For the ninth year in a row, the Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports team in the world, with an estimated price tag of $10. 1 billion, the first to break the 11-figure threshold and $1. 3 billion more than their closest competitors. movement among the top 50 teams, with 12 NBA franchises now flooding the rankings, double the six on last year’s list and led by the Golden State Warriors, worth an estimated $8. 8 billion and the number 2. in general.
To be fair, that increase is due in part to a change in the timing of Forbes’ list, but basketball’s march up the financial leaderboard also reflects real gains by the NBA’s teams. The league’s 30 franchises were worth $4.4 billion on average this year, a 15% increase over 2023 and a staggering 596% jump from a decade ago (a 21% compound annual return). No other sport represented among the 50 most valuable teams comes close to that appreciation.
The influx of NBA teams comes at the expense of Major League Baseball, which lost two top-50 teams (the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants); Formula 1, which saw its two groups compete (Ferrari and Mercedes); and the NFL, which is now missing the Buffalo Bills. (Due to the tie for 50th place this year between the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, six new groups enter the rankings, while only five groups exit. )
The NFL, however, continues to dominate the list with 29 franchises—58% of the top 50. Soccer, which had eight clubs in the top 50 a decade ago, including the top three spots, now has seven teams spread across four leagues, with Real Madrid of Spain’s La Liga leading the way at $6.6 billion, tied for 12th overall.
While Europe’s elite soccer groups have an unbeatable global reputation, nothing beats the marketing of American professional sports, starting with their media dealings. The NBA’s national television deals, signed in July and set to take effect next season, are reportedly worth $76 billion over 11 years, which translates to an average annual payout of $230 million per team. Meanwhile, the NFL team will get about $380 million per year on average over the life of the league’s national media rights program, which is generally expected to pay at least $125. 5 billion through 2033Array.
Consider that La Liga’s Atlético Madrid, which is not among the top 50 most valuable sports groups in the world but ranks 13th among soccer clubs on the Forbes 2024 list, earned $382 million last season in income. income, all resources combined, according to Forbes estimates. Or just take a look at Manchester City, which has racked up four straight titles in the tough English Premier League, as well as the 2023 Champions League trophy. The club is now worth $5. 1 billion, putting it tied for 31st place in the world with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers being only the fifth most valuable franchise in their home market, the Rams, Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
Combined, the top 50 value groups amount to just under $289 billion, an average of about $5. 8 billion, up 13% from 2023. The threshold is also at record levels, up 16% at $4. 3 billion, up from $3. 7 billion last year. In fact, the last-ranked team this year would have been No. 1 just seven years ago, when the Cowboys topped the ratings with $4. 2 billion.
The 50 highest-value teams are chosen from Forbes’ most recent rankings of Formula 1, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and football teams. Team prices are corporate prices (equity plus net debt) and depend on the economics of the team’s stadium, but not the actual price of the stadium itself. Similarly, prices come with the rights to regional sports networks owned by the team, but not the price of the RSNs themselves; Stakes in other sports-related assets and mixed-use real estate projects are also excluded. For valuations that add up all sports-related assets, check out Forbes’ 2024 ranking of the highest-value sports empires. All figures are in U. S. dollars.