Despite their struggles on and off the field over the past few seasons, Manchester United still boast a massive global fanbase.
The Red Devils’ sustained period of success under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson helped them become one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Only Real Madrid and Barcelona are in the same bracket in terms of their international popularity, highlighting United’s status as a footballing giant.
A measure of their global reputation can be garnered from the online betting industry, which has grown massively on the back of the club’s exploits.
For example, United fans in Africa regularly wager on the team on https://www.bizbet.africa/ whenever they are playing.
With live data and innovative betting functions, sportsbooks of this nature have helped to significantly raise United’s profile worldwide.
Platforms that serve both gamers and bettors are especially influential. Some users access sports simulations that include VR layers.
One example is the bizbet mobile, which integrates gaming features with live data and betting functions. These tools increase exposure to digital games, including VR-style content.
Read on as we take a closer look at some of the other ways fans stay connected to Man United from around the world, starting with broadcast coverage.
Live broadcasts
The Premier League has deals with broadcasters around the world. Here are some of the latest agreements in major jurisdictions which run until the end of the 2027/28 season:
- Australia – Optus Sport
- Belgium – Telenet
- Brazil – ESPN
- Canada – fuboTV
- Caribbean – ESPN
- China – Migu
- France – CANAL+
- Germany – Sky Deutschland
- Hong Kong – PCCW
- India – JioStar
- Indonesia – EMTEK
- Italy – Sky Italia
- Japan – U-Next
- Malaysia – Astro
- MENA & Africa – beIN Sports
- Mexico – FOX, TNT Sports
- Netherlands – Viaplay
- New Zealand – Sky NZ
- Pakistan – JioStar
- Portugal – Eleven
- Republic of Ireland – Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Premier Sports
- Singapore – StarHub
- South Korea – Coupang
- Spain – DAZN
- Sri Lanka – JioStar
- Thailand – Jasmine International
- Turkey – beIN Sports
- United Kingdom – Sky Sports, TNT Sports
- South America – ESPN
- United States – NBC Sports
Social media & technology
At the time of writing (June 4, 2025) United’s official website advertised that the club has nine different social communication channels. These are as follows:
- YouTube – 10 million subscribers
- Facebook – 85 million followers
- X – 38.7 million followers
- Instagram – 64.4 million followers
- TikTok – 29.4 million followers
- WhatsApp – 17 million followers
- Snapchat – follower numbers not displayed
- Threads – 7.4 million followers
- Weibo – 11.3 million followers
United lead the Premier League in social media presence, leaving Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur trailing by a considerable distance.
The club has also leveraged emerging technologies such as virtual reality (VR) to build connections with fans located in overseas jurisdictions.
Often associated with mobile devices in gaming, VR can be utilised for numerous other non-gaming activities including digital tours.
Elements from virtual concerts are often brought into play in VR experiences in sport, bringing international fans even closer to the club.
Official supporters’ clubs
Man United have 315 officially recognised supporters’ clubs in 89 different countries spread across the world.
While North America, Asia and Africa are lucrative markets for the club, the landscape has started to shift a little in recent years.
Many local fans argue that football supporters overseas can be fickle as they do not have the same emotional connection to clubs.
That point was hammered home ahead of the 2025 trip to Asia, with fans seemingly not as eager to watch their games.
By contrast, Man City and Liverpool have enjoyed an uptick in interest amongst Asian fans due to their recent successes in the Premier League.
While this appears to cement the argument put forward by local fans about international supporters, United are still a massive draw due to their glittering history.
Many fans overseas pack out bars and clubs to watch United play, while millions more follow the team’s fortunes via broadcasts in their homes.
Pre-season tours
Man United’s participation in the 2025 Premier League Summer Series in the US continued a trend of them heading across the Atlantic Ocean for their pre-season preparations.
These tours are an invaluable marketing tool, as they help the club forge a much stronger connection with fans in international markets.
The Red Devils were one of the early pioneers of overseas tours having embarked on a mammoth trip to New Zealand in 1967.
This helped the club build a sizeable fanbase in Oceania, and the lessons learned from the trip have been successfully implemented since then.
One of United’s most iconic overseas tours was staged in 1993, when the club travelled to South Africa for the first time.
Ferguson famously met Nelson Mandela during the tour and has made no secret of his admiration for the South African statesman.
The trip created a lasting legacy for United in Africa, making them an attractive proposition for football fans and sports bettors across the continent.
It laid the foundations for wagering platforms such as bizbet.africa/line to flourish and undoubtedly helped to raise the Premier League’s profile in Africa.
