Most English football clubs face financial disaster, regulator warns
· Sports · BBC Sport, BBC News, Financial Times
The independent football regulator says 94% of clubs in England's top five leagues made losses in 2025-26, with more than 60% of EFL and National League clubs technically insolvent. Seventeen clubs would be loss-making even if their players played for free, and 66% could not survive beyond 90 days without new owner funding. The regulator warns of a dangerous cocktail of rising debt and over-reliance on owner funding, leaving clubs and fans at risk. It urges clubs to put robust contingency plans in place and says the underlying foundations of the football pyramid are under intense strain. The IFR has the power to impose a funding settlement between the Premier League and EFL if talks fail, and will not hesitate to use its powers to bring about lasting change.
Why it matters
Thousands of lower-league football clubs and their fans face imminent collapse if owner funding stops, threatening the stability of English football's pyramid. Urgent reform is needed to prevent widespread insolvency and protect community clubs that serve as vital local institutions.
Read the original report — BBC Sport
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