Which British team has the most social media followers? And it’s not Liverpool or Arsenal…
- Ben Mulholland
- 19 July 2023
These are the top 50 most-followed clubs in England and Wales via social media. Their combined followers are based on the following Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Manchester United and Manchester City's combined following of 269million makes Manchester the most followed football city in England. Despite having more clubs on this list, London sits second.
50) Preston North End - 339,000 followers
Preston North End currently sits as the 50th most-followed team in England, with Facebook being their most-followed account with 134,000 followers.
The Lilywhites hold the record for the most significant winning margin in the FA Cup, beating Hyde 26-0 way back in 1887.
49) Blackpool - 410,000 followers
Being the only team in the town, Blackpool has built a significant following over the years.
However, their fanbase has yet to get much to shout about after they have just been relegated from the Championship and finished on 44 points.
Blackpool adopted their famous orange kit after a recommendation from a referee called Albert Hargreaves.
The ref was officiating a game between Holland and Belgium and was said to be impressed with the Dutch national kit.
The Seasiders first wore the orange strip in the 1923/14 season and have worn the colours ever since.
48) Coventry City - 414,000 followers
One of the most established teams in the Midlands, Coventry City have developed an extensive fan base that has been going on for years.
Last season their average attendance stood at just over 19,000, which ranks them eighth in the Sky Bet Championship.
The Sky Blues missed promotion to the Premier League after losing to Luton Town on penalties in the play-off final after the game was 1-1.
47) Millwall - 449,000 followers
Millwall have an extensive and dedicated fanbase in England; however, they have the fewest social media followers than any other club in London.
Millwall are famously associated with football hooliganism which came to prevalence in the 1970s and 1980s.
They're more widely known as the Millwall Bushwhackers, one of England's most notorious hooligan gangs.
46) Charlton Athletic - 500,000 followers
Charlton Athletic's most-followed account is Facebook, with over 214,000 followers.
The Addicks won League One in 2012 with 101 points, the highest number of points they've ever achieved in a single campaign.
45) Salford City - 516,000 followers
Salford City's social media has skyrocketed since Gary Neville took over the club.
The Ammies have just under 300,000 followers on Instagram, which is more than most of their rivals in League Two (only Wrexham have more).
Salford City are nicknamed the Ammies because they used to be known as the Amateur in the earlier days.
44) Ipswich Town - 560,000 followers
League One side Ipswich Town's most followed account is on Facebook with just under 200,000 followers.
The club have competed in all three major European club competitions and are the only British side to have never lost at home in a European competition - having defeated teams such as Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio, and Barcelona.
43) Bristol City - 576,000 followers
Bristol City have over 200,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook.
In 1918 they were believed to have hosted a baseball game between USA and Canada, drawing a crowd of around 2,000 people. Bristol City merged with their local rivals Bedminster in 1900 and joined the Football League a year later.
42) Portsmouth FC - 601,000 followers
Portsmouth are the only club in the city, so have grown a massive fanbase.
Pompey have 149,000 followers on Instagram and 174,000 on Twitter.
Portsmouth last won a major trophy in the 2007-08 FA Cup final against Cardiff City at Wembley.
41) Luton Town - 611,000 followers
Luton Town are currently 41st on this list, and as they have just been promoted to the Premier League, their fanbase has the potential to grow even more.
Luton have just over 2,500 followers on Facebook and 172,000 followers on Twitter.
The Hatters were the first southern town to turn professional in 1897 and left three years later due to financial problems, but they re-joined the Football League in 1920.
40) Huddersfield Town - 669,000 followers
Huddersfield's most-followed account is Facebook, with just over 162,000 followers.
Recognised as one of the most successful English clubs of all time, they were the first to win the English League title thrice in 1924, 1925 and 1926.
This feat has only been repeated by four other teams: Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and most recently Manchester City.
39) Wigan Athletic - 782,000 followers
Wigan Athletic has a total of 176,000 followers on Instagram and 329,000 followers on Twitter.
Wigan's most recent trophy was in the FA Cup 2012 against Manchester City, which was secured with a Ben Watson header from a corner.
38) Blackburn Rovers - 813,000 followers
Blackburn Rovers missed out on a Championship play-off place last season - but have just under 200,000 followers on Instagram and about 300,000 followers on Facebook.
Blackburn hold the record with Bolton to have won the FA Cup most often in succession. Their glory days in that tournament came back when they were about to found the Football League, winning the trophy in 1884, 1885 and 1886.
37) Sheffield Wednesday - 872,000 followers
Sheffield Wednesday have over 100,000 followers on Instagram and over 300,000 followers on Facebook.
Wednesday is one of the oldest football clubs in the world of any code and England's second-oldest professional association football club.
36) Reading FC - 987,000 followers
It has been a difficult season for Reading fans, relegated from the Championship after a six points deduction, finishing the season on 44 points. Fifty points would have seen them escape relegation.
The Royals have just over 100,000 followers on Instagram and over 300,000 on Twitter.
Reading have never won a major trophy in their history. The club's best performance in the FA Cup was reaching the semi-finals, which they achieved twice: in 1926-27 and 2014-15.
35) Middlesbrough FC - 990,000 followers
Middlesbrough just missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season - but have over 400,000 followers on Instagram.
Middlesbrough have won one major trophy in their history - the League Cup back in 2004.
34) Birmingham City FC - 999,000 followers
Despite being the second biggest city in England, Birmingham City FC fall just short of one Million combined followers on social media.
The Blues have over 200,000 followers on Instagram and over 400,000 on Facebook.
Birmingham's last trophy was in 2011 in the League Cup final, winning the game 2-1 against Arsenal.
33) Brentford - 1million followers
Brentford just scraped 1million on all social media accounts combined, thanks to their successful time in the Premier League in recent years.
The Bees have over 400,000 followers on Instagram and 300,000 on Twitter.
Griffin Park, the home of Brentford FC for 116 years, was the only English Football League ground with a pub at each corner.
32) Cardiff City - 1.1million followers
Cardiff City have just over 500,000 followers on Facebook and just under 200,000 on Instagram.
The Bluebirds were initially set up as a cricket club, which was created when local cricket team members decided they wanted to remain social and keep fit during the winter months when the South Wales cricket leagues were not playing.
The decision was to set up Riverside FC, which comprised the cricket club's players.
31) Derby County - 1.2million followers
Derby County have over 400,000 followers on Twitter and over 500,000 on Facebook.
Founded in 1884, Derby County last won a major trophy in the 1974/75 season, winning the English First Division.
30) Queens Park Rangers - 1.3million followers
After escaping relegation to League One with 50 points, the Hoops' fanbase hopes to build from this and try to compete further up the table next season.
Queens Park Rangers have over 100,000 on Instagram and a massive 700,000 on Facebook.
QPR took part in the first-ever Charity Shield match against Manchester United. United won 4-0 after a 1-1 draw, with both matches being played at Stamford Bridge, and no Shield match has ever been replayed since then.
29) Sheffield United - 1.7million followers
Sheffield United are back in the Premier League and have over 600,000 followers on Instagram.
Sheffield United were the first club to win the Football League in 1898 and the first club to score a goal in the Premier League.
28) Burnley - 1.8million followers
Championship winners Burnley sit 28th in our list of most-followed teams in Britain via social media followers.
Vincent Kompany's side has over 750,000 followers on Twitter and over 6,000 followers on Instagram.
Burnley's last trophy was the FA Charity Shield in 1973, which they won for the second time after winning it 13 years earlier.
27) Bournemouth - 1.9million followers
Bournemouth have a total of 681,000 followers on Twitter and approximately 7,000 on Instagram.
Hollywood star Michael B Jordan is part of the new ownership group that owns the club.
26) Nottingham Forest - 2million followers
Forest have over 800,000 followers on Instagram and over 600,000 followers on Twitter.
The club are named Forest as they played their first games at Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham.
25) Hull City - 2.1million followers
Hull City has just over 500,000 followers on Instagram and 1million followers on Facebook.
In 1984, City declared they would play in the first-ever football match on the Moon.
Then chairman Don Robinson took the squad to NASA's base in Cape Canaveral during an American tour but admitted he hadn't found a team to play against.
24) West Bromwich Albion - 2.333million followers
The Baggies are the fourth most-followed club in the Midlands but have the second highest number of followers on Twitter.
West Brom have over 400,000 followers on Instagram and just under 900,000 followers on Facebook.
The last time West Brom won a trophy was in 1968, against Everton in the FA Cup Final. Jeff Astle got the only goal of the game.
23) Norwich City - 2.343million followers
Norwich City are the biggest club in Suffolk, with a combined following of 2.3million.
Norwich City have just under 500,000 followers on Instagram and just under 900,000 followers on Twitter.
Norwich have participated in European competition once, reaching the third round of the UEFA Cup in 1993-94, and are the only English side to beat Bayern Munich in the Olympiastadion.
22) Fulham - 2.4million followers
After a successful season in the Premier League, Fulham will be looking to repeat that next season with their big social fanbase behind them.
Both Fulham's Instagram and Twitter accounts have over 700,000 followers.
Fulham are London's oldest professional football club. Fulham were founded in 1879 by a schoolteacher, churchwarden, and a group of worshipers at the Church of England.
21) Brighton and Hove Albion - 2.515million followers
Brighton and Hove Albion have been on the up in popularity as they cement their place in the Premier League for another season.
The Seagulls have 1.1million followers on Instagram, making it their most popular social account.
20) Swansea City - 2.590million followers
Swansea have a combined following of 2.590million on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The Swans used to be the most followed club in Wales for several years, but since Ryan Reynolds-owned Wrexham took over, Swansea will have to make do with second place.
19) Stoke City - 2.592million followers
Stoke City have struggled in recent years but still have a dedicated fanbase behind them.
Stoke have just over 1million followers on Twitter and just under 400,000 on Instagram, resulting in Twitter being their most followed account out of the three.
The club's only major trophy was in 1972 in the Football League Final, when they beat Chelsea 2-1.
18) Wrexham AFC - 2.8million followers
Wrexham is the 18th most followed club via social media - and are the only team outside the Premier League and Championships with over 1million followers.
Ever since the takeover in 2021 by Hollywood star Ryan Renolds and producer Rob Mcelhenney, Wrexham's status as a club has risen dramatically.
Wrexham have over 900,000 followers on Instagram, more than some Premier League clubs such as Fulham and Brentford.
17) Sunderland - 3million followers
Sunderland may have missed a chance to play in the Premier League next season, but there are no slouches in the top 20 of this list.
The Black Cats have an impressive 1.5million followers on Facebook and 487,000 followers on Instagram.
Sunderland are the sixth most successful English team ever, winning the English League Championship six times.
16) Leeds United - 3.3million
Leeds may have been relegated from the Premier League, but they bring a massive fanbase with them to the Championship once again.
Last season's top goalscorer, Rodrigo, has the most followers on Instagram with 413,000 followers - but he has left the club to join Qatari side Al-Rayyan.
Jack Charlton holds the record for the most appearances at the club with 773.
15) Watford - 3.4million followers
Watford have a combined social following of 3.4 million followers - 1.1million on Instagram and 2million on Facebook.
The Hornets' most followed player is Francisco Carvallo, with just over 146,000.
14) Crystal Palace - 5million followers
Crystal Palace and their fanbase are about to celebrate 10 straight years in the Premier League.
Wilfred Zaha is the most followed player at the club with 1.2million, whereas the club have 1.6million on Instagram and over 2million on Facebook.
Crystal Palace were inaugural champions of the newly-formed Third Division in 1920-21, also their first-ever season in the Football League.
13) Southampton - 5.8million followers
Relegated from the Premier League, Southampton will need all their fans to be behind them as they hope to make a return to the top flight next season.
The Saints have 1.6million followers on Twitter and 3.5million on Facebook. Their most-followed player on Instagram is Theo Walcott, with 3.5million followers.
They are nicknamed the Saints because of the club's beginnings as a church football team at St Mary's Church.
12) Wolverhampton Wanderers - 5.9 million followers
Wolves are the third most-followed team in the Midlands, with a combined following of 5.9million followers across all platforms.
Wolves' most-followed account is Facebook, with 3million. Their most-followed player on Instagram is veteran striker Diego Costa with 7million followers.
In the all-time table since the league's inception in 1888, Wolves sit fourth behind Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal regarding league position.
11) Newcastle United - 7million followers
Since the Saudi takeover in 2022, Newcastle United's status has increased globally.
Now in the Champions League, Newcastle's fan base will only grow as they look to become one of England's biggest and most successful teams.
Newcastle have 2million followers on Instagram, and their most-followed player on Instagram is England defender Kieran Trippier, with 1.3million followers.
10) West Ham United - 8million followers
Europa Conference league champions West Ham United's most-followed account is Facebook, with 3.5million followers, while Instagram has 3.1million.
9) Aston Villa - 9million followers
Aston Villa are the second most-followed Midlands team with 9million followers. Villa have 3million followers on Instagram and 2.3million on Twitter.
Their most-followed player on Instagram is Phillippe Coutinho, with over 25million followers.
Villa hold the record for the most top-flight goals with 128 in the 1930-31 season.
8) Everton - 10million followers
Everton have a combined social media following of 10million, with 3million coming from their most-followed account on Facebook.
The Toffees have 2.9million followers on Twitter and 2.8million on Instagram.
Everton's most-followed player on Instagram is England number one Jordan Pickford, with 1.2million followers.
7) Leicester City - 18million followers
Although relegated from the Premier League last season, Leicester City still lead the way with the most followers outside the top six.
Now that James Maddison has left Leicester, Jamie Vardy is the most-followed player on Instagram, with 1.5million followers.
6) Tottenham Hotspur - 52million followers
Despite finishing sixth last season, Spurs are the most-followed English team on TIK TOK with 13million followers.
They sit one place behind arch rivals Arsenal in combined followers, but Harry Kane has 15million followers on Instagram, 10million ahead of Arsenal's most-followed player Mohammed Elneny with just over 5million.
5) Arsenal - 85million followers
Arsenal are the second most popular London team and rank as the fourth most popular club on Twitter with 18.5million followers - and the fifth most followed on Instagram with just over 25million followers.
Mohammed Elneny leads the way with the most followers on Instagram, with just over 5million. Norway international and Gunners captain Martin Odegaard follows in a close second on Instagram.
4) Manchester City - 97million followers
Man City is fourth on the list, with 97million combined followers on all social accounts.
The club have 41million Facebook followers, which makes them the third-highest overall.
The Blues are currently the fourth highest overall on Instagram, securing 43million followers.
3) Liverpool - 105million followers
Liverpool are the second most-followed English team on Instagram, with 42million followers.
Mo Salah leads the way as the most-followed footballer at the club with 61million followers; Virgil van Dijk is second with 14million followers.
2) Chelsea - 113million followers
Chelsea take second place with 113million combined followers, making them the most popular team in London.
The most-followed player at the club was N'golo Kante, with 12.6million. However, as he recently left the club to join Saudi Arabian champions Ittihad, Raheem Sterling became the most-followed Instagram player.
1) Manchester United - 172million followers
Manchester United have the highest social media following in England, with 172million followers across all platforms.
The Red Devils are the most widely supported football club worldwide, with 76million followers on Facebook and 62million followers on Instagram.
United are the fourth most-followed club in the world, behind PSG, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
