Šport že dolgo časa ni več zgolj rekreativna dejavnost in sredstvo zabavanja množic, temveč je postal pomembna pravna in gospodarska dejavnost, kjer se vrtijo velikanski zneski in sklepajo kompleksne pogodbe. V pričujočem delu bom pisal o razvoju športa, pri čemer bo poudarek na nogometu. Proučil bom, kakšno vlogo ima v svetu, koliko gledalcev pritegne, koliko ljudi se z njim ukvarja in kakšne so ekonomske posledice tega. Glede na dejstvo, da je šport neločljivo povezan z denarjem, bom skušal ugotoviti, ali obstaja povezava med vrednostjo moštva ter uspešnostjo v evropskih in nacionalnih tekmovanjih. Preveril bom ekonomski vidik poslovanja evropskih nogometnih lig, saj te vendarle veljajo za najmočnejše v svetu, hkrati pa so nam najbliže, tako po načinu delovanja kot po sami geografski bližini. Analiziral bom razvoj in strukturo prihodkov v teh ligah ter opravil podrobnejšo finančno analizo in poskušal potrditi hipotezo, da so finančno močnejše ekipe tudi uspešnejše v tekmovanjih. Temu bo sledila analiza poslovanja finančno najmočnejših klubov in njihove naloge usklajevanja odhodkov s prihodki. Ker pa je bilo to delo napisana ravno v času globalne pandemije COVID-19, bom nekaj besed namenil tudi temu, a zaradi pomanjkanja natančnih podatkov o vplivu na gospodarstvo zgolj v smislu napovedi posledic in ukrepov za prihodnost. Seveda ne moremo mimo pravne ureditve, znotraj katere klubi delujejo. Osredotočil se bom na pet največjih evropskih lig: angleško, nemško, špansko, italijansko in francosko. Mnogi izmed klubov svoje finance prilagajajo najpomembnejšemu evropskemu tekmovanju – Ligi prvakov. Prav nastopanje znotraj UEFE večini klubov predstavlja glavni cilj, saj prinaša tako finančno kot vrsto drugih pozitivnih koristi za klub, kot so globalna prepoznavnost, višja obiskanost tekem ipd. Prav tako pa klub postane zanimiv za potencialne prihode boljših nogometašev, saj mnogim pomeni igranje v Ligi prvakov oziroma osvojitev le-te glavni karierni cilj. Pri tem seveda ne moremo zaobiti znamenitega pravila, poimenovanega finančni »fair play«, zato bom slednjega podrobneje predstavil v povezavi s pogoji licenciranja klubov, brez izpolnjevanja katerih klubi ne morejo nastopati pod okriljem UEFE. For a long time, sport is no longer merely a recreational activity and a mean of entertaining the masses but it has become an important legal and economic activity. So in my work, I will talk about the development of sport, with an emphasis on football. We will review what role it plays in the world, how many viewers it attracts, how many people are involved with it, and what the economic consequences of this are. Given the fact that sport is inextricably linked to money, I will try to determine whether there is a link between team value and performance in European and national competitions. We will review the economic aspect of the operation of European football leagues, as they are considered to be the strongest in the world, and at the same time they are closest to us, both in terms of the way they operate and in terms of geographical proximity. I will analyze the development and revenue structure in these leagues and perform a more detailed financial analysis, and try to confirm the hypothesis so that financially stronger teams are also more successful in competitions. This will be followed by an analysis of the operations of the financially strongest clubs, and their task of reconciling expenses with revenues. As the task was commissioned just at the time of the global COVID-19 pandemic, a few words were also given to the topic, due to accurate data on the impact on the economy, only in terms of predicting the consequences and measures for the future. In analyzing the European leagues, we can not get past the Champions League. In order to compete under UEFA competitions, strict legal framework within clubs has to be respected. Many of the clubs adjust their finances to whether or not they qualify for the competition. As UEFA competitions are major goal for most clubs (as it is bringing both financial and other benefits to the club, such as global recognition, higher attendance, etc.) the club also becomes interested in the potential arrivals of better footballers. Of course, we can not bypass the famous rule called ''Financial Fair Play), which will be presented in more detail and in relation to the licensing conditions of clubs without which they can not compete under the UEFA.