are Southampton, who were sensationally kicked out of this year’s Championship playoff final, and Crystal Palace, who were recently crowned Europa Conference League champions.

Palace’s rivals Brighton & Hove Albion (9.7m), Wolverhampton Wanderers (12.3m) and Everton (17.7m) are the final three sides included in this section, with the Toffees’ followers growing by 21.8% over the last 12 months.

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Tottenham Hotspur feature here

Breaking into the top 10, Aston Villa are up first. The Midlands club have been transformed under Unai Emery and are now firmly entrenched among the Premier League’s top teams. They successfully qualified for the Champions League once again this season following a fourth-place finish, while they were also triumphant in the Europa League. It’s vastly different from the struggles in the Championship just a handful of seasons ago.

Despite their success, Emery’s side have fewer followers than West Ham. The Hammers’ followers have grown by 6.3% over the last 12 months despite enduring a tough campaign which ultimately ended in relegation to the Championship.

Newcastle United follow. The Magpies have gone from strength to strength following Mike Ashley’s sale of the club to the Saudi Public Investment Fund and they have 21.3m followers across all social media channels. They aren’t the only team who have seen a significant improvement in recent years and earned a sizeable following as a result, though.

The final two teams just outside the top five are Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Despite falling into League One, the Foxes have 24.3m followers across all social media, while Spurs (112.2m) miss out on the top five by just 6m.

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Manchester United lead the way

The first team in the top five is Arsenal. The Gunners finally ended their Premier League trophy drought to become English champions for the first time since 2004. They were beaten in the Champions League final by PSG, though, meaning they remain the only team in the top five of this list to never win the competition. As a result, it’s hardly surprising to see the Gunners come fifth with 118.5m followers across all platforms.

There’s a sizeable jump next to fourth place and ahead of them is London rivals Chelsea, who have 156.5m social media followers in total. The Blues have won two Champions League trophies over the last 15 years and have seen their status in football grow exponentially during the 21st century. With five Premier League titles under their belt too, Chelsea have become one of the biggest clubs in not just England, but the world.

Over 23m ahead of them, though, is Liverpool. After a period of struggle, the Reds transformed into one of the best teams in England again under Jurgen Klopp. The Germany rejuvenated the side and led them back to the Champions League trophy and their first ever Premier League title. His exit threatened undoing all the work they’d done, but Arne Slot came in and took them straight to the peak of English football. They are one of the most decorated football teams in the country and have 179.2m followers across all social media platforms, making them the third-most-followed side in England.

Surprisingly, Manchester City are one place above Liverpool, with 187.8m social media followers. The Citizens became one of the most dominant teams in the history of English football following Pep Guardiola’s arrival and that form has seen them become one of the most followed teams in the country. They’ve got a long way to go before they catch up to their local rivals, though. Manchester United, despite their struggles in recent years, are by far the most followed team in England, with 238.6m social media followers.

The Red Devils are coming off one of their better campaigns in recent years, with Michael Carrick leading them to a third-place finish in the Premier League. They’re the third-most followed team in the world, only behind Real Madrid (487.6m) and Barcelona (441.8m), and there’s no shame in that.