Soccer Shockingly Underrepresented: Just Four Football Clubs Crack World's Top 50 Most Valuable Sports Franchises

Soccer, Football, Fútbol … regardless of what you name it, it stands as the world's most beloved sport, with approximately 3.5 billion supporters—nearly half of humanity—considered enthusiasts.

The game compensates its elite athletes exceptionally well, also. The typical yearly earnings of a Premier League footballer is estimated to equal $4.2 million, while top earners can receive over $26.8 million. In La Liga, Kylian Mbappé is reportedly earning $33.5 million through his Real Madrid deal.

Major clubs can only manage to pay such amounts because they generate revenue on an enormous scale themselves, often functioning as business enterprises as much as athletic organizations. In 2025, Forbes projects that 20 soccer teams globally possess valuations of no less than $1 billion.

However, soccer is hardly the sole major player and, when measured against entities like the NFL, NBA and Formula 1, it becomes clear that soccer teams are among the pack, not worldwide frontrunners.

Forbes determines a franchise's worth as its "enterprise value (equity plus net debt) and incorporates the financial aspects of each team's venue but excludes the worth of the stadium property itself."

This year, the most valuable sports franchise globally remains the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, estimated at $13 billion—representing a 29% increase from 2024.

The Golden State Warriors ($11 billion), LA Rams ($10.5 billion), New York Giants ($10.1 billion) and LA Lakers ($10 billion) complete the top five across all sports and represent the five franchises worldwide that reach 11-figure status. The initial soccer club to emerge is Real Madrid in 20th position—$6.75 billion remains a massive valuation not to be overlooked or underestimated.

Despite widely reported struggles consistently delivering on the field and substantial debt, Manchester United sits at =24th on the rankings. Their $6.6 billion assessment equals, coincidentally, the Glazer-owned Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Following this, after numerous additional examples from the traditional 'Big 4' U.S. sports—though no NHL, comes Barcelona in 42nd position at $5.65 billion. Liverpool manages to squeeze inside the top 50, tied at 48 alongside the Detroit Lions and Toronto Raptors, valued at $5.4 billion.

How Soccer's Giants Rank Among World's Most Valuable Sports Teams