It’s a sad reality for some football fans that their clubs may one day cease to exist, whether it is from financial issues, constant legal battles, or breaching financial rules. We’ve seen plenty of clubs lose their business status and become forced to stop all operations on and off the pitch. Finance plays a big part in football, from signings to player wages, and even some fans are taking up forms of gambling, from live roulette games to sports betting. Money is a big part of the modern game and can make or break a club, so let’s take a look at 5 football clubs that have ceased to exist.
FC Dnipro
The former Ukrainian Premier League side, FC Dnipro, was featured on some of Europe’s biggest stages before its unfortunate end in 2019. Despite featuring in the Europa League and even the Champions League, the Ukrainian side was unable to survive as a result of bankruptcy, after failing to provide monetary compensation to players and coaches. They faced several relegations, even to a semi-professional level, before fully disbanding in 2019. The 2 time Soviet Top League winners even had a few notable players, including Yevhen Konoplyanka and Nikola Kalinić. Some players and coaches chose to join the 2015-founded side, SC Dnipro-1, which was the unofficial continuation of FC Dnipro, despite not being approved by UEFA. However, in a similar fashion, they ceased to exist as of July 2024, even forfeiting their upcoming UEFA Conference League games.
Wimbledon FC
The story of Wimbledon FC is one that is spoken about a lot in football, showing a story of a resilient fanbase that did not give up on their club. The 1998 FA Cup winners saw new owners come into the club in 2002 and announced that they would be relocating the club to Milton Keynes. Despite protests from fans, the decision was final and approved by the FA, forming Milton Keynes Dons FC in 2004. While the club was moving to the new ground with a new identity, the fans had started their own team called AFC Wimbledon, the new club that would take over from Wimbledon FC. The mission was a success, as AFC Wimbledon was placed into non-league football, continuing the legacy of the team before it. Over time, the club climbed the league. As of 2025, AFC Wimbledon is above MK Dons in the football league, showing a real story of resilience from the fans and passion for what was once Wimbledon FC.
FC Anzhi Makhachkala
Located in Russia, featuring in the Russian Premier League, and even in the Europa League, this club was formed in 1991 and was taken over by Russian Billionaire Suleyman Kerimov. The club had pulled some big talents into the squad, including the likes of Roberto Carlos, Samuel Eto’o and Willian. With some of the biggest names in world football representing The Eagles, what caused the downfall of such a big figure in Russian football? Just like many other clubs that have had to dissolve, finances were the core issue surrounding FC Anzhi Makhachkala. After being relegated in the 2018.19 season, they could not afford to play in the second tier, and had to settle for a 3rd tier 2019/2020 season. Without being able to win promotion, they remained in the division until 2022, when the club announced it would no longer be a professional football club.
Chivas USA
Chivas may be a recognisable name for some, as the club still plays and competes in the Mexican Liga MX; however, Chivas USA was a second team set up by the club to perform in the MLS, making the club a franchise. They entered the MLS in 2005, playing out of California with talent that even took them to the MLS Cup semi-finals in 2007. With the owner of the club becoming more and more disappointed with performances and results, he sold the team in 2014 to the MLS, which decided to stop all operations and introduce 2 new teams to the league, New York City SC and Orlando SC. It wasn’t until 2018 that the direct replacement for Chivas USA was introduced to the MLS, known as Los Angeles FC, which has seen some big-name players in recent years, including Hugo Lloris, Olivier Giroud, and Gareth Bale.
ChievoVerona
Verona once contained 2 big football clubs, competing amongst Italy’s biggest in the top flight; however, the city could only afford to maintain one. ChievoVerona was always in the shadow of their counterpart, Hellas Verona, but they did enjoy spells in the Italian top flight from the year 2000 until 2019, even featuring in European competitions. They were relegated in 2019 and even expelled from Serie B due to financial scandals concerning taxes and various other financial matters. As a result, ChievoVerona was forced to dissolve in 2021, with a new club forming in its place in the lower leagues of Italian football. In 2024, the rights to ChievoVerona’s badge, name and identity were bought, bringing the club back to life in the Serie D. Maybe in the future we will see this once great club back in the Serie A.
