Two things you can safely say about Americans: They love their sports, and football is their first choice, by far. Just look at the valuations for the richest sports franchises in the world. The top 13 franchises are all U.S. teams, and nine of those are NFL teams.
See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money Experts
Also: 5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000
Using data from Forbes, GOBankingRates identified the 20 most valuable sports franchises in the world, in ascending order from least valuable to most. You’ll also learn about the revenue they earn, who owns them, when they bought their teams and for how much.
19. (tie) Miami Dolphins
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $4,600,000,000
- Owner: Stephen Ross
- Year purchased: 2008
- Price paid: $1,100,000,000
- Revenue: $533,000,000
19. (tie) Manchester United
- League: EPL
- Sport: Soccer
- Valuation: $4,600,000,000
- Owner: Glazer Family
- Year purchased: 2005
- Price paid: $1,400,000,000
- Revenue: $663,000,000
Take Our Poll: Are You Struggling To Keep Up With Your Utility Bills?
18. Denver Broncos
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $4,650,000,000
- Owner: Rob Walton
- Year purchased: 2022
- Price paid: $4,500,000,000
- Revenue: $526,000,000
17. Houston Texans
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $4,700,000,000
- Owner: Janice McNair
- Year purchased: 1999
- Price paid: $600,000,000
- Revenue: $571,000,000
16. Philadelphia Eagles
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $4,900,000,000
- Owner: Jeffrey Lurie
- Year purchased: 1994
- Price paid: $185,000,000
- Revenue: $547,000,000
15. Barcelona
- League: La Liga
- Sport: Soccer
- Valuation: $5,000,000,000
- Owner: Club members
- Year purchased: N/A
- Price paid: N/A
- Revenue: $692,000,000
13. (tie) Real Madrid
- League: La Liga
- Sport: Soccer
- Valuation: $5,100,000,000
- Owner: Club members
- Year purchased: N/A
- Price paid: N/A
- Revenue: $761,000,000
13. (tie) Las Vegas Raiders
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $5,100,000,000
- Owner: Mark Davis
- Year purchased: 1966
- Price paid: $180,000
- Revenue: $563,000,000
12. San Francisco 49ers
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $5,200,000,000
- Owner: Denise DeBartolo & John York
- Year purchased: 1977
- Price paid: $13,000,000
- Revenue: $575,000,000
11. New York Jets
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $5,400,000,000
- Owner: Johnson Family
- Year purchased: 2000
- Price paid: $635,000,000
- Revenue: $519,000,000
10. Los Angeles Lakers
- League: NBA
- Sport: Basketball
- Valuation: $5,500,000,000
- Owner: Jerry Buss Family Trusts, Todd Boehly, Mark Walter
- Year purchased: 1979, 2021
- Price paid: $20,000,000; $5,000,000,000
- Revenue: $316,000,000
8. (tie) Washington Commanders
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $5,600,000,000
- Owner: Daniel and Tanya Snyder
- Year purchased: 1999
- Price paid: $750,000,000
- Revenue: $544,000,000
8. (tie) Golden State Warriors
- League: NBA
- Sport: Basketball
- Valuation: $5,600,000,000
- Owner: Joe Lacob, Peter Guber
- Year purchased: 2010
- Price paid: $750,000,000
- Revenue: $258,000,000
6. (tie) Chicago Bears
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $5,800,000,000
- Owner: McCaskey Family
- Year purchased: 1920
- Price paid: $100
- Revenue: $520,000,000
6. (tie) New York Knicks
- League: NBA
- Sport: Basketball
- Valuation: $5,800,000,000
- Owner: Madison Square Garden Company
- Year purchased: 1997
- Price paid: $300,000,000
- Revenue: $298,000,000
4. (tie) New York Giants
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $6,000,000,000
- Owner: John Mara, Steve Tisch
- Year purchased: 1925, 1991
- Price paid: $500, $150,000,000
- Revenue: $584,000,000
4. (tie) New York Yankees
- League: MLB
- Sport: Baseball
- Valuation: $6,000,000,000
- Owner: Steinbrenner Family
- Year purchased: 1973
- Price paid: $8,800,000
- Revenue: $482,000,000
3. Los Angeles Rams
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $6,200,000,000
- Owner: E. Stanley Kroenke
- Year purchased: 2010
- Price paid: $750,000,000
- Revenue: $628,000,000
2. New England Patriots
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $6,400,000,000
- Owner: Robert Kraft
- Year purchased: 1994
- Price paid: $172,000,000
- Revenue: $651,000,000
1. Dallas Cowboys
- League: NFL
- Sport: Football
- Valuation: $8,000,000,000
- Owner: Jerry Jones
- Year purchased: 1989
- Price paid: $150,000,000
- Revenue: $1,087,000,000
More From GOBankingRates
- Ways You Can Lose Your Social Security Benefits
- Do You Have a Tax Question? Ask a Tax Pro
- The 10 Best Cash Back Credit Cards for 2023
- 6 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Procrastinate on Your Taxes
Andrew Lisa contributed to the reporting for this article.
Methodology: GOBankingRates found the 50 most valuable sports franchises in the world using Forbes’ “The World’s Most Valuable Sports Teams” 2020 data set and sourced the following factors for each team: (1) team name; (2) league/sport played in; (3) valuation; (4) owner(s) name; (5) year purchased; and (6) price paid. GOBankingRates then found each team’s most recent seasons revenues as sourced from Forbes’ league valuations. All data was collected on and up to date as of October 24, 2022.