Tottenham Hotspur have the Premier League’s largest TikTok following, but Manchester United grew most despite their poor 2021/22 season, according to research by DataPOWA.
The social network has become one of the most significant channels for sports properties in recent years, and it’s worked hard to place itself at the centre of soccer specifically, sponsoring major events such as last summer’s Euro 2020 and the forthcoming Women’s Euro 2022.
Using information from its digital benchmarking tool POWA index, DataPOWA has compiled a comprehensive report covering the TikTok performance of each Premier League team, as well as the league itself, during 2021/22 to reveal which clubs have succeeded and which have room for improvement.
The insights show that Tottenham have the biggest following of any Premier League club on the platform, clocking in with 16.5m, a little over 1 million more followers than second place Manchester United. However, United grew more than any other Premier League team, adding 11.5m followers thanks primarily to the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer.

Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City round out the top five, but lag some distance behind Tottenham and United.
The tables turn a little when considering the number of likes posts received. Here, United take top spot, finishing the season with a total of 285.5m, an increase of some 237m. Liverpool are second, with City in third, Tottenham in fourth and Chelsea in fifth.

DataPOWA Founder and CEO Mike Flynn said: “Our insights emphasise just how important TikTok is becoming to the Premier League and the football world as a whole. With last season providing unpredictable drama right up to the final minutes of the final games, fans took to the platform in their millions to share their passion and engage with Premier League content.
“Ronaldo’s return was a major driver of followers and likes, but player power as a whole was crucial to clubs, with Son Heung-min being instrumental in Tottenham’s surge to the top of the followers table.”
The full report, featuring month-by-month follower and like breakdowns, along with comparisons with other global sports properties, can be downloaded from the DataPOWA website.
Enquiries:
Paul Bullock, Marketing Manager, DataPOWA
paul.bullock@datapowa.co.uk / +44 7792 511732
About DataPOWA
DataPOWA is a UK-headquartered, wholly-owned business within the IXUP Group, a publicly listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). DataPOWA offers specialist data and analytics services to the sports market, including:
- POWA index: live digital benchmarking on over 2,800 rights holders from 47 sports in real time
- POWA tracker: fast-tracked brand valuation across social media and broadcast with analysis available within a market leading 48 hours of a live event.
- FanPOWA: 100% GDPR compliant enriched fan data insights, accessible without ever sharing data
Visit our website, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
