Definitive list of American-owned European football clubs

Definitive list of American-owned European football (soccer) clubs
Definitive list of American-owned European football (soccer) clubs

American investment in European football clubs has risen dramatically in the past 5-to-10 years.

With success stories such as Wrexham's journey up the football league with backing from Hollywood's Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, to the unconstrained spending of Chelsea's new American owners.

American investors now own stakes in exactly half of the Premier League clubs, for example.

But for this article we turn our attention to the American-owned football clubs in Europe in 2025.

Here is a definitive list of European clubs that are owned in full or in part by American investors:

AC Milan

  • League: Serie A
  • Owner: AC Milan is American-owned. The consortium RedBird Capital Partners acquired control of the Italian club in 2022..
Christian Pulisic plays for AC Milan in Serie A who are American-owned
AC Milan in Serie A are American-owned

Arsenal

  • League: Premier League (England)
  • Owner: Premier League side Arsenal is American-owned, with U.S.-born Stan Kroenke owning the club since 2011..
American Stan Kroenke owns Arsenal football club in the English Premier League
American Stan Kroenke owns Arsenal football club in the English Premier League

AS Roma

  • League: Serie A (Italy)
  • Owner: American Dan Friedkin's group took control of AS Roma in 2020.

Aston Villa

  • League: Premier League (England)
  • Owner: Aston Villa is American-owned, with Wes Edens as the owner.
Aston Villa is co-owned by American Wes Edens.
Aston Villa is co-owned by American Wes Edens.

Atalanta

  • League: Serie A (Italy)
  • Owner: Atalanta is controlled by American private equity investor Stephen Pagliuca.

Birmingham City

  • League: Sky Bet Championship (England)
  • Owners: Birmingham City were acquired by American Tom Wagner’s Shelby Companies Ltd, with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady owning a 5% stake in the midlands club.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady owns part of English football club Birmingham City
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady owns part of English football club Birmingham City

Bournemouth

  • League: Premier League (England)
  • Owners: Bill Foley is the majority owner of AFC Bournemouth, with Michael B. Jordan (Hollywood actor who starred in Creed and Black Panther) a minority owner.

Burnley

  • League: Premier League (England)
  • Owner: Burnley are owned by ALK Capital, with minority investors including J.J. Watt.

Stade Malherbe Caen

  • League: Ligue 2 (France)
  • Owner: Caen were acquired by American firm Oaktree Capital Management in 2020.

Chelsea

  • League: Premier League (England)
  • Owner: Chelsea were purchased by American investors Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly in 2022.
Americans Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly bought Chelsea F.C in 2022
Americans Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly bought Chelsea F.C in 2022

Crawley Town

  • League: League Two (England)
  • Owner: Crawley Town are American-owned, having been taken over by American firm Wagmi United LLC in 2022..

Crystal Palace

  • League: Premier League (England)
  • Owners: Crystal Palace is an American-owned football club, with it being majority-controlled by Americans including John Textor (majority owner), Josh Harris, David Blitzer, and Englishman Steve Parish.

Everton

  • League: Premier League (England)
  • Owner: Houston-based consortium, The Friedkin Group, acquired a majority share of Everton. The American billionaire, Dan Friedkin, also owns AS Roma.
777 Partners are acquiring majority stake in Everton F.C
777 Partners are acquiring a majority stake in Everton F.C

Fiorentina

  • League: Serie A (Italy)
  • Owner: Fiorentina were bought by Italian-born American businessman Rocco Commisso in 2019.

Fulham

  • League: Premier League (England)
  • Owner: Fulham are American-owned, having been acquired by USA-based businessman Shahid Kahn in 2013.

Genoa

  • League: Serie A (Italy)
  • Owner: Acquired by American investment group 777 Partners in 2021, who are also pursuing a majority stake in Everton F.C.
Genoa in Serie A is owned by American investment firm 777 Partners
Genoa in Serie A is owned by American investment firm 777 Partners

Gillingham

  • League: League Two (England)
  • Owner: Gillingham are owned by American Brad Galinson who bought the club in 2022.

Huddersfield Town

  • League: Sky Bet Championship (England)
  • Owner: Recently taken over by Kevin M. Nagle, Huddersfield Town are now American-owned.

Inter Milan

Leeds United

  • League: Sky Bet Championship (England)
  • Owner: Leeds United are an American-owned club, having been bought by 49ers Enterprises in 2023.

Le Havre

  • League: Ligue 1 (France)
  • Owner: Le Havre have been owned by American businessman Vincent Volpe since 2015.

Liverpool

  • League: Premier League (England)
  • Owner: Liverpool are American-owned, with Fenway Sports Group buying the club for £300 million ($366 million) in 2010.
Fenway Sports Group owns English Premier League side Liverpool
Fenway Sports Group owns English Premier League side Liverpool

Lyon

  • League: Ligue 1 (France)
  • Owner: Majority investor, John Textor, holds 77.5% of the shares making Lyon an American-owned club.

Mallorca

  • League: La Liga (Spain)
  • Owner: Plucky underdogs Mallorca, who reached the Copa Del Rey final in 2024, are owned by American Andy Kohlberg.

Manchester United

  • League: Premier League (England)
  • Owner: Manchester United have been majority-owned by the Glazer family since 2005, making them American-owned.
American owners of Manchester United, The Glazers
American owners of Manchester United, The Glazers

Marseille

  • League: Ligue 1 (France)
  • Owner: Marseille have been owned by American businessman Frank McCourt since 2016.

Millwall

  • League: Sky Bet Championship (England)
  • Owner: Millwall are American-owned, the club were previously owned by US-born John Berylson, who has now been succeeded by his son James.

Nancy

  • League: Championnat National (France)
  • Owner: Nancy have been owned by American businessman Chien Lee since late 2020.

Parma

  • League: Serie B (Italy)
  • Owner: Parma were acquired by the American-based Krause Group in 2020.

Plymouth Argyle

  • League: Sky Bet Championship (England)
  • Owner: Plymouth Argyle are part-owned by Argyle Green, LLC, with Florida-based businessman Michael Mincberg a director of the Devon club, with the American group now owning 20% of Plymouth since 2022.

Portsmouth

  • League: Sky Bet Championship (England)
  • Owner: Portsmouth were purchased by American firm The Tornante Company in 2017.

Red Star

  • League: SuperLiga (Serbia)
  • Owners: Red Star Belgrade were purchased by American investment group 777 Partners in 2022.

Spezia Calcio

  • League: Serie B (Italy)
  • Owner: The Italian club changed hands with the American family of Robert Platek acquiring it in 2021.

Strasbourg

  • League: Ligue 1 (France)
  • Owner: Strasbourg are owned by American-based Todd Boelhy and Clearlake Capital, who have owned the club since May 2022. Strasbourg's owners also own Chelsea FC.

Swansea City

  • League: Sky Bet Championship (England)
  • Owner: Swansea City are an American-owned club, and are controlled by Jason Levien, who is also the co-owner of D.C. United.

Toulouse FC

  • League: Ligue 1 (France)
  • Owner: American investment group RedBird Capital have had an 85% stake in Toulouse since 2020.

Venezia FC

  • League: Serie B (Italy)
  • Owners: Venezia FC have been owned by American Duncan L. Niederauer since 2019.

Woking FC

  • League: National League (England)
  • Owners: Woking are American-owned by investors Drew Volpe and John Katz who invested in the club in 2022.

Wrexham AFC

  • League: League Two (England)
  • Owners: Wrexham are American-owned, they were acquired by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in late 2020.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney own Wrexham FC
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney own Wrexham AFC

Wycombe Wanderers

  • League: League One (England)
  • Owners: Wycombe Wanderers are American owned, with Rob Couhig / Feliciana EFL Ltd acquiring a majority stake in the club.

If you want more in-depth football analysis and exclusive newsletters like this, consider becoming a part of our growing community of cultured football fans with our free and paid memberships.

Your support is vital to our ability to grow and improve our independent football newsroom.