Who’s on top: Forbes releases new list of 50 most valuable sports teams
Early Thursday morning, ‘Forbes’ released their annual list of the 50 most valuable sports franchises in the world.
Unsurprisingly, the Dallas Cowboys claimed the top spot for the ninth consecutive year, with the team valued at over $10 billion – the first team ever to cross that threshold. In fact, they are the only franchise to be worth more than $9 million.
The NFL dominated this year’s rankings, with 29 of their 32 teams earning spots on the list. Only the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals failed to crack the top-50. The Bills were part of last year’s list.
Soccer clubs were notably absent from the list. Only seven teams made the cut, and the highest-valued – Real Madrid – came outside the top-10, tied for No. 12 at $6.6 billion with the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, seven European soccer clubs dwarfed the number of MLB teams (3) that made the list.
Here’s everything to know regarding Forbes’ latest list.
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‘Forbes’ list of most valuable sports teams of 2024
Dallas Cowboys – $10.1 billion
Golden State Warriors – $8.8 billion
Los Angeles Rams – $7.6 billion
New York Yankees – $7.55 billion
New York Knicks – $7.5 billion
New England Patriots – $7.4 billion
New York Giants – $7.3 billion
Los Angeles Lakers – $7.1 billion
New York Jets – $6.9 billion
San Francisco 49ers – $6.8 billion
Las Vegas Raiders – $6.7 billion
Philadelphia Eagles – $6.6 billion
Real Madrid – $6.6 billion
Manchester United – $6.55 billion
Chicago Bears – $6.4 billion
Washington Commanders – $6.3 billion
Miami Dolphins – $6.2 billion
Houston Texans – $6.1 billion
Boston Celtics – $6 billion
FC Barcelona – $5.6 billion
Green Bay Packers – $5.6 billion
Denver Broncos – $5.5 billion
Los Angeles Clippers – $5.5 billion
Los Angeles Dodgers – $5.45 billion
Seattle Seahawks – $5.45 billion
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $5.4 billion
Liverpool F.C. – $5.37 billion
Pittsburgh Steelers – $5.3 billion
Atlanta Falcons – $5.2 billion
Cleveland Browns – $5.15 billion
Los Angeles Chargers – $5.1 billion
Manchester City– $5.1 billion
Minnesota Vikings – $5.05 billion
Baltimore Ravens – $5 billion
Bayern Munich – $5 billion
Chicago Bulls – $5 billion
Houston Rockets – $4.9 billion
Tennessee Titans – $4.9 billion
Kansas City Chiefs – $4.85 billion
Brooklyn Nets – $4.8 billion
Indianapolis Colts – $4.8 billion
Dallas Mavericks – $4.7 billion
Jacksonville Jaguars – $4.6 billion
Philadelphia 76ers – $4.6 billion
Boston Red Sox – $4.5 billion
Carolina Panthers – $4.5 billion
New Orleans Saints – $4.4 billion
Paris Saint-Germain – $4.4 billion
Toronto Raptors – $4.4 billion
Arizona Cardinals – $4.3 billion
Phoenix Suns – $4.3 billion
Why aren’t there more soccer teams?
Forbes notes that while soccer has a much more global reach and appeal, ‘nothing beats the commercialization of American pro sports.’ On average, an NBA team will earn $230 million per year in TV deals, while an average NFL team will earn $380 million. For perspective, one of the most valuable European soccer teams, Atletico Madrid, earned $382 million in total revenue last year. According to Forbes, they are the 13th-most valuable soccer club in the world.
How has the value of franchises increased in recent years?
Pro sports are only becoming more popular by the year. Just this year, the average team within the top-50 jumped from a value of $5.12 billion to $5.78 billion, a near 13% increase. In 2015, the average value of each top-50 team was just $1.76 billion.
NFL football continues to be the biggest riser. Just 10 years ago, there were only eight NFL teams in the top-50. Each of the three top spots used to be European soccer teams, but American sports have taken a hold of the global market over the last decade.
Which team grew the most since last year?
The biggest growth of any professional sports team between 2023 and 2024 was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which saw their franchise’s value increase by 29% this year. They were 37th on Forbes’ list a year ago. Now, they are 26th.
There were only four other teams in the top-50 to grow by more than 20% in the last year: the Los Angeles Chargers (23%), Brooklyn Nets (25%), Green Bay Packers (22%), and Boston Celtics (28%).